Waldo

Work Title: Waldo
Medium: Novel
Episode Title:
Year: 1942
Writer(s): Robert Heinlein
"Original" Writer: Yes Own work?: No
Summary:

"Science fiction also predicted tele-operation, with the term "waldo" coined by Robert A. Heinlein in his 1942 novel "Waldo", which was adopted when the technology came into existence later. In "Waldo", a crippled genius living in a zero-g home in orbit around Earth finds that he may need his fellow humans even more than they need him. Heinlein's description long predated the telepresence gadgets now common in high-radiation environments, on research submarines, and aboard the Space Shuttle." (from http://www.itsf.org/brochure/virtual-reality.html)

Era/Year of Portrayal: distant_future
Distinctive characteristics of the world in portrayal:

Cars fly, people can have homes in outer space, energy for electricity (and everything else) comes from radiant power.

Technology

  • Name of portrayed presence-evoking technology: waldoes
  • Description of the technology: A waldo consists of 2 pairs of gloves. An example of use: A man in a outer space has his hands in a pair of waldo gloves, which are extermely sensitive to touch. A man in a factory on Aarth has an exact replica of the gloves on his hands. The earth gloves move as if the man in outer spaces hand's are in them. This way, someone can train other people, or conduct delicate experiements from very far away. The waldoes are mobile, easy to use, and there is no time lag in movements.
  • Nature of task or activity: Anything that reqires hands. Also, the waldoes may be very large or very small. Exact surgery may be done with the waldoes.
  • Performance of the Technology: Works very well.
  • Description of creator(s): A white man, 30's, with a genetic disease that causes his muscles to be very weak. He cannot walk or life anything with one hand. He is very fat, very smart, and anti-social.
  • Major goal(s) of creator(s): to better accomplish experiments and engineering.
  • Description of users of technology: Everyone, but mostly Waldo in the novel. He is the inventor and namesake.
  • Type(s) of presence experience in the portrayal: both
  • Description of presence experience: Pleasant for the remote, primary user. The distant, 2nd pair can be empty. If not, the person whose hands are in the 2nd pair and his hands are being controlled by the primary user - he is having an unpleasant experience.
  • User awareness of technology during experience: yes
  • Valence of experience: primary user enjoys it - secondary does not.
  • Specific responses: improved task performance for secondary user - also a good tool for small operations.
Long-term consequences:

no negative effects - happy ending.

Other:

an interesting telepresence tool commonly used now, I think. The novel was written in 1942 so Heinlein was remarkably prescient.

Coder name: Amanda Scheiner
Coder email: amandags@temple.edu
Coder affiliation: Temple University