TORPEDOES AND AIRSHIPS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 143, 26 September 1910, Page 7

TORPEDOES AND AIRSHIPS.

GUIDANCE BY HERTZIAN WAVES. AN AUSTRALIAN'S'INVENTION. London, August 12. Some remarkable results have been achieved by Mr. A. J. Roberts, a young Australian inventor, in the control and guidance of torpedoes and aeroplanes by means of Hertzian waves. Mr. Roberts came to England last year bearing credentials from the Hon. A. Deakin, the then Prime Minister, and has since been pursuing his experiments in Essex. The following account, supplied by his brother, give some idea of the progress made:—

After repeated experiments, the inventor had the satisfaction of successfully guiding a torpedo on and under the surface of the water at will. An experimental torpedo, guided by "wireless" impulses sent from the sliore of a lake, rammed a moving buoy, dived below the surface, dashed along the top in figures of' eight, and -then returned to a desired 'point. "We simply send wireless messages to the torpedo," said Mr. Roberts, "and it obeys them. The waves are so regulated as to affect different receivers on the torpedo, by means of which various electric switches are affected, and the planes and rudders regulated at the will of the operator. When the torpedo is submerged deeply by the depression of a tail plane the communication is temporarily broken. But she soon returns to the'surface automatically. There is an automatic arrangement which straightens the plane when she reaches the surface. Anyhow, she eouM not ily up in the air, but if the plane were not straightened it would retard her speed. We have marked her course before .«he dived, and we pick her up again when she comrs to the surface." The idea of the inventor is to fit his (gear to the torpedo which the Admiralty 1 have adopted, in vented bv Mr. Louis Brennan, C.8., anothrr Australian."The Brennan torpedo." he. said, "is fitted with gyroscopes to keep her straight. Our idea is to fit the Brennan with our apparatus, and probably attach an aerial wire to receive the message*. Tha*t would enable the torpedo to run submerged, and thus preserve the great advantage of invisiMity. You can kill a torpedo with quickfirers if she runs on the surface . The depth at which she rnna is regulated by an automatic contrivance of air chambers. Of course, we have only to do with the directing. If wi> should miss our target we can circle her round again, and have another shot. Wp w°vp well.'=atisncd with our trials."

Mr. Roberts bought a French dirigible 105 ft in length, with a 40-liorse-power engine, and was able to ?uidc her with the wireless apparatus. He also sent no a Vofein biplane, and nia.napula.ted both rudders and planes by wireless. There was a pilot on board in case of any of the delicate mechanism failing, and he also looked to it that the engine kept running.