Geek Challenge IV

It's time for another of our popular geek challenges! This time it's one for the power engineers among you, and we're presenting you with just a single picture. The challenge is straightforward - all you need to do is to name the bulbous device in the top half of the picture and tell us what it was used for. If you can name it, you'll definitely know the answer to the second half of the question!

To give you some idea of scale, the device in question is around a metre high from top to bottom and, as an added clue, it doesn't have quite as many arms as an octopus. Until about the 1960s, these devices were very widely used in industry, but we'll say no more lest we make the challenge too easy!

As usual, send your answers to [email protected]. A winner will be drawn at random from among the correct entries we receive, and we'll send them an Amazon gift voucher to the value of $50 USD, or the approximate equivalent in the currency of your country. The next two correct entries drawn will win a selection of Megger goodies such as mugs and the like, not test equipment - sorry! When it comes to deciding the winners, the editor's decision is final.

The closing date for entries is 31st March 2023.