Remote manipulator
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A Remote manipulator is a device which, through electronic, hydraulic or mechanical linkages, allows a hand-like mechanism to be controlled by a human operator in a different location. The purpose of the device is to remove the human from the environment in which the mechanism operates, usually for reasons of safety.
[edit] History
In 1945 the company Central Research Laboratories[1] was given the contract to develop a remote manipulator for the Argonne National Laboratory. The intent was to replace devices which manipulated highly radioactive materials from above a sealed chamber, with a mechanism which operated through the side wall of the chamber, allowing a researcher to stand normally while working.
The result was the Master-Slave Manipulator Mk. 8, or MSM-8, which became the iconic remote manipulator[2] seen in newsreels and movies, such as The Andromeda Strain.
[edit] References
- ^ CRL history of the MSM systems.
- ^ Telemanipulator page at CRL
[edit] External link
- Central Research Laboratories web site
