In conjunction with research centers like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the defense industry drove many rapid technological advances post-World War II. That’s where Douglas T. Ross and his team significantly sped up manufacturing with the development of the APT programming language, which turned complex numerical commands into (somewhat) plain English. Learn more in this edition of Tech Time Warp.
Revolutionizing manufacturing
APT stands for “Automatically Programmed Tools.” First demonstrated to the public on Feb. 25, 1959, APT solved a problem: the complexity of operating a computer numerical control (CNC) machine. Such a machine is used to make metal and plastic parts, such as those needed to make aircraft. Each part is associated with a computer program that tells a machine how to manufacture it. In the pre-APT days, translating a design into G-code—the code containing the instructions—required knowledge of complex numerical commands punched into tape. (Now, computer-aided design (CAD) produces G-code.) APT bridged the gap between complex numerical commands and punch tape, allowing the use of English-like commands to produce the code—for example, GOLFT for Go Left.
Development of APT began at MIT in 1956 at the behest of the U.S. Air Force and ultimately included up to 26 aircraft companies. MIT had previously developed numerical control machines for the Air Force, so it was a logical next step. “The Air Force announced today that it has developed a machine that can receive instructions in English, figure out how to make anything, and teach other machines how to make it,” The New Yorker reported in 1959.“An Air Force general said it would enable the United States to build a war machine that nobody would want to tackle. Today, it made an ashtray.”
Watch APT in action in this 1959 episode of MIT Science Reporter.
Did you enjoy this installation of SmarterMSP’s Tech Time Warp? Check out others here.
Photo: iJeab / Shutterstock
