2.1m of live steel... and on top of that it smoked like a dragon!

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Throwback to 1932: Meet Alpha, the Robot That Stole the Show!

It’s 1932, and you’re walking into a store in Manhattan. You’re just trying to remember what your wife told you to buy. Then you look up and your jaw drops. Right in front of you stands a 2.1-meter-tall robot. Meet Alpha!

Let’s rewind to the golden era of tin-can ingenuity. Back in 1932, when sci-fi dreams were built with gears and elbow grease, an English inventor named Harry May introduced the world to Alpha the Robot, a mechanical wonder that wowed audiences before robotics was even a thing.

Standing at a whopping 2.1 meters (7 feet) tall, Alpha was the kind of robot you’d expect in a black-and-white mad scientist flick. This wasn't just a tin man for display. Alpha could "talk," move its arms, and even puff smoke from its mouth. It was a steampunk spectacle on two legs.

May’s creation became a crowd favorite at fairs and exhibitions. People couldn’t believe their eyes. Was this the future of humanoid robots? Well… not exactly. While Alpha’s speech was actually a cleverly hidden human operator (think early ventriloquism meets robotics), the machine’s sheer presence sparked a fascination that paved the way for today’s robotic revolution.

Alpha wouldn’t pass the Turing test, but in 1932, it didn’t have to. It was an entertainment sensation, an early vision of automation, and proof that humans have always been obsessed with bringing machines to life.

Fast forward 90+ years, and here we are. Humanoid robots now have AI brains, real-time perception, and slightly less dramatic smoke effects. But let’s give a nod to Alpha, the OG showbot that made people dream of a robotic future before it was cool.

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