Boston Computer Museum Shows History of Robots

Robots ranging from stumbling experimental models to fast-thinking machines capable of building things went on display when The Computer Museum gave its first public glimpse of its permanent collection.

The museum has collected 30 older robots from Japan, Yugoslavia and around the United States, said Leah Hutten, coordinator of the Smart Machines exhibit, which opened June 19.

“It’s probably the most extensive exhibition anywhere. It’s pretty thorough,” Hutten said.

Valuable Collection

The museum displays about two dozen of its collected robots dating back to 1964.

The permanent exhibit includes the older machines, several contemporary robots, 30 computers and a light, sound and video show about robots, Hutten said. Some robots have been loaned from various robotics companies, she said, estimating the exhibit’s value at $1.5 million.

Some of the older robots were the original machines used in experiments on robotics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, Johns Hopkins University and Carnegie-Mellon, she said.

One of the best-known early robots in the exhibit is Shakey, “one of the first to have any intelligence,” Hutten said. Shakey was equipped with a camera and bump sensors to let it know when it was coming close to an object.

Mechanical Night Watchman

The robot moves slowly and isn’t as intelligent as newer robots, Hutten said, but it is able to roam through an area without hitting obstacles.

Also at the museum is an example of the Mars Land Rover robots, developed by National Aeronautics and Space Administration in the 1960s, Hutten said.

These machines, equipped with cameras, a tread system to travel over rough terrain and an arm to pick up specimens, never made it to Mars because NASA turned its attention to manned space voyages, she explained.