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The Greek philosopher Aristotle writes, *“If every tool, when ordered, or even of its own accord, could do the work that befits it... then there would be no need either of apprentices for the master workman or of slaves for the lords.” -
The ancient Greek inventor Ctesibius and others create complex automata, often powered by water, steam, or air pressure. These were not "robots" as we know them but were designed to mimic living things for entertainment and religious spectacle. -
Leonardo da Vinci designs a mechanical knight, now known as Leonardo's robot. Based on his anatomical research, it was designed to sit up, wave its arms, and move its head and jaw. -
The word "robot" is coined by Czech playwright Karel Čapek in his play R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots). It comes from the Czech word robota, meaning "forced labor" or "drudgery." -
Science fiction author Isaac Asimov publishes the short story "Runaround," where he first explicitly states his Three Laws of Robotics, which became a foundational theme in both science fiction and robotic ethics. -
The term "artificial intelligence" is officially coined at the Dartmouth Conference by John McCarthy, Marvin Minsky, and others, creating a field of study intrinsically linked to advanced robotics. -
The first commercial microprocessors are introduced, allowing robots to become smaller, smarter, and more affordable. -
The first fully electric, microprocessor-controlled industrial robot, the IRB 6, is launched by the Swedish company ASEA -
The SCARA (Selective Compliance Assembly Robot Arm) robot is introduced, revolutionizing high-speed assembly tasks in electronics manufacturing. -
Honda unveils the P2, the second major prototype in its humanoid robot project. It was the first self-regulating, bipedal humanoid robot, a direct predecessor to ASIMO. -
NASA lands the Curiosity Rover on Mars, a car-sized mobile laboratory that is still operational today. -
Large language models (like GPT) and generative AI begin to be integrated into robots for better natural language understanding, task planning, and interaction with the physical world.