The novella “Waldo” by Robert A. Heinlein was published for the first time in 1942 in the August issue of the magazine “Astounding Science-Fiction” under the pseudonym Anson MacDonald.

In the future, vehicles are powered by a technology that allows them to receive energy rays projected by a remote generator. More and more vehicles are ceasing to function though apparently there are no faults. The manufacturer company’s engineers are clueless and can’t curb the problem so the only solution seems to seek the help of Waldo Farthingwaite-Jones though it’s a desperate idea.