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

January 1957 Popular Electronics Table of Contents Wax nostalgic about and learn from the history of early electronics. See articles from Popular Electronics, published October 1954 - April 1985. All copyrights are hereby acknowledged.

Here are a few tech headlines from the January 1957 issue of Popular Electronics magazine. Sky-High Radar by Sikorsky is a new high-powered airborne search radar. The electronic Trial & Error Machine "differentiates between right and wrong decisions and profits from its own mistakes," making it the perfect gadget for today's environment where any freakish act gets rewarded and eventually normalized. Lab Aloft Chases Cosmic Rays uses a UASF KC-97 Stratofreighter for researching those mysterious and ubiquitous high energy entities which perpetually bombard our Earthly existence. This Brain That Squirts reports on Bendix's prototype carburetor that uses an electronically controlled "electrojector" to inject fuel directly into the cylinder. Now, all of our internal combustion vehicles contain an electrojector.

Sky-High Radar

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 January 23, 2023
(updated from original post on 1/20/2013)