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Leonardo da Vinci sketched the plans for a humanoid (Arm) robot. Leonardo DaVinci designs a mechanical device that looks like an armored knight.
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Between 1700 and 1900 a number of life-sized automatons were created including a famous mechanical duck that could crane its neck, flap its wings and even swallow food.
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Jacques de Vaucanson built three robots. The first one could play a flute. It played 12 songs. The second had the ability to play a flute and a drum. Lastly, and the most famous one was a robotic duck he created which could mimic real life movements
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Nikola Tesla creates the first remote controlled vehicles. His first one was a remote controlled boat.
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Nikola Tesla built and demonstrated a remote controlled robot boat at Madison Square Garden.
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Karel Capek coins the word ‘robot’ to describe machines that resemble humans in his play called Rossums Universal Robots.
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Henry Ford installs the world’s first moving conveyor belt-based assembly line in his car factory. A Model T can be assembled in 93 minutes.
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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.
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r Isaac Asimov writes the short story ‘Liar!’ in which he describes the Three Laws of Robotics.
Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics:
1.A robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. 2.A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. 3.A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law. -
George Devol and Joe Engleberger 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.
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Carnegie Universities built an eight-legged walking robot. It successfully descends into Mt Spur to collect volcanic gas samples.
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The robotic dog had the ability to learn, entertain and communicate with its owner. There were many other verisons that were later created.
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Cornell University build the first self-replicating robot. Each ‘robot’ is made up of a small tower of computerized cubes which link together through the use of magnets.
