MUSICAL BEAM

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 734, 6 August 1929, Page 13

MUSICAL BEAM

LIGHTING A ROOM BY SHOT FROM A PISTOL

THE NEW ROBOT A glimpse into the future, when electricity, transmitted without wires, will provide not only entertainment, but light and power, was furnished by Mi*. S. M. Kintner, research manager of the Westinghouse Electric Co., in a demonstration at Pittsburg, TJ.S.A. Mr. Kintner presented several novel electrical devices, including: A new robot, Telelux—“brother of Televox”—which, from a distance, was made to turn off and cn the lights in the room. A musical beam of light, by which music produced on a phonograph was carried without wires to a loud-speaker across the room. Knowles grid-glow tube and photoglow. tube, which may be used indefinitely without using any appreciable amount of current. A model showing how airports may he illuminated at night at the sound of an airplane motor. The Telelux, the latest mechanical servant to come from the Westinghouse laboratories, is directed through the medium of light beams rather than by sound, as is the case with the Televox. The Telelux utilises two photoelectric cells, which are sensitive to a beam of light thrown upon it by a light pistol held by the operator. One of the cells. is the selector, which progressively chooses any one of three circuits. Then the beam of light is flashed on the operator cell, ' and Telelux opens or closes the chosen circuit. At the demonstration the Telelux turned off and on the lights in the room unerringly. From one to three flashes of light on the selector cell would determine which group of lights was to be turned out, then a single flash on the operator cell, and Telelux would turn off the lights. It is possible to operate the Telelux from a distance of 75 feet. Mr. Kintner also explained the possibilities of power transmission by short radio waves. He visualised the day when electric light users would tune in on a power station for their light current as they now tune in on a radio broadcasting station.