A Driverless Motor-car

Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 45, 23 May 1930, Page 5

A Driverless Motor-car

AN amazing demonstration of the "electric eye’ or light sensitive photo-electric cell, was given recently when H. P. Davis, Vice-President of the Westinghouse Company, from his office in Pennsylvania directed the movements of an unattended automobile in New York. As Mr. Davis told the car to "go ahead" it moved forward. Similarly, upon orders from the distant operator, the car stopped and moved backwards. The lights were even turned on by the distant voice. This was the first time in history that an automobile in one city was

controlled and moved at will by the voice of a person in a distant city. It was mgde possible by. a photo-electrie cell which was placed on the trunk in the rear of the car. A telephone connection was then established to Mr. Davis’s office, and when he spoke the sound impulses set up were transferred into light waves: ‘These were picked up by the "electric eye" which in turn operated certain relays and gave the automobile its backward and forward movements.