Current Exhibits

WESTINGHOUSE HOUSE ROBOTS • 1924 – 1957
Televox, Willie Vocalite, Elektro • Through December 2007

For the first time in history a comprehensive study and display of all of the Westinghouse Robots or Mechanical Men has been done. There are many myths surrounding the robots of Westinghouse circulating around the web, hopefully this will help dispel them for good. The entire first floor of the museum is dedicated to the genius that was the "WESTINGHOUSE MECHANICAL MEN" a very important part of Mansfield, Ohio and American history that has been lost until today. The word "ROBOT" can be credited to a Czech writer by the name of Karol Kapek (Capek) who in 1920 wrote the play "Rossum’s Universal Robots", which was translated into English for the performance in London in 1921. In the US the word robot first appears in 1922 when the play comes to New York City, without this popular play who knows what we would be calling robots today. The word robot is Czech and means hard or arduous labor i.e. Slave labor.

In 1924 Roy J. Wensley a Westinghouse electrical engineer developed a supervisory control unit that through the telephone system could remotely turn on, off or regulate anything electrical that the unit was connected to. In 1927 "Herbert Televox" was born, a human figure of a thin stature that in his chest held the control unit. Televox toured the country amazing audiences with his ability to remotely control appliances, lights and other items. Roy J. Wensley is the true "Father of the Industrial Control Age" and has been forgotten like his invention to time. Several other robots or mechanical men and women were built until in 1930 all of the research and development was transferred to Mansfield, Ohio to our Westinghouse Appliance Division.

Willie Vocalite was born in 1930 and was what we now think of early robots and how they looked. He was 6.6’ tall and made of steel and could turn on, off or regulate anything connected to him by voice command. He also could smoke, be seated and by voice command would stand, move his arms and talk to the audience through recorded sentences on 78 records. He was one of the more popular exhibits at the 1933-1934 Chicago World’s Fair. Latter in his life he also performed at the San Francisco International Fair of 1939 and 1940.

Then in 1937 "ELEKTRO" was born. He is the first true robot that could walk by voice command. He is 7’ tall and weights 265 lbs. He is made of an aluminum skin over a steel gear, cam and motor skeleton. Elektro was the most animated and progressive of all of the Westinghouse robots. His head turned side to side and up and down, he moved his arms separately of each other and all of his fingers could move. As he spoke his mouth was coordinated with his speech that was recorded on 78 RPM records. His eyes were photoelectric sensors that could tell the difference between red and green light that would be illuminated on his face and then tell the audience what the color was in a humorous fashion. There was no one behind stage talking into a microphone or manipulating Elektro in anyway. In 1940 a companion came into his life "Sparko" the mechanical dog, who could walk, bark, turn his head and sit up on command. Elektro and Sparko traveled around the country inspiring and entertaining old and young alike. In 1959 Elektro was in the movie "Sex Kittens Go to College" released in 1960. This is when Elektro was modified and how he got the color and square (instead of the circle) that he has today. Elektro and Sparko disappeared until he was put together for the first time is 46 years in March of 2004. Sparko is still missing but hopefully not for long. Elektro still works, but we do not keep electricity connected to him as to not damage any of the original internal parts. There will be a full scale working model of Elektro in approximately year and half in his full color and perform as he did for many years. A true piece of lost American History has come back to life.