Word: telefactor
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1967-1967
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Robot in Space. In Bradley's system, a ground-based astronaut would strap himself into a control harness or frame that would be a virtual duplicate of a telefactor aboard an orbiting spacecraft (see diagram). Should the astronaut want to adjust a cabin control, for example, he would reach his arm toward a knob on a duplicate of the spacecraft's instrument panel. His every motion would be translated into electronic signals and transmitted to the telefactor in orbit. Servomechanisms on the telefactor would move its arm toward the actual spacecraft control panel. Feedback devices on the telefactor...
...Telefactors built with present skills and off-the-shelf equipment would come close to providing a human presence aboard a spacecraft without requiring the complex and bulky life-support systems that provide food, water and oxygen to astronauts. Because a telefactor is expendable, it could be used on missions too hazardous for man; its spacecraft would not require the retrorocket system, extra fuel and heat shield necessary for a safe return trip to earth...
...Mars. There are, however, some distinct limitations on the capabilities of Bradley's mechanical man. Beyond about 30,000 miles, admits the imaginative engineer, round-trip time delay in the transmission and receipt of telemetry signals becomes a distinct drawback. "Realtime" human activity is impossible. If a telefactor operating on the surface of Mars were to spot a Martian running by, for example, its TV picture-traveling at the speed of light (186,000 miles per sec.)-would take about three minutes to reach the headset of its controller when Mars is closest to earth. Even if the controller...
Bradley worked out his telefactoring plans while on the job at the Institute for Defense Analyses, an Arlington, Va., "think tank" that exists almost entirely on Defense Department contracts. The idea seemed so promising to DOD officials that they encouraged him to present it at the AIAA meeting, hoping to stimulate further development of telefactoring devices by private industry. That development, Bradley believes, is inevitable. He is already looking forward to the day when controllers will operate telefactor infantrymen from the safety of bunkers and casualties will be counted in machines...
| 1 |