Have you heard about Elektro, the seven-foot tall robot built by Westinghouse engineers in the late 1930s? As someone fascinated by technology‘s evolution, I want to tell you the captivating story of this humanoid robot that wowed crowds at the 1939 New York World‘s Fair.
Westinghouse and George Westinghouse – The Robotics Pioneers
But first, a little necessary background. Westinghouse Electric Corporation, the builders of Elektro, was one of America‘s largest 20th century companies thanks to the innovations of its founder George Westinghouse. An prolific inventor and savvy businessman, Westinghouse held over 400 patents spanning electricity, railroad infrastructure, and more. His drive to commercialize science into useful products directly inspired Westinghouse‘s secret robotics program in the 1930s.
Westinghouse staffer Herbert Wensley led this under-the-radar skunkworks robotics lab. Wensley shared his boss‘s passion for creating wow-worthy mechanical marvels to capture public wonder. Before unveiling Elektro in 1938, Wensley and Westinghouse constructed and toured with several attention-grabbing automatons, like 1927‘s Herbert Televox. Built using similar technology as Elektro, Televox could respond to voice commands to move his head and arms, give short verbal responses, and even smoke a cigarette.
Bringing Elektro to Life – The Most Complex Robot Ever Attempted
But Elektro, Wensley promised, would truly showcase robotics‘ untapped potential at a key moment in history – the 1939 New York World‘s Fair. The Westinghouse team labored over Elektro‘s design for over a year, determined to achieve the unprecedented. Standing seven feet tall and weighing 265 pounds, Elektro was made of aluminum cast over a steel frame and required extensive uniquely engineered mechanisms. In Westinghouse‘s own words, building Elektro pushed robotics complexity further than ever attempted before.
I want to call out the remarkable technical achievements that made this sentinel-like bipedal robot operate smoothly and lifelike:
Speech – A library of pre-recorded 78 RPM records powered Elektro‘s vocabulary of over 700 words. Telephone relays selected the right record for verbal responses.
Motion – Elektro was powered by a whopping eleven electric motors. Nine controlled his moving head, eyes, arms, fingers, and rotating torso. Another motor powered the bellows for cigarette "smoking" while the eleventh enabled walking via rollers under his feet.
Senses – Photoelectric cells in Elektro‘s eyes allowed him to distinguish red and green light. Additional telephone relays responded to the tones of voice commands.
Brain – Weighing 25 kilograms, Elektro‘s central control unit coordinated all electric impulses from voice commands to trigger corresponding motions and behaviors. According to lead engineer Joseph Barnett, this coordinating mechanism represented the utmost complexity attempted in early robotics.
In addition to this advanced animatronics system, Elektro‘s lifelike exterior aluminum body featured details like kneecaps and dressed in a woven tweed suit perfect for impressing crowds.
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| Elektro‘s complex mechanisms enabled remarkably lifelike motion and behaviors (Source: Wikipedia) |
Stealing the Show at the 1939 New York World‘s Fair
After a year of preparation, Elektro was wheeled out to headline Westinghouse‘s "World of Tomorrow" exhibition at the 1939 World‘s Fair in New York. For most visitors, this was not only their first glimpse of a humanoid robot but their first time even conceptualizing such a machine was possible.
As astonished crowds watched Elektro‘s inaugural performances in Westinghouse‘s fair arena, he counted on his fingers, blew up balloons until they popped, responded to voice commands with head turns and short phrases, smoothly shifted his torso back and forth, and even "smoked" a cigarette. Reactions ranged from fascination to shock…and even fear.
"George astounds me," one fairgoer remarked to her family, personifying Elektro with a nickname that stuck in newspaper coverage. "He actually seems to live and think and those terrible eyes of his bore into me as though they would read my innermost thoughts."
Thanks to such buzz, Elektro consistently drew masses to Westinghouse‘s World Fair exhibitors eager to see a robot decades ahead of its time. One reporter covering Elektro‘s run dubbed him "the hero of the Fair…he responds to commands with all the nonchalance of a trained seal." Elektro won multiple awards for technical innovation including the Grand Prize for Westinghouse‘s overall World Fair exhibition.
Given the reception, it‘s no surprise Westinghouse brought back Elektro for an encore 1940 World‘s Fair run. Paired with Sparko, a robotic dog who could bark, sit, and beg, the duo entertained delighted crowds once more as top attractions. Elektro‘s World Fair legacy was forever cemented. No past technology showcase – not Chicago‘s landmark 1933 Century of Progress Fair spotlighting early television – captured the public imagination around robotics‘ latent potential the way this charismatic machine did over his multiple headline-grabbing New York runs.
Advancements Before and After: Westinghouse‘s Robot Dynasty
It‘s crucial to note the robots Westinghouse built prior to and after Elektro in contextualizing his breakthrough machine‘s full history. Herbert Televox of 1927 moved similarly to Elektro on a smaller scale. But Elektro‘s instant success sparked greater ambitions for Westinghouse‘s secret robot lab.
In the following years came giant leaps towards even more humanlike robots: the talking Willie Vocalite in 1939 and Katrina Van Televox using pioneering radio control technology rather than telephone relays several years later. Each sequential robot built upon Elektro to inch closer to the ultimate goal: a convincingly humanlike automated machine.
Perhaps Westinghouse‘s biggest triumph arrived in 1948 when he unveiled Mr. Whiskers – a robot cat who walked on its own power, responded to touch, and purred lifelike sounds. More so than any prior creation, Mr. Whiskers concretely proved feasibility for anthropomorphic household robots hearkening R2D2‘s beloved charm decades later. Each robot emerged from Westinghouse‘s imaginative drive to keep stunning the public with newest robotic marvels.
| Robot | Year | Capabilities |
|---|---|---|
| Herbert Televox | 1927 | Responded to vocal commands to move head/arms, spoke phrases |
| Elektro | 1938 | Walked short distances, counted fingers, blew up balloons, distinguished colors, spoke 700 words |
| Willie Vocalite | 1939 | More advanced speech than prior robots |
| Katrina Van Televox | Early 1940s | Pioneered radio control instead of telephone relays |
| Mr. Whiskers | 1948 | Cat robot that walked on own power, responded to touch by purring |
While Elektro snagged the brightest spotlight, Westinghouse‘s perpetual robotic experimentation and productization represented the throughline pushing robotics towards modern marvels like ASIMO or Alexa.
Lasting Influence: Building Faith in Robotics‘ Potential
It‘s essential we highlight Elektro’s influence catalyzing accelerated robotics advancement for decades after his sensational debut. Some contemporary scientists doubted replicating human thought was possible despite Elektro’s lifelike motions and behaviors. Eleanor Abbott of Smithsonian Magazine reported that British brain specialist Geoffrey Jefferson remarked robots obtaining mental skills equalling humans was as likely as “a negatives providing positives.”
Elektro‘s exhibit prompted rapid rethinking of this skepticism. Mathematical pioneer Alan Turing directly referenced interacting with Westinghouse‘s robot at the World‘s Fair as formative. Just twelve years later in 1951, Turing proclaimed, "I believe that in about fifty years‘ time it will be possible to programme computers…to make them play the imitation game so well that an average interrogator will not have more than 70 per cent chance of making the right identification after five minutes of questioning."
Turing‘s prediction for conversational artificial intelligence materialized through Amazon‘s Alexa and Apple‘s Siri. These domestic robot assistants integrate the movement, voice interactivity, and environmental recognition that Elektro pioneered.
Similarly, runs like Honda’s humanoid ASIMO robot walking bipedally in 2000 realized Westinghouse’s goal for functional anthropomorphic automatons. Elektro set imaginations ablaze around welcoming helpful robots into our everyday lives. This trailblazing pioneer shifted attitudes to unlock expedited progress.
Just as awed 1939 fairgoers watched Elektro count, smoke, and speak, today parents enthralled by AI toys like Anki’s playful, perceptive Vector owe thanks to Westinghouse‘s reservoirs of creativity powering this seminal robot. Elektro sparked the lasting realization that one day, robots can walk among us as useful assistants rather than mere novelties.
I hope you enjoyed learning about Elektro as much as I delighted in researching Westinghouse’s remarkable early robot. If this glimpse into forward-looking history fascinates you, stay tuned for my next profiles of other technology pioneers who changed how we live through their enduring inventions. The past harbors insightful inspiration to shape a better future.