146 Master Minds of Modern Science 



is thus obtained, and the action of the pecker in turn 

 controls the aeroplane. By having a row of such instru- 

 ments in the machine which it is desired to control from 

 a distance, any motion can be secured by transmitting 

 signals at the predetermined rate, and as this rate can 

 be varied every time the machine takes the air — by ad- 

 justing the mechanism — interference with the control by 

 enemy hands is not easy. Dr Low says : 



In some of the early experiments it was possible to launch a 

 model aeroplane by means of a compressed air gear, and for 

 the engine to be throttled down in mid-air or for a machine to 

 loop the loop entirely by wireless control. But an almost 

 insuperable difficulty at present is the speed at which controls 

 must be applied, and the difficulty of determining the exact 

 position of the machine when out of sight. 



In the far future it may be achieved by radio means, but at 

 present it has been partially solved by allowing the radio 

 control (from a distance) to operate a gyroscope, rather than 

 to set the control itself. By this means water torpedoes have 

 been directed with considerable success, being controlled by a 

 pilot in an aeroplane as far as ten miles away, who sets the 

 course by means of a radio-controlled gyroscope, electrically 

 driven, and mounted in the torpedo itself. 



For these machines there is a possible future. They can be 

 used to procure photographic records of countries or areas over 

 which flying with pilots might endanger life. They might 

 serve to operate postal air services flying at great height over 

 prescribed routes, or with slight alteration to record and 

 transmit the actual photographs as taken by a camera carried 

 in the wireless controlled aeroplane, and mechanically worked. 



Since the Armistice released him from his Air Force 

 duties Professor Low has followed carefully the various 

 developments in ' f rightfulness/ such as we may expect 

 will be utilized by armies in the event of the peoples of 

 Europe permitting another war to occur. We mention 

 some of the terrible possibilities which Dr Low's trained 



