History of robots

By billy29999999999999979

  • mechanical duck

    mechanical duck
    Between 1700 and 1900 a number of life-sized automatons were created including a famous mechanical duck made by Jacques de Vaucanson that could crane its neck, flap its wings and even swallow food.

  • Robot toy

    Robot toy
    The first true robot toy was produced in Japan. The ‘Lilliput’ was a wind-up toy which walked. It was made from tinplate and stood just 15cm tall.

  • First robot created

    First robot created
    In 1954 George Devol invented the first digitally operated and a programmable robot called the Unimate.

  • Robot arm

    Robot arm
    George Devol and Joe Engelberger design the first programmable robot ‘arm’. This later became the first industrial robot, completing dangerous and repetitive tasks on an assembly line at General Motors (1962).

  • First computer

    First computer
    The IBM 360 becomes the first computer to be mass-produced.

  • Robot legs

    Robot legs
    Carnegie Universities eight-legged walking robot, Dante ll, successfully descends into Mt Spur to collect volcanic gas samples.

  • Robotic tournament

    Robotic tournament
    The first Robocup tournament is held in Japan. The goal of Robocup is to have a fully automated team of robots beat the worlds best soccer team by the year 2050.

  • Robot dog

    Robot dog
    Sony releases the first version of AIBO, a robotic dog with the ability to learn, entertain and communicate with its owner. More advanced versions have followed.

  • Robot helicopter

    Epsom release the smallest known robot, standing 7cm high and weighing just 10 grams. The robot helicopter is intended to be used as a ‘flying camera’ during natural disasters.

  • Robot vacuum

    Robot vacuum
    After being first introduced in 2002, the popular Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner has sold over 2.5 million units, proving that there is a strong demand for this type of domestic robotic technology.