Watson & Goodall's Resolution Reaching Hat for Business - The Resolution Reaching Hat is a decision-making aid, invented in 1905 by Neville Watson, creator of automata and Quentin Goodall, a milliner.
Watson & Goodall failed to produce an automaton capable of making calculated decisions, instead producing an elaborate clockwork display that generated an entirely random answer. It fooled the public for nine years.
The hat's secret lay dormant until 1912 when the partners fell out and Goodall exposed the lie in anger.
Photograph by Pablo de la Pena.
"I trust the hat." - The hat found its way into popular literature due to its widespread adoption by industry notables.
A photograph of the hat in use, circa 1908. Documented evidence of the hat is rare, owing to its exclusive patronage and the secrecy of their decisions.
The hat was worn by a trained operator, summoned to the offices of senior businessmen to aid them in making difficult decisions. The dials around the hat are set to indicate potential loss, risk etc - a button initiates the mechanism. The answer is illuminated in a glass display.
The Nine Year Secret - In a period of financial turmoil ascribed to poor financial decisions, the 2008 documentary "Watson & Goodall: The Nine Year Secret" brought the pair's invention and deception back into the limelight.
The documentary is available online at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oObwtnxVYRs
MoLI: Hats from the Attic - The Resolution Reaching Hat was created with Joanna Montgomery for the 2008 Museum of Lost Interactions exhibition at the University of Dundee. It fooled a fair few people.
Poster designed collaboratively with Pablo de la Pena.
For more information and to see the other exhibits, visit the project website at http://imd.dundee.ac.uk/hats/
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Resolution Reaching Hat for Business