A
car that can drive itself: more Jetsons artifacts? Nope. In
1967, Earl Boyer, an Ashville native, was part of a team which was designing and testing a driverless car
under the auspices of the Ohio State University and the Department of
Transportation. Boyer, who had worked for Teddy Boor ( creator of the
famous traffic light), demonstrated a working prototype of his device using a 1965 Plymouth;
the Plymouth
negotiated 4 1/2 miles of Ashville roads without a driver.
"To the moon, Alice," was Ralph Cramden's
favorite saying. Little did he
know that an Ashville native's invention
would help us get to the moon and back. Charles Ward's sonic sifter, which is on display at the museum, was a technological
breakthrough; upon return of the Apollo moon landings, the sonic sifter allowed
scientists to separate moon dust into its components—a critical step in
analysis, and a scientific breakthrough at the time. Heralded as the Top Invention of 1965 by Industrial Research
Magazine, the sonic sifter went on to enjoy applications in coating
technology, microcomputers, and oil exploration. A model of the sonic
sifter, donated courtesy of the Gilson Company, is on display in the
museum.