Egbert, The Mechanical Man - The official greeter at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, PA, 1934.
SPOKEN messages of welcome. accompanied by a snappy salute, startle visitors to the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. Pa., where a mechanical man nick-named "Egbert" has just been installed as official greeter. The robot comes to life when the visitor's shadow falls upon a light-sensitive "eye," operating electric relays that set him in action. A phonograph record supplies his voice. - Popular Science, June 1934 (via cybernetic zoo)