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home > History Making robots > Grey Walter's Tortoises > Operation | Circuit | #6 Gallery | Replicas | 22 March 2015 |
1948 Elmer [cyberneticzoo] and Elsie [cyberneticzoo] WGW's first two Tortoises were created.
Elsie
1951 Festival of Britain Tortoises
Six improved Tortoises, based on Elsie, were made for the Festival which ran through the summer of 1951.
Two with opaque silver shells were on show working in a pen, and one with a transparent shell was on display advertising its electronics components.
After the Festival [cyberneticzoo] these three were bought by Dr. Clutterbuck [cyberneticzoo] and taken to Australia where the two with opaque shells were destroyed in a fire, the one with the transparent shell (#5) was then donated to the Smithsonian Institution.
One was sent in 1960 to Science Materials Center (US) [cyberneticzoo]. Modified to use transistors. Apparently not returned - missing.
From 1971-1975 one was in the Eames IBM display [cyberneticzoo]. Apparently not returned – missing.
The remaining one, #6, (Olga), was WGW's personal Tortoise, it was rediscovered in 1995, two replica's were made, and it is now on display in the Science Museum, London.
1951 Festival of Britain Tortoise #6
1951/1995 Festival of Britain Tortoise Replicas
Some of the components such as the valves date back to the original FoB Tortoises but mostly the parts have been re-created, the Shells however are original 1951 Shells and when the Replicas were constructed AMY's shell was rescued from a garden where it was being used as a cloche and has had ventilation holes drilled in the top.
The original FROG motors were very troublesome and had to be extensively modified for the 1951 Tortoises hence it was decided to use modern motors for the replicas.
2000 Millennium Festival of Britain Tortoise Replicas
The look alike 1951 Tortoises performed during the Festival.
Off site - cyberneticzoo
Off site - University of Bristol
Off site - The Royal Society
Off site - The Festival of Britain