Appleton, Victor – Tom Swift Jr 04 – And His Giant Robot

The bright-red helicopter made a gay picture as it sailed off with the sightseers. Tom watched until the craft was out of sight. Then he turned to the more serious matter of robot testing at the plant.

A crew had been at work since sunup with cranes and power shovels, clearing out the debris in the tunnel. When Tom and his father arrived they were able to put Stan Lee into action immediately. The flat-faced, man-sized robot created even more of a stir among the scientists than the drone plane had.

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Tom instructed the guards to keep everyone well back from the tunnel, however, in case of more trouble. He hoped that the circling drone plane would keep any unfriendly craft from the area.

Tom planned to walk the test robot through the tunnel and into the plant where it would simulate the route to be taken by the giant robot. He would use only the portable control board he had brought along.

The robot was lowered to the floor of the tunnel. For the complex journey, Tom had inserted three simultaneous action tapes in the control panel. As Mr.

Swift beamed a powerful torch into the gaping hole, Tom closed the switch that started the tapes. There was a faint whir as metal prongs scanned the tapes for instruction holes.

In a moment Stan Lee began to advance stiffly into the tunnel. Then he was out of sight. His movements now would be known only by the blinker lights on the control board.

“He’ll make several turns following the tunnel,” Tom remarked. “When he reaches the pile room, he should do a complete about-face and be back here in twenty minutes.”