Image TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage Tile
Image size: 6656x8192 Scale: 35% - PanoJS3
Page overview thumbnail

Article text

WIRELESS WONDERS
AUSTRALIAN INVENTIONS.
^ Some remarkable results r 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.
Robert® came to England last year
bearing credentials from the'Hon. A-
DeaMHj the then Prime Minister, and
since- been pursuing bis experiments-in
Essex. The following^account,
supplied by his brothea, givee
idea of the progress made: —
After, repeated experiments, tihe inventor
had the satisfaction- of successfully
guiding a torpedo off and under ,
the Surface "of the water at will. An
experimental torpedo, guided by "wirer j'
lesa" impulses sent from the -shore, of .a!
lake rammed a moving buoy, dived be-i
Jow the surface dashed along the top
in figures of and then returned;
to 'a^deo^a point. "We dmply send
wireless' messages ibo ^ie toif^do," said
r Roberts;; "and it obeys ifen- The
waves are so regulated as to affect different
receivers on the .toi^wdo, by
means of wbidi various electric switdies
are affected, and the planes and rud-.
dera regulated --at the will of the
operator. ' "When the torpedo is Bub-, 1
merged deeply by;the depresaoh of a'
tail plane the coxnmunication is temporarily
broken.; But she soon returns
to the surface automatically. There is
aii automatic arrangement wbich
straightens the plane when she reaches
the surface. Anyhow, sbe could retard
her speed. We have marked ber
course ^before she dived, and we pick
bkr np again when she comes to the /
snrfaoe:" v The idea of the inveiflor
is to'fit bis gear to the torpedo which
the Adinifalty have adopted, invented
by Mr Louis Brennan, C.B.,' another
Australian. "The Brennan torpedo,''
be said;" "is ' fitted with gyroscopes to
keep ber straight. Our idea is to fit
the Brennan with our apparatus, and
probably attach an aerial wire to re- j
ceive the message. That would enable
the torpedo to ran submerged,
and ul±tlJ, thus preserve tbe great advantage
of inability. You can kill a torpedo
^ ^
if sh e rUnB on " the
The depth at whi<5h she runs;
, i6 related by an automatic contrivance
of air chambers. Of course we
ha ve only to do with the directing,
If we shoud miss our target we can
circle' her round again, and have another
shot. We are well satisfied 'with
our trials."
Mr. Roberto bought a French dirigible,
1 105ft. in length, witba 40 h.p.
engine, and was able-to guide her with
the wireless apparatus. He also sent
op a Toison biplane, and. manipulated
both rudders and planes by wireless, i
There was a pilot on" board in case any;
of tbe delicate mechanism failed, and
he also looked to it that the engine
kept running.
'
$