Waldo, a short story by Robert Heinlein, that gave its name to a popular nickname for remote manipulators.
Perhaps we can use a remote manipulator to trigger the automatic opening sequence of their airlock.
By constructing little surrogate hands in the Autoverse, to act as remote manipulators?
In reference to this story, the real-life remote manipulators that were later developed also came to be called waldoes.
In any event, he could remove the unit much more quickly with his gloved hands than with Betty's remote manipulators.
Robert A. Heinlein claimed a much earlier origin for remote manipulators.
Gabriel spent about ten minutes with the remote manipulators, fitting the black egg into the cargo bay against the X-ray apparatus.
The delay let the team do more preparatory work, readying trucks, shielding and remote manipulators.
The entire system moves into place at the end of the tracks and its many remote manipulators begin to pull rail sections from the various stacks.
It clenched like a remote manipulator into a bronze hammer.