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Filed under: Classics, Etc., Technology, Ford
So how's this for a way to celebrate National Robotics Week? Ford has dug up some photos and press releases from the late 1960s featuring "Freddie Ford," a quasi-robot made out of auto parts that entertained crowds on the auto show circuit.
To our modern sensibilities, Freddie barely qualifies as an appliance, let alone an actual robot like Asimo from Honda, MABEL from the University of Michigan, or Robonaut from General Motors and NASA. From reading the press releases, we gather that Freddie mainly responded to questions from the audience with corny answers that touted Ford's products.
Scroll down for the vintage press releases and check out both the Freddie Ford photos in our gallery.Continue reading Freddie Ford predates Asimo by 34 years
Freddie Ford predates Asimo by 34 years originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 13 Apr 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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So how's this for a way to celebrate National Robotics Week? Ford has dug up some photos and press releases from the late 1960s featuring "Freddie Ford," a quasi-robot made out of auto parts that entertained crowds on the auto show circuit.
To our modern sensibilities, Freddie barely qualifies as an appliance, let alone an actual robot like Asimo from Honda, MABEL from the University of Michigan, or Robonaut from General Motors and NASA. From reading the press releases, we gather that Freddie mainly responded to questions from the audience with corny answers that touted Ford's products.
Question: "Are those oil pans really your feet?" Answer: "Yes, sir, these are 390 V-8 oil pans from the biggest V-8 that uses only regular gas."
While Freddie is amusing enough, the real treasure here are the press releases from an era in which Ford could do no wrong. To read the casual mentions of the company's victory at Le Mans with the GT40 and the launch of the original Mercury Cougar is a real treat.
Scroll down for the vintage press releases and check out both the Freddie Ford photos in our gallery.Continue reading Freddie Ford predates Asimo by 34 years
Freddie Ford predates Asimo by 34 years originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 13 Apr 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments
More...