A 1968 Report Showcasing Cutting-Edge ‘Useful’ Robots

Lori Dorn
June 6, 2026

Historic footage company British Pathé shared a fascinating report from Queen Mary’s College in London, where members of the engineering department demonstrated their cutting-edge “useful” robotic prototypes for 1968. These robots included a walking machine for those without limbs, a “Mole Miner” for digging on the Moon, a centipede robot for covering large distances in challenging environments such as swamps or zero-gravity, and a step-climbing carriage that assists with climbing.

Useful Robots (1968)

via The Awesomer

Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.