Remote manipulator

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A remote manipulator, also known as a telefactor, telemanipulator, or waldo (after the short story "Waldo" by Robert Heinlein which features a man who uses such devices), 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 or hot cell, 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 or THX 1138.

[edit] References

  1. ^ CRL history
  2. ^ Telemanipulator page

[edit] External link

  • Central Research Laboratories web site