<p><a href=“http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2007/shannon-0530.html[/url]”>http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2007/shannon-0530.html</a></p>
<p>Shannon collection shows wit and whimsy
MIT Museum receives collection of toys and contraptions created by the ‘father of information theory’
Deborah Halber, News Office Correspondent
May 30, 2007</p>
<p>The first artificial intelligence mouse to navigate a maze and a mechanical W.C. Fields that pays tribute to the actor’s days as a vaudeville juggler are among the whimsical devices and contraptions joining the MIT Museum’s collection of historical artifacts from the 19th century to the 21st century. </p>
<p>The dozen or so devices are the brainchildren of late MIT professor Claude E. Shannon. Best known as the father of digital communications and information theory, Shannon built the maze, juggler and a dozen other mind-bogglingly clever inventions in his home workshop from around 1950 to the mid-1980s. </p>
<p>“We’re greatly honored to receive this unique collection,” said John Durant, director of the MIT Museum. “For the most part, these intriguing objects were invented by Claude Shannon for his own amusement, but in addition to being great fun, they give vivid testimony to the creative genius of one of the true pioneers of information science and technology in the 20th century. The MIT Museum is privileged to be acquiring these objects, and we look forward to showcasing them for our visitors alongside many other technologies–for example, in artificial intelligence and robotics–that incorporate the fundamental principles Shannon discovered.”</p>