Seventy years ago this month, the April 1953 issue of Radio News shows this young woman playing with her robotic turtle. She looks overjoyed, but we suspect her father, the turtle’s creator and article author Jack Kubanoff, got to play with it more than she did.

The turtle is actually quite sophisticated for its time.  The head (made of a coffee can) contains both eyes(photocell) and tongue (tactile sensor) that allow it to go in search of “food”.  The food is indicated by a flashing light that the robot homes in on.  But the creature has an ability to learn, in that it can determine which sequence of flashing lights leads to the food.  It also has a memory, and can keep heading toward the food, even when the flashing light is behind an obstacle.

The robot has its own entry at the Cybernetic Zoo.  Kids today have more options when it comes to playing with robots.  But the sophisticated models like the ones shown below are direct descendants of pioneers like Timothy the Turtle.

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