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Giant Robotic Hand Video
A giant robotic hand has been constructed by Christian Ristow of RoboChrist Industries. The device is at the business end of a waldo, the ultimate in easy user interfaces. Take a look at the video, and dream of having your own giant robotic hand to do your bidding.
(Giant robotic hand video)
In his 1942 classic Waldo, Robert Heinlein describes (and names!) telefactoring devices for the first time:
Waldo put his arms into the primary pair before him; all three pairs, including the secondary pair before the machine, came to life. Waldo flexed and extended his fingers gently; the two pairs of waldoes in the screen followed in exact, simultaneous parallelism.
This invention, also called the Waldo F. Jones Synchronous Reduplicating Pantograph, was immediately put into use in the nascent nuclear power industry.
In the story, Heinlein plays around with the idea. He considers waldoes that are so small, they look like "tiny pixy hands, an inch across." He also describes some very large waldoes:
There were waldoes rigged near the spherical wall, too, including a pair so huge that Stevens could not conceive a use for it..Extended, each hand spread quite six feet from little finger to thumb tip.
Via Botjunkie; also, enjoy this additional giant hand explanatory video (thanks to Joey1058.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 12/5/2009)
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