Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Guide to Massie/McLurkin Innovative Lives Presentation and Interviews

Summary

Collection ID:
NMAH.AC.0603
Creators:
Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation.
Massie, Thomas
McLurkin, James
Dates:
1995; 1997.
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
1 Cubic foot
3 boxes
5 hours
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
This collection consists of approximately 5 hours of original, master and reference video footage and photographs, documenting Thomas H. Massie and James McLurkin in 1995 and 1997. Massie invented the Phantom Haptic Interface, an electronic device giving existing computer technology the ability to simulate the sense of touch. James McLurkin invented a community of microrobotic ants that detect food, pass messages, and pick up small objects. Both inventors discuss their inventions and potential applications, as well as their backgrounds and experience as student inventors.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection is divided into four series.
Series 1: Orginal Videos
Series 2: Master Videos
Series 3: Reference Videos
Series 4: Photographs

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Thomas Massie was born in West Virginia in 1969 and grew up in Vanceburg, Kentucky. He graduated from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1993 with a Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering and a masters in Mechanical Engineering in 1995. AT MIT's Artificial Intelligence (AI) Laboratory Massie developed, with his adviser J. Kenneth Salisbury, a principal research scientist at the AI Lab, and later built, a prototype system that provides users with surprisingly vivid tactile impressions of nonexistent virtual objects. Massie's invention is called the Phantom Haptic Interface. In August of 1993, Massie and Salisbury established SensAble Devices Inc., in Cambridge, MA to manufacture the arm. Massie later changed the name of the company to SensAble Technologies.
James McLurkin was raised in Baldwin, New York and graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1995 with a Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. McLurkin built upon the earlier work of robot communities. Each robot is essentially identical to Cleo, a micro-robot he designed that was once considered as a basis for a remote-controlled colon surgery device. Each robot ant has a pair of tiny treads powered by a battery and two motors taken from vibrating beepers. The robots are guided away from the objects they hit and toward illumination sources by antennae and light sensors, and they also have mandibles powered by a third motor to pick up bits of food--quarter inch balls of crumpled brass.

Administration

Author
Alison Oswald
Custodial History
The collection was transferred from the Lemelson Center to the Archives Center on July 8, 1997.
Immediate Source of Acquisiton
This collection was created by the Innovative Lives Program of The Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation on October 27, 1995. The Innovative Lives series brings young people and American inventors together to discuss inventions and the creative process and to experiment and play with hands-on activities related to each inventor's product.
Processing Information
Collection processed by Alison Oswald, Febuary 1999.

Using the Collection

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Signed releases on file, but releases not available for Western School students.
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research but the original videos are stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Preferred Citation
Massie/McLurkin Innovative Lives Presentation and Interviews, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Electronic engineers -- 20th century Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Artificial intelligence -- 20th century Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Computer science Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Videotapes -- 1990-2000 Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Interviews -- 1980-2000 Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Oral history -- 1990-2000 Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Inventions -- 20th century Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Electronics -- 20th century Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Innovative Lives Program (NMAH public program series) Title Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Microrobotics Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Inventors -- 20th century Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Remote-control -- 20th century Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Robotics -- 20th century Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Slides (Photography) Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographs Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Judd, Michael Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
SensAble Technologies (formerly SensAble Devices, Inc.) Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

Archives Center, National Museum of American History
P.O. Box 37012
Suite 1100, MRC 601
Washington, D.C. 20013-7012
Business Number: Phone: 202-633-3270
Fax Number: Fax: 202-786-2453
archivescenter@si.edu