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No crew onboard!(Robotics)
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Nikola Tesla's book My Inventions, written in 1921, gave prophetic view of the importance of robotic boats, which the Serbia-born physicist and electrical engineer believed >. Tesla was no idle fantasist. One hundred and ten years have passed since he demonstrated his pair of radio-controlled boats to amazed onlookers in Madison Square Gardens, New York. Such was his success that he was able to apply for patent number 613,809, granted by the US Patent Office, for his Method of and Apparatus for Controlling Mechanisms of Moving Vessels or Vehicles. Tesla's boats were fashioned from iron and were battery powered. Commands were transmitted to the vessel using wireless radio signals that were received using a whiplash antenna mounted on the boat. The vessels were equipped with a rudder, electric motor and running lights. Crucially, recognising the military potential of such craft, Tesla left interior space free for an explosive charge to be added. These craft were not small, measuring 1.8 metres and amaz...See the full content of this document
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