PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Raymond Goertz

Also known as Raymond Corlis Goertz, Raymond C. Goertz, Ray Goertz

Raymond Goertz was a mechanical engineer whose master-slave manipulators let operators handle radioactive material from behind shielding. After earning a Bachelor of Science with honors at Montana State College in 1940, he worked at Sperry's Servomechanisms Laboratory and joined Argonne in 1947. His mechanical arms developed into electrical, force-reflecting systems, including the CRL Model 8, which entered commercial production by 1954. NASA engaged his Argonne team in 1960 to specify lunar teleoperators, and The Franklin Institute awarded him the Longstreth Medal in 1967. He died in 1970, and the American Nuclear Society established the Ray Goertz Award in his honor in 1985.

Born
1915
Died
1970
Badges

Years link to their sources.

Timeline

  1. 1940–1947

    Education and Sperry Gyroscope

    He earns a Bachelor of Science with honors at Montana State College in 1940 and studies at the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn from 1942 to 1946. He works as a project engineer in Sperry Gyroscope's Servomechanisms Laboratory from 1940 to 1947.

  2. 1947–1949

    Mechanical engineer at Argonne

    In 1947, he moves to Illinois to join Argonne National Laboratory as a mechanical engineer and completes graduate studies at the Illinois Institute of Technology through 1949.

  3. 1948–1953

    The master-slave articulated arm

    In 1948, he designs a seven-degree-of-freedom bilateral pantograph manipulator with a metal-tape transmission, operated through a leaded-glass wall to handle radioactive material. He files a U.S. patent for a remote-control manipulator in 1949; the patent is granted in 1953. In 1951, he builds the first tel-operated articulated arm, linking master and slave through steel pulleys and cables.

  4. 1952–1954

    Force-reflecting electric arms

    In 1952, he describes a force-reflecting positional servomechanism in Nucleonics. Drawing on cybernetics, he builds the first electrical master-slave manipulator system; by 1954, a modified version, the CRL Model 8, enters commercial production.

  5. 1955–1959

    Delegates and a mobile manipulator

    He represents the United States as a delegate at the first and second International Conferences on Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy in 1955 and 1958. In 1959, he and John F. Lindberg file an application for a mobile remote-control manipulator with two slave units mounted side by side on a mobile vehicle.

  6. 1960

    Lunar teleoperators for NASA

    From 1960, NASA engages him and his team at Argonne National Laboratory to specify teleoperator configurations for the lunar space program.

  7. 1967

    The Longstreth Medal

    In 1967, The Franklin Institute awards him the Edward Longstreth Medal in engineering for his master-slave manipulators used in hostile environments.

  8. 1970–1985

    Death and the Ray Goertz Award

    He dies in 1970. In 1985, the Robotics & Remote Systems Division of the American Nuclear Society establishes the Ray Goertz Award to honor his contributions to remote handling systems and his development of the master-slave manipulator.

Career

  1. From 1947University of ChicagoMechanical Engineer
  2. 1940–1947Sperry Gyroscope CompanyProject Engineer

Education

  1. 1949Illinois Institute of TechnologyGraduate studies
  2. 1946Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn
  3. 1940Montana State CollegeBachelor of Science

From the biography.

  1. The median h-index is 48 at universities and 14 at frontier AI labsIncludes University of Chicago. The median h-index is 48 at universities and 14 at frontier AI labs. We compare publishing careers, recent citations, dual appointments and job moves across 2,420 university researchers and 308 frontier-lab researchers.
  2. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology trained or employed 44 of the 187 AI major-prize winners, more than any other universityIncludes University of Chicago. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology trained or employed 44 of the 187 AI major-prize winners, more than any other university. We compare doctorate and 5+ year employment links, career timing and current workplaces for 187 major-prize and 1,111 best-paper winners.
  3. More people shaping AI studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology than at any other institutionIncludes University of Chicago. We estimate where the people shaping AI studied and where their careers led. Massachusetts Institute of Technology leads with 467 former students, including 291 recorded doctorates.
  4. The company share of AI researchers’ top papers was 31% in 2020–2024 and 8% in 1970–1974Includes University of Chicago. We estimate where the people shaping AI worked when their most-cited papers appeared: the company share was 31% in 2020–2024 and 8% in 1970–1974, and Google led all organizations in 2020–2024.

Sources and credits

Photo: We have no published photo of Raymond Goertz yet. Send us a free-licensed photo.

  1. Raymond Goertz - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org. Checked 21 October 2026.
  2. US2632574A - Remote-control manipulator - Google Patents patents.google.com. Checked 21 October 2026.
  3. 1954 – ElectroMechanical Manipulator – Ray Goertz (American) - cyberneticzoo.com cyberneticzoo.com. Checked 21 October 2026.
  4. 1958 – Mobile Remote Servo-manipulator – Ray Goertz et al (American) - cyberneticzoo.com cyberneticzoo.com. Checked 21 October 2026.
  5. US3018980A - Vehicle for slave robot - Google Patents patents.google.com. Checked 21 October 2026.
  6. Raymond Corlis Goertz | The Franklin Institute fi.edu. Checked 21 October 2026.
  7. Ray Goertz Award | American Nuclear Society ans.org. Checked 21 October 2026.