Sky-High Radar | Trial/Error Machine | Lab Aloft Chases Cosmic Rays
January 1957 Popular Electronics

January 1957 Popular Electronics [Table of Contents] People old and young enjoy waxing nostalgic about and learning some of the history of early electronics. Popular Electronics was published from October 1954 through April 1985. All copyrights are hereby acknowledged. See all articles from Popular Electronics.

Here are a few tech headlines from the 1957 Popular Electronics. Sky-High Radar by Sikorsky is a new high-powered airborne search radar. The electronic Trial & Error Machine has some properties that would make it the perfect - it "differentiates between right and wrong decisions and profits from its own mistakes." Lab Aloft Chases Cosmic Rays uses a KC-97 UASF tanker for researching those mysterious and ubiquitous high energy entities. This Brain That Squirts reports on Bendix's prototype carburetor that uses an electronically controlled "electrojector" to inject fuel directly into the cylinder.

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Sky-High Radar

A sailor in the "crow's nest" atop the tall forward mast was once the Navy's method for seeing ahead. Later, the rotating search radar  helped to keep a lookout in night and fog. Now Sikorsky's new radar helicopter, shown at left, hovers as a high vanguard above the fleet, expanding the early-warning range. The bulging radome in the nose houses the antenna for high-powered radar, capable of spotting planes at double the usual distance.

Trial/Error Machine

A new electronic brain, called "Automex," which differentiates between right and wrong decisions and profits from its own mistakes, is operated by Dr. R. Hooke of Westinghouse. In the photo at right, the machine is solving the problem of a man trying to climb a mountain in total darkness and reach the top with the fewest steps, knowing only whether he has moved up or down. This logic solves many different problems.

This "Brain" Squirts

Say goodbye to carburetor trouble. In fact, say goodbye to the whole carburetor - which may soon be replaced by Bendix' new "Electrojector" fuel injection system. The engine displayed at left is fed by the little electronic "brain box" in front, which senses operating conditions and adjusts fuel spray accordingly. Humidity, temperature, and richness of fuel mixture are all taken into account for best engine performance.

Lab Aloft Chases Cosmic Rays

Outwardly, the globe-girdling KC-97 shown here looks like just another big Air Force tanker. Yet it houses a unique flying lab now being taken on a 90,000-mile research mission to chart the incidence of cosmic rays around the world. Detectable only at great height, these rays affect the outer magnetic field of our planet. Whether they influence radio reception is not known.








Posted  1/20/2013