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From: fink@acf5.NYU.EDU (Howard Fink)
Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds
Subject: Re: Telepresence
Message-ID: <22990002@acf5.NYU.EDU>
Date: 17 Apr 91 16:48:00 GMT
References: <1991Apr17.052444.17140@milton.u.washington.edu>
Sender: hlab@milton.u.washington.edu (Human Int. Technology Lab)
Organization: New York University
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Approved: cyberoid@milton.u.washington.edu


The lack of development of promising ideas is nothing new in this society,
or any other.  Fifty years before Columbus the Chinese sent an armada to
Africa, but political changes back home among many other factors  prevented
any further exploration.  Airbags in cars were developed and discussed in
the mid-sixties, but only now are they being installed in automobiles.  
Before rockets achieved orbital velocity, the upper atmosphere was being 
explored with sounding rockets, and proposals for ramjet-powered ships using
atomic oxygen (the size of aircraft carriers!) were being developed.
Once orbital velocity was achieved, the exploration of the exosphere was no
longer the priority.  A shuttle with a satellite on tether will fly in a few
years.
        What does this have to do with virtual-worlds or telepresence?  The
greatest funding for telepresence occured during the X-6 project, otherwise
known as the nuclear airplane.  General Electric had trucks with arms for 
refueling the airplane and servicing the engine.  A nuclear airplane could
patrol for weeks, or fly with unlimited range.  After $350 million of those
$35 per ounce of gold dollars were spent, ICBMs eliminated the need for these
planes.  One plane flew with a reactor aboard, but the reactor never supplied
power to the engines, which were never built.  Interestingly, GE is building
a reactor for flying in space, and is repeating the same problems: overweight,
overpriced, and late.
        If you want the biggest trove of tele-operated development materials,
check out GE's files.