Learn Celebrating Leonardo Torres-Quevedo, Spanish Inventor Of The World’S Commencement Reckoner Game

What does a cable machine inwards Niagara Falls convey to produce amongst the world’s kickoff chess-playing machine? Surprisingly, both were inventions of Castilian civil engineer Leonardo Torres-Quevedo. Next week, every bit business office of our ongoing effort to celebrate Europe’s computing heritage, we’re commemorating Torres-Quevedo’s legacy together with his remarkable machine—"El Ajedrecista" (in English, "The Chess Player")—in partnership amongst the Telecommunication Engineering subdivision of the Technical University of Madrid.

Photo thank yous to Wikimedia Commons

Torres-Quevedo’s inventions bridge many fields. He was the instant inwards the basis to demonstrate wireless remote control, beaten to the post exclusively yesteryear Nikola Tesla. His designs for airships were used yesteryear both the French together with British during WWI. He was a global leader inwards cable machine design, creating the “Spanish aero car” over the Niagara Whirlpool which, nearly a century on, remains a tourist attraction. However, his well-nigh remarkable achievements were inwards the champaign of automation, developing machines that are antecedents to what nosotros forthwith telephone proper name upwardly computers together with robots.

Torres-Quevedo’s ambitions were bold. As Scientific American proclaimed inwards 1915: “He would substitute mechanism for the human mind.” In the 1890s, Torres-Quevedo built a series of mechanical devices that solved algebraic equations. In 1920 he wowed a Paris audience amongst an electromechanical arithmometer amongst a typewriter attachment. You but typed a formula—say, “24x48”—and the machine would calculate together with automatically type the response “=1152” inwards reply.

But El Ajedrecista, an algorithmically powered machine that could play an end-game of chess against a human opponent completely automatically, is his well-nigh notable creation. Although it’s a far vociferation from Deep Blue, El Ajedrecista tin terminate lay claim to beingness the world’s kickoff (analog) figurer game.

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Photos thank yous to Museo Torres Quevedo

The machine didn’t precisely calculate its moves—it had mechanical arms that physically moved its pieces, inwards the shape of electrical jacks, across a grid. In afterward models the arm mechanism was replaced yesteryear magnets, together with play took house on a to a greater extent than ordinary-looking chess board. You couldn’t cheat the machine every bit it could spot illegal moves; together with yous couldn’t win, every bit the game ever started at a bespeak (machine’s King together with Rook versus human’s King) from which the machine could never lose.

In laurels of El Ajedrecista’s 100th birthday, we’re working amongst the Telecommunication Engineering subdivision of the Technical University of Madrid to phase a conference commemorating Torres-Quevedo’s legacy. The conference, taking house on Nov 7, volition characteristic lectures together with panel discussions, every bit good every bit an exhibition of Torres-Quevedo’s devices—including El Ajedrecista itself. Attendance is free—if yous desire to bring together us, request an invitation.

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