#teleoperation

"This invention relates to a motor vehicle and particularly pertains to a land torpedo or device of like character. In present day warfare it has become quite a problem to conduct military operations from trench to trench. It is the object of the present invention to provide a device which will facilitate in carrying forward and repelling attacks as well as providing means for communicating with remote points and supplying said points with supplies of any character and instructions for further procedure. The present invention essentially consists of two self-laying track units adapted to be separately and electrically driven from a remote point, said units being connected with a frame upon which high explosive shells may be carried and exploded or containers for provisions and munitions carried. The present invention also contemplates the use of guide means for dirigibly controlling the machine, either in the daylight or dark and to accurately place it in a predetermined position." – Elmer E. Wickersham, Land Torpedo (US patent no. 1,407,969)

“The first in human cases of remote robotic PCI represent a landmark event for interventional medicine. The application of telerobotics in India has the potential to impact a significant number of lives by providing access to care that may not otherwise have been possible. For the first time in cardiology’s history, India will shine for this ground-breaking innovation, and I am honored to be a part of this historic occasion,” Dr. Patel said in a prepared statement.

MOBOT by Hughes Aircraft (1963). Built for the Atomic Energy Division of the Phillips Petroleum Company, this mobile robot is designed to perform cleanup operations in nuclear reactors. It may be used where a nuclear incident precludes the entry of personnel, or following safety tests that result in reactor destruction. It’s controlled using “wobble switches" on the  operator's console, connected to MOBOT via a control cable which allows it to work up to 500 feet away.

“The Little Ranger” Mobile Remote Manipulator by General Mills (1961). "The Little Ranger" is a mobile remote handler for radioactive, explosive and other hazardous zones, brought to you by General Mills, the American breakfast food and cereal company. It has a single arm and stereo cameras, connected to the human control station by a cable where it is monitored by CCTV or viewed through a shielding window.

Mark 1 Magnox reactor inspection vehicle (1970). Magnox reactors were developed in Britain from the 1950s to burn unenriched natural uranium, producing weapons-grade plutonium for Britain’s fledgling military-industrial complex. They also generate electricity as a by-product, so everyone’s happy. As they were designed to have a lifetime of several decades, they require regular maintenance inspections. This tiny remote controlled vehicle was developed to inspect their radioactive interiors and can be fitted with a TV camera and other sensors.

Herman PaR-1 Mobile Remote Manipulator, by PaR Systems (1966). The PaR-1 is an atomic materials handling machine, with a manipulator arm and two TV cameras mounted on articulated booms. The vehicle and manipulator are powered and controlled via a cable up to 700 ft long. Herman was created in 1966 when a fire at the government's Savannah River uranium enrichment plant in South Carolina showed the need for remote-control, mobile equipment that was radiation resistant. Herman achieved fame in 1979 where it was on standby to take samples in high radiation areas at the Three Mile Island incident. It attracted huge press interest and even inspired the cover of an Al Shade & Jean Romaine record.