Armatron
Encyclopedia
The Armatron was a toy robot from the 1980s made by TOMY
and distributed by Radio Shack
in the United States. It consisted of a crane
-like arm with two attached joystick
s which could be manipulated to pick up small objects. It is essentially similar to industrial robots of the 1980s, though it is strictly user-controlled, with no automation built in.
The Armatron existed in both the original fixed version and a mobile version with a wired remote. It included an "energy level" indicator (actually a countdown timer) and a series of objects such as boxes and spheres designed to be manipulated by the arm. Models with alternate decals or coloring were marketed under slightly different names, including the Super Armatron and the Armatron II.
Movement of the arm is almost purely mechanical; the only electronic component is the motor. The two joysticks selectively engage or disengage gears on a set of rotating drums to control the arm's movement.
The term is now in use by a toy company called PowerGear to name a simpler trigger-controlled gripping arm http://www.amazon.com/s/?url=search-alias%3Dtoys-and-games&field-keywords=Power+Gear.
TOMY
is a Japanese toy, children's merchandise and entertainment company created from the March 2006 merger of two companies: Tomy and long-time rival, Takara...
and distributed by Radio Shack
Radio shack
Radio shack is a slang term for a room or structure for housing radio equipment.-History:In the early days of radio, equipment was experimental and home-built. The first radio transmitters used a noisy spark to generate radio waves and were often housed in a garage or shed. When radio was first...
in the United States. It consisted of a crane
Crane (machine)
A crane is a type of machine, generally equipped with a hoist, wire ropes or chains, and sheaves, that can be used both to lift and lower materials and to move them horizontally. It uses one or more simple machines to create mechanical advantage and thus move loads beyond the normal capability of...
-like arm with two attached joystick
Joystick
A joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. Joysticks, also known as 'control columns', are the principal control in the cockpit of many civilian and military aircraft, either as a center stick or...
s which could be manipulated to pick up small objects. It is essentially similar to industrial robots of the 1980s, though it is strictly user-controlled, with no automation built in.
The Armatron existed in both the original fixed version and a mobile version with a wired remote. It included an "energy level" indicator (actually a countdown timer) and a series of objects such as boxes and spheres designed to be manipulated by the arm. Models with alternate decals or coloring were marketed under slightly different names, including the Super Armatron and the Armatron II.
Movement of the arm is almost purely mechanical; the only electronic component is the motor. The two joysticks selectively engage or disengage gears on a set of rotating drums to control the arm's movement.
The term is now in use by a toy company called PowerGear to name a simpler trigger-controlled gripping arm http://www.amazon.com/s/?url=search-alias%3Dtoys-and-games&field-keywords=Power+Gear.
