Alpha Robot Liked The Ladies In 1934
Writing by Evan Ackerman on Wednesday, 10 of March , 2010 at 2:06 am
Another gem from Cybernetic Zoo is Alpha, a robot created in 1934. Here are some excerpts from a contemporary article from Time magazine:
Last week Alpha, the robot, made its first public appearance in the U. S. One of the most ingenious automatons ever contrived by man, a grim and gleaming monster 6 ft. 4 in. tall, the robot was brought to Manhattan by its owner-inventor-impresario, Professor Harry May of London, and installed on the fifth floor of R. H. Macy & Co.’s department store. The creature had a great sullen slit of a mouth, vast protuberant eyes, shaggy curls of rolled metal. In one mailed fist Alpha clutched a revolver.
Professor May, a dapper, blond, beak-nosed man in his middle thirties, signaled his assistant who drew a curtain behind the stage, revealing the massive control cabinets to which the robot was wired.
Said the crisp British voice of Professor May: “Wake up!”
The eyes of the automaton glowed red.
“Stand up!”
The robot clicked and whirred. Pivoting at knees and waist, it slowly stood up.
“Raise your right arm.” Alpha gave a tremendous Nazi salute.
When commanded, the robot lowered its arm, raised the other, lowered it, turned its head from side to side, opened and closed its prognathous jaw, sat down.
More, after the jump.
Privately Professor May explained more. Heart of the robot system is an ordinary cathode-ray oscillograph, an electronic device which, when voice modulations are converted into electrical impulses as in a telephone, makes a jagged up-and-down record of them. Since different voices are differently pitched the device is rigged to ignore absolute pitch but to respond to relative pitch variations which occur in sequence in certain word combinations as pronounced by most speakers. Different combinations of variations close different combinations of relay circuits, and each combination of circuits is hooked up to the appropriate wax cylinder which supplies the answer, or to the proper motor which moves the robot as directed. Thus Alpha may answer “Seven” when asked “How many days in the week?” but remains dumb if the question is phrased “A week has how many days?”
Alpha was not quite correct in giving its age as 14. Professor May, a clever free-lance experimenter in electronics who is now working on voice-operated safes for banks, conceived Alpha 14 years ago but did not endow the robot with its present versatility until last year. He says it is now foolproof although it has not always been so. Once it fired its pistol without warning, blasting the skin off the professor’s arm from wrist to elbow. Another time it lowered its arm unexpectedly, struck an assistant on the shoulder, bruised him so badly that he was hospitalized.
Here’s more on that last bit, from a September 1934 article in the Winnipeg Free Press:
Robot At Toronto Show Turns on Custodian and Smashed Him on Shoulder
Toronto, -Sept; 6.—Michael Harley, of London,- England, custodian of “Alpha,” the robot woman being displayed at the Canadian National exhibition, Wednesday crept from hospital with a sore shoulder and a bad case of the jitters. He went back.to look after “Alpha” with some trepidation after she belted him Tuesday with” a mailed fist and knocked him to the floor. He was standing with his back to her. He had uttered no word of command, but suddenly the mechanical woman swung on him. ‘”Alpha,” ‘after turning on her master, stood motionless and expressionless till someone else started ordering her around.
Huh, maybe this is where all the killer robot panic originally comes from.
There’s actually a video of Alpha in action, and it’s incredibly awesome. I can’t embed it (arg) but clicking the picture below will take you there. It’s worth it: Alpha fires a gun and then hits on some poor girl. Be sure to read the accompanying text if you can’t understand the audio:
VIA [ Cybernetic Zoo ]
Comments (3)
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Comment by whiskers
Made Wednesday, 10 of March , 2010 at 6:27 am
What a bizarre contraption. The video at the end seems to be staged – I believe in Alpha responding to “fire” and “how much do you weigh”, but in the rest of the conversation the scientist is pretty much having conversation with Alpha, as opposed to giving enunciated commands.
Nevertheless, what a fascinating past does the study of robotics have. I’m sure the future historians, looking back at the start of robopocalypse will be able to cite this machine as one of the first.
P.S. Voice-controlled robots firing guns… BRILLIANT!
Comment by utility trailers
Made Monday, 21 of November , 2011 at 11:26 pm
Oh my goodness! an amazing article. Thank you!
Comment by Elenor Sanquenetti
Made Saturday, 26 of November , 2011 at 3:40 pm
I’m not sure where you are getting your information, but great topic. I needs to spend some time learning more or understanding more. Thanks for fantastic information I was looking for this info for my mission.
