Leonardo Torres Quevedo of Hotel Casona Palacio Los Caballeros in Santillana del Mar. Official Website.

He formally patented the cable car in Switzerland in 1889, the first aerial cableway designed for the safe transport of people. Notable examples include those installed on Mount Ulía (1907, San Sebastián) and over the Niagara River, the “Spanish Aerocar” (1916, Canada), located five kilometers downstream from the falls, where it is still in operation today

He designed and built analog calculating machines and automata (1920), such as the electromechanical arithmometer (the calculator), considered a forerunner of modern computing. One of his most famous achievements is The Chess Player (“Ajedrecista”, 1912), the first automatic machine capable of playing a game of chess without human intervention, a precursor of artificial intelligence.

He worked in aeronautics, developing semi-rigid airships and airships, more controllable semi-rigid airships (1902), known as the “Torres Quevedo System,” to improve stability and maneuverability. The French aircraft manufacturer Astra acquired the patent to produce the famous Astra-Torres airships.

He invented the Telekino (1903), considered the first wireless remote control in history. It could control boats and other devices at a distance and carry out aeronautical tests without risking human lives. It is a direct precursor of modern drones and contemporary wireless technology.