The Coolidge examiner., 1931-05-08
| Machines That Are
Almost Human
Y b " E. C. TAYLOR
The Robot Watchman

ANOOOk w
IN WASHINGTON, D. c., the Ma
l. tiOnal Capital, is a machine that
is awe-inspiring in its ability to
do the work of a human being.
The War department has charge
of the water supply of the city,
and when a new water-Supply Sys-
tenn was built there recently,
robot was invented to serve as
guardian and watchman at each of
the three reservoirs of the city.
This robot watchman answers
the telephone when called in the
ordinary way, and when asked the
depth of the water, promptly in
forms his superior officer just how
much water there is in the reser-
vOir. Three of these robots are in
constant use, one at each reSer-
voir.
The engineer official in charge of
the Capitals water system calls
one of the robots on the telephone.
He calls central in the usual way,
and is connected with the robots
stands on constant duty. 1t is just
another telephone call.
When the telephone bell rings at
the reservoir, it is the first signal
to the robot The robot lifts the
telephone receiver enough to signal
the operator and answer, and then
speaks into the telephone trans
mitter. 1t could speak words, but
these robots do their talking by
means of buzzer sounds. The buz-
Zer gives the official a code signal
which notifies him that he is con-
nected with the robot.
On the officials desk is a small
box. On the top of the box small
megaphOne aimed directly at a
telephone transmitter. On the
front of the box are three push
buttons.
The official presses the first but
ton. 1t starts an electric tuning
fork vibrating. In front of the
robots telephone is another mega
phone or loud speaker aimed at the
iron watchman's electric ear of
audion tubes and micrOphOne dia-
phragms connected so as to Oper-
ate a series of switches.
On receiving the first series of
signals, the robot reports back to
prevent error. The official. receiv-
ing the proper signal, knows that
he is connected with the robot
watchman.
Then he presses the second but
ton, which sounds the tuning fork
at higher note. The robots ear
detects the difference and the iron
watchman promptly brings into
play more mechanism.
The depth of the water is indi-
Gated by floats placed at one-fOot
intervals up the side of the reser-
vOir. The robot sounds series
of musical notes, seven, eight, nine.
as the case may be. that inform
the official the depth of the water
in feet.
When the official receives this in
formation he presses the third hut
ton, which starts the tuning fork
vibrating at still higher pitch.
This says "gOod-by" to the robot
watchman. The robot drops the
receiver and discOnnects.
Here is mechanical manor
rather three of them-dOing the
work of human beings. And they
are always on the job. When the
telephone rings, they are prompt
to answer it and they always give
accurate information as to the
city's water supply. The officials
in charge know, too. that they can
call up their robot watchman at
any hour and the line will not be
busy.
The robots telephone numbers
are regularly listed numbers, though
they do not appear in the capital
telephone directory. So, of course,
these numbers are frequently
called by mistake.
When these robots are called as
a wrong number" by some one
wanting the butcher, grocer, or
husband, the robots answer as usu.
al, but after few seconds they
hang up again. They have not re-
ceived the proper signal from their
superior officer and know the call
was not meant for them.
These remarkable robots were
built by r. j. Wensley, inventor of
one of the mechanical men with
which scientists have amused
themselves.
They are operated, just as the
robot men are operated, by a voice
from a distance. The faint electric
impulses created by the sound
waves on delicate mechanism affect
an electro-magnet which releases
energies that perform the tasks of
the robot watchman.