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.
Mika The Robot-Boss
'the robot-boss was busy at the lip of the new lode instructing and egging the men on to greater speed...' - David C. Cooke, 1939.
Sensitive, Soft Robot Skin
'...tinted material that had all the feel and appearance of human flesh and epidermis.' - Harl Vincent, 1934.
Finger Sensors For Robot Hands
'What strange sensitivity! What an amazing development of science was manifested in every move and act and word of this Robot!' - Ray Cummings, 1931.
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