This image is released under a 
Main frame, for Automatic Computing Engine (ACE) pilot model, 1949
Main frame, for Automatic Computing Engine (ACE) pilot model, made at the National Physical Laboratory, Teddington, London, England, and some of the valves by Osram, Germany, 1949. The construction of the (ACE) pilot model was based on designs by Alan Turing.
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In 1945, while working at the National Physical Laboratory, the British mathematician Alan Turing formulated the design of an 'automatic computing engine' (ACE), which would have been the world's first general-purpose computer. He left the NPL in 1948, but this smaller 'pilot', or prototype, was made in his absence in 1950.
Although just a pilot version, this remarkable machine found a range of applications including working out the stresses on an aeroplane's fuselage.
- Measurements:
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overall: 1930 mm x 2720 mm x 1040 mm, 599kg
- Materials:
- steel (metal) , aluminium (alloy) , tin (metal) , copper (alloy) , metal (unknown) , wiring solder , electrical components , paper (fibre product) , textile and bakelite
- Object Number:
- 1956-152 Pt1
- Image ©
- The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
