Hooked on a New Technology: The Automation Pioneers in Post-War Norway
07 Jan 2009-Vol. 30, Iss: 3, pp 87-100
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present the initial activities in servo engineering in Norway originating in the early 1950s based on contacts at the Massachusets Institute of Technology, and describe a small group of servo enthusiasts who, through the Feedback Control Committee in the research council, managed to coordinate national activities and establish strong research groups in Trondheim, Bergen and Oslo.
Abstract: This paper presents the initial activities in servo engineering in Norway originating in the early 1950s based on contacts at the Massachusets Institute of Technology. The activities were initiated by a small group of servo enthusiasts who, through the Feedback Control Committee in the research council, managed to coordinate national activities and establish strong research groups in Trondheim, Bergen and Oslo. After the initial phase of establishing the research groups, there was a continuous strong focus on connections with industry and industrial applications. In the mid-1960s the committee was strengthened and became the Automation and Data Processing Committee. The initial group of automation pioneers have left a lasting impact on the academic and industrial elds of servo engineering and automation in Norway.
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TL;DR: The story of Jens Glad Balchen (1926-2009), a Norwegian research scientist and engineer who is widely regarded as the father of Engineering Cybernetics in Norway, is described in this article.
Abstract: This paper tells the story of Jens Glad Balchen (1926-2009), a Norwegian research scientist and engineer who is widely regarded as the father of Engineering Cybernetics in Norway. In 1954, he founded what would later become the Department of Automatic Control at the Norwegian Institute of Technology in Trondheim. This name was changed to the Department of Engineering Cybernetics in 1972 to reflect the broader efforts being made, not only within the purely technical disciplines, but also within biology, oceanography and medicine. Balchen established an advanced research community in cybernetics in postwar Norway, whose applications span everything from the process industry and positioning of ships to control of fish and lobster farming. He was a chief among the tribe of Norwegian cybernetics engineers and made a strong impact on his colleagues worldwide. He planted the seeds of a whole generation of Norwegian industrial companies through his efforts of seeking applications for every scientific breakthrough. His strength and his wisdom in combination with his remarkable stubbornness gave extraordinary results.
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Cites background from "Hooked on a New Technology: The Aut..."
...More details about their activities can be found in (Kvaal, 1991), (Kvaal, 1992), (Wicken, 1994) and (Kvaal, 2009)....
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Book•
01 Jan 1987
TL;DR: In this article, the quandary of the fact-builder is explored in the context of science and technology in a laboratory setting, and the model of diffusion versus translation is discussed.
Abstract: Acknowledgements Introduction Opening Pandora's Black Box PART I FROM WEARER TO STRONGER RHETORIC Chapter I Literature Part A: Controversies Part B: When controversies flare up the literature becomes technical Part C: Writing texts that withstand the assaults of a hostile environment Conclusion: Numbers, more numbers Chapter 2 Laboratories Part A: From texts to things: A showdown Part B: Building up counter-laboratories Part C: Appealing (to) nature PART II FROM WEAR POINTS TO STRONGHOLDS Chapter 3 Machines Introduction: The quandary of the fact-builder Part A: Translating interests Part B: Keeping the interested groups in line Part C: The model of diffusion versus the model of translation Chapter 4 Insiders Out Part A: Interesting others in the laboratories Part B: Counting allies and resources PART III FROM SHORT TO LONGER NETWORKS Chapter 5 Tribunals of Reason Part A: The trials of rationality Part B: Sociologics Part C: Who needs hard facts? Chapter 6 Centres of calculation Prologue: The domestication of the savage mind Part A: Action at a distance Part B: Centres of calculation Part C: Metrologies Appendix 1
8,173 citations
6,926 citations
"Hooked on a New Technology: The Aut..." refers methods in this paper
...By using Bruno Latour’s words, we will follow science in action (Latour (1987))....
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Book•
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01 Jan 1987
4,632 citations
"Hooked on a New Technology: The Aut..." refers methods in this paper
...By using Bruno Latour’s words, we will follow science in action (Latour (1987))....
[...]
Book•
01 Jan 1948TL;DR: In this paper, a study of human control functions and Mechanico-Electrical Systems designed to replace them is presented, with a focus on the human body's ability to control itself.
Abstract: This Is A Study Of Human Control Functions And Mechanico-Electrical Systems Designed To Replace Them.
3,948 citations
1,864 citations