Elektro, The Mechanical Man

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I came across this information in one of my many notebooks. I have been having a grand time, looking through all this information that I have written down and saved over the years, never knowing that it might come in handy for MyLot posts. After I retired last year, I began cleaning out my home office and came across these notebooks that I had kept for several years. I am finding all sorts of interesting information in them. I have always been a “trivia nut” and have collected a lot of trivia over the years and I continue to do so. Here is more about “Elektro.” Westinghouse Company, which I’m wondering if it is still in business, made this 260-pound robot and first exhibited it at the World’s Fair of 1939-40 in New York City. This robot was controlled by the human voice evidently. It was supposed to be able to smoke, of all things, walk and count on his fingers up to ten. He could also distinguish between red and green and perform about twenty other feats. The amazing thing that I wrote down was that Elektro’s electrical system contained 25,900 miles of wire, enough to go completely around the earth. I didn’t realize that robots were created as early as 1939. That’s before I was born. My oldest brother, who was an electrical engineer was designing computers for GE in the early 50s. I do know that. I thought you might enjoy this little tidbit of information.