[random_comment]

also relevant:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Grey_Walter

"Grey Walter's most well-known work was his construction of some of the first electronic autonomous robots.[citation needed] He wanted to prove that rich connections between a small number of brain cells could give rise to very complex behaviors - essentially that the secret of how the brain worked lay in how it was wired up. His first robots, which he used to call Machina speculatrix[3] and named Elmer and Elsie - ELectroMEchanical Robot, Light-Sensitive, were constructed between 1948 and 1949 and were often described as tortoises[4] due to their shape and slow rate of movement - and because they "taught us" about the secrets of organisation and life. The three-wheeled tortoise robots were capable of phototaxis, by which they could find their way to a recharging station when they ran low on battery power."