Artificial switch

Artificial switch is a device in early telephone systems that was manually operated by operators to connect both parties in a call. The operator connects the caller's phone line to the called person's line by plugging and unplugging the line. This system was widely used in the early 20th century, and despite its low efficiency and reliance on human labor, it laid the foundation for the popularization and development of telephone communication.

The unit is designed for unsupervised public use: controls are recessed or shielded, moving parts are enclosed, and the interface is operable by a child of about six with no instruction. Where a screen is used, the language can be switched without changing the hardware, and the content can be replaced on site.

When the telephone was first introduced, one telephone could only be fixedly connected to another, and the utilization rate of both the telephone and the line was very low. In order to change this situation, telephone exchange equipment emerged, giving birth to telephone exchanges. Early telephone exchanges were manually operated and equipped with operators. The wiring and disconnecting operations during telephone exchange are completely completed manually by operators. Manual telephone exchanges have slow wiring speed and low efficiency, and are gradually being replaced by automatic telephone exchanges.