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Leonardo Da Vinci designed the first humanoid robot
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Nikolai Tesla demonstrates the first remote-controlled vehicle. The remote-control boat could be commanded to go, stop, turn left and right, turn its lights on and off, and even submerge.
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The word "robot" was first used in the context of mechanical people in a play called "R.U.R (Rossum's Universal Robots)” by Czech dramatist Karel Capek.
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"Metropolis" is released (Fritz Lang's movie) "Maria" the female robot in the film is the first robot to be projected on the silver screen. Maria is considered the precursor to Star War's C-3PO.
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Issac Asimov's most important contribution to the history of the robot is the creation of his “Laws of Robotics”.
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The first Numerically Controlled (NC) machine is built at MIT by John T. Parsons. It is connected to Whirlwind (See 1946). It was used to make ashtrays for visiting guests.
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The first artificial robotic arm to be controlled by a computer is designed at Rancho Los Amigos Hospital in Downey, California as a tool for the handicapped. The Rancho Arm’s six joints gave it the flexibility of a human arm.
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Homogeneous transformations first applied to robot kinematics.
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Star Wars is released. George Lucas' movie introduces viewers to R2D2 and C3PO. The movie creates the strongest image of a human future with robots since the 1960's.
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RoboTuna (a robot fish) is designed and built by David Barrett for his doctoral thesis at MIT. It is used to study the way fish swim.
