MECCANO ROBOT of 1930 - First Toy Robot Ever

[K-9]

25 minutes ago, Dirk said:

... I would still like to say that we can now undoubtedly recognize who the ancestors of the first fully manufactured toy robot are and by that I mean Robot Lilliput (1937) - of course! 

 

Lunik, thanks for the sharing the photos of your wonderful Mecchano build and the robot's history.

Dirk, now that you mention it, it really does appear that the Lilliput circa 1937 was inspired by the Mecchano Robot's boxy design!

[Lunik]

Hello Dirk and K-9, thanks for your kind notes and thoughts.

 

Dirk, as you said, the parts of dark red and dark green colour have been produced from 1928 until 1933. The robot’s construction plan has definitely first been printed May 1930. I have had quite an effort to get this sorted out. Could have presented my robot two months earlier, when suddenly I noticed I was part of the confusion about 1931 or 1929. 

 

But no, it was 1930, Liverpool, UK, where the first freely walking toy robot ever has been published and industrially produced. I bet Meccano had delivered the robot fully assembled, ready-for-use, if only that had been their business. They were Meccano, delivering ready-for-build-and-use, open to build other toys from the same outfit.

 

Just today a video of my robot has been posted, shot at the ‚Freundeskreis Metallbaukasten‘ (friends of construction sets) annual meeting, Germany, in October. Very short video with much noise around. Can hardly hear the robot. And the illumination 1930s style, I love it. Enjoy:

 

 

[robothut]

Always great to see the old boy up and about !

[Lunik]

Yes John, with the grippers, this guy is slipping and sliding or doesn’t move at all on most floors. Finally found the mat of bamboo, that works well with this construction. The Strenco ST1 festuring basically the same principle of parallelogram legs shuffling the feet and a gripper. Quite humanoid, humans don’t roll on wheels attached to their feet, usually.

 

Seen a few of the ‚old boys’ showing up over the years. Most of them inventive variations of the original construction. Which of course was absolutely in line with the construction set’s concept to initiate engineering skills and phantasy. Wonder if any has survived, that has been assembled in the 1930s. Or to find one photographed back then would be great.

 

[Golddalek]

Fascinating to see historical robots....I tried to find a video on youtube, but only found this....

 

[Lunik]

On 12/20/2019 at 3:36 AM, Golddalek said:

Fascinating to see ...

Golddalek, I did not notice your reply before just now. Funny MECCANO construction. Another interpretation of a ‚Crank Robot‘.

[Lunik]

A little distraction from the horrors of the biologic world these days: I finally asked one of the construction set builder fellows to kindly upload two videos I have shot a while ago. Thanks, Georg!

 

MECCANO ROBOT 1930 here, TRIX ROBOTER see separate thread.

 

In Paul Dale‘s clip above my robot walks pretty well on a mat of bamboo. My video now, a little more detailed, shows the feet sliding any direction on the parquet floor, as the ‚gripper‘ on the heel hardly finds hold. And too much frictional resistance for gliding on a short pile carpet instead. Meccano‘s next robot construction, 1939, featured ratchet wheels on the feet.

 

 

 

[Lunik]

In 2021 Golddalek added a note to the Timeline when he looked up Meccano Magazine for the robot’s construction details. Nothing found. Joe K. had already linked to this post. A direct link to construction plans was still missing.

Added it now on the timeline. Some explanations for further retrieval here:

 

 

A direct link to the oldest construction plan in „Meccano Instructions for Outfits Nos. 4 to 7“, May 1930, English Edition:

 

         https://www.meccanoindex.co.uk/Mmanuals/1928/Manuals/47-30-10-3'5.pdf

 

If the link should stop working you may still retrieve

meccanoindex.co.uk > manual search > (keyword) 1930

    > scroll down and open: outfits 4 - 7 print code 2/1030/3.5(M)(Eng)

    > find model 6.3 „Robot (or Mechanical Man)“ on page 67

 

Other years, other outfits, other languages? Look for

          1930        outfit 6 model 6.3

          1931 - 35 outfit 6 model 6.5

          1934 - 37 outfit K model K14

Model numbers relate to the outfit just big enough for the full model. Meccano did not have themed kits those years. Either get the right outfit or a mix of small kits plus loose (spare) parts.

 

Respective instruction manuals have been supplied with the outfits. Update information for existing customers was available by the monthly „Meccano Magazine“ and the almost annual „Book of New Models“. The robot has been introduced in English Meccano Magazine Jan. 1931 and in the „New Models“ English edition February 1931.

 

It has been the Magazine where Meccano added the visionary intro (100 years) to the technical part.

 

 

Edited Sep. 12, 2024:

Added mention of Meccano Magazine Jan. 1931 and corrected assignment of the „visionary intro“ to the Magazine instead of the book. Lunik

[steve]

Wow - that is some informative link Lunik - thank you for the update!!! Still digesting recent info that you had kindly sent to me.

[Lunik]

21 hours ago, steve said:

Wow - that is some informative link

Thank you, Steve. 

The Meccano construction system has been very well documented by Meccano Ltd. plus by many still active users‘ organisations, some of them with their own mags and web sites. 

Best known sources for history, models, outfits and parts are:

- meccanoindex.co.uk

- nzmeccano.com