2023-06-07 08:30:03
In 1948 Norbert Wiener published his book “Cybernetics, or control and communication in the animal and the machine”, becoming a leading figure in the field of cybernetics. In 1951, the I International Congress of Cybernetics was held in Paris in honor of Wiener. During the opening session, Wiener, who raised the possibility of building a chess-playing machine in his book, found himself with an unexpected challenge: facing a chess-playing automaton. It turned out that this automaton, whose existence he was unaware of, had been invented by a Spaniard and had already been presented at the Salamanca Congress of the Spanish Association for the Advancement of Sciences in 1922.
The inventor behind this technological marvel was Leonardo Torres Quevedo, a Spanish engineer. His first notable achievement was the Telekino, the first complete remote control in history, which he successfully demonstrated in the remote control tests of the Vizcaya boat in 1906. After selling the patent for his self-rigid airship in 1909, Torres Quevedo devoted himself to development of electromechanical machines. In 1910, he presented his first designs for an electromechanical calculating machine in Argentina, demonstrating his conviction that it was possible to build an automaton capable of performing complicated calculations without the intervention of a human operator.
Upon returning to Spain, Torres Quevedo focused on the construction of demonstration machines and the formulation of a new theoretical-conceptual framework known as Automatic, which would lay the foundations for machines built with this technology. In 1913, he presented a chess-playing automaton as a practical demonstration of the possibility of building machines endowed with artificial intelligence. Although the initial presentation at the Madrid Congress went unnoticed, it attracted attention when it was presented at the Mechanical Laboratory of the University of Paris in 1914. Headlines in various newspapers highlighted the achievement of Torres Quevedo and his machine that could do the job. man’s brain.
In 1922, Torres Quevedo completed the construction designs for his second chess player, which he presented in 1923 in Salamanca and Paris. This improved version had a horizontal board and used electromagnets to slide the pieces. In addition, the automaton could now also speak into a gramophone, announcing moves and checkmate to the spectators. This would be the last great work of Torres Quevedo, who continued to patent other minor inventions in the following years.
After his death in 1936, his son Gonzalo presented the chess player at various exhibitions and international meetings, where his father’s genius and technological advancement were recognized. In January 1951, during the I Colloque International ‘Les machines à calculer et la pensé humaine’ in Paris, Gonzalo presented the chess player, followed by his exhibition at the ‘Montres et Bijoux et Présentation International d’Automates’ Exhibition in Geneva in August -September 1952. These presentations helped to understand the importance of the brilliant mind of Leonardo Torres Quevedo, who was ahead of his time by approximately thirty years, both in the field of computing, cybernetics and artificial intelligence, as well as in the construction of the first computers.
Leonardo Torres Quevedo’s legacy as an inventor and pioneer in the field of mechanical automation and artificial intelligence is indisputable. His achievements, such as the Telekino and the chess player, laid the foundation for the development of modern technologies. His vision and creativity earned him international recognition and his name stands out as one of the great geniuses in the history of engineering. The chess machine was a living proof of his ability to build intelligent machines and anticipated the potential of artificial intelligence in today’s world. Torres Quevedo’s contribution continues to be admired and his legacy lives on as inspiration for future technological advances.
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