Need someone to zip up your dress? In 1964, the Hughes Mobot was there to help.
Hughes Aircraft's Mobot, aka Mobot the Magnificent Monster (seriously), was originally designed for the Atomic Energy Division of the Phillips Petroleum Company in the late 1950s and early 1960s as a remote manipulator.
A 150-meter [500-foot] cable led back to a control console, where a human operator could safely direct remote cleanup operations of radioactive material and other nasty stuff. Mobot had two manipulator arms along with two cameras, which are the things that look vaguely like water-cooled machine guns but aren't. Sad.
Reuben Hoggett, who maintains the awesome Cybernetic Zoo ("a history of cybernetic animals and early robots"), unveiled a trove of Mobot material, including the photos you see here.
Apparently, this degree of usefulness wasn't good enough for Life magazine, which decided that Mobot (and its delicate touch) would be better off helping women put on makeup and get dressed. Or is it undressed? Feel free to use your imagination on that one.
Images: Cybernetic Zoo
VIA [ Cybernetic Zoo ]
Evan Ackerman is a senior editor at IEEE Spectrum. Since 2007, he has written over 6,000 articles on robotics and technology. He has a degree in Martian geology and is excellent at playing bagpipes.