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320 BCE
Aristotle's Quote
Greek philosopher Aristotle made this famous quote:
“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 workers or of slaves for the lords.” -
1495
Leonardo's Design
Around 1495, Leonardo da Vinci sketched plans for a humanoid robot. -
Period: to
Automation Advancements
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. -
First Conveyor Belt
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. -
Robotic Play
Karel Capek coins the word ‘robot’ to describe machines that resemble humans in his play called Rossums Universal Robots. The play was about a society that became enslaved by the robots that once served them.
This idea is now a common theme in popular culture, ie Frankenstein, Terminator, The Matrix etc. -
First True 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. -
Alan's Paper begins a Computer Revolution
Alan Turing releases his paper “On Computable Numbers” which begins the computer revolution. -
Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics
Legendary science fiction writer Isaac Asimov writes the short story ‘Liar!’ he describes the Three Laws. His stories reinterpreted into the volume “I, Robot” in 1950. 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 any orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect it's existence unless it creates conflict with Law 1&2 -
Creation of the 'Turing Test'
Alan Turing proposes a test to determine if a machine truly has the power to think for itself. To pass the test a machine must be indistinguishable from a human during conversation. It has become known as the ‘Turing Test’. -
First Programmable Robotic Arm
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 (1962). -
First Russian Satellite 'Sputnik'
The Soviet Union launches ‘Sputnik’, the first artificial orbiting satellite. This marks the beginning of the space race. -
First Mass Produced Computer
The IBM 360 becomes the first computer to be mass-produced. -
Movie: Space Odyssey, feauturing HAL
Stanley Kubrick makes Arthur C. Clark's, 2001: A Space Odyssey into a movie. It features HAL, an onboard computer that develops a mind of its own. -
Neil Armstrong on the Moon
The U.S. successfully use the latest in computing, robotic and space technology to land Neil Armstrong on the moon. -
Star Wars < R2-D2 and C-3PO
The first Star Wars movie is released. George Lucas‘s movie inspires a new generation of researchers through his image of a human future shared with robots such as the now famous R2-D2 and C-3PO. -
Lego and Honda's Humanoid
The first LEGO based educational products are put on the market and Honda launches a project to build a walking humanoid robot. -
8-leg Robot collects volcanic gas samples
Carnegie Universities eight-legged walking robot, Dante ll, successfully descends into Mt Spur to collect volcanic gas samples. -
IBM computer beats chess champion
On May 11, a computer built by IBM known as Deep Blue beat world chess champion Garry Kasparov.
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. -
Lego Robotic Inventions System
LEGO launches its first Robotics Inventions System. -
First Robotic Dog that can learn, entertain and communicate
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. -
Honda's next-gen Humanoids
Honda debuts ASIMO, the next generation in its series of humanoid robots. -
Robot Helicopter with camera
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. -
First Self-replicating Robot
Researchers at Cornell University build the first self-replicating robot. Each ‘robot’ is made up of a small tower of computerised cubes which link together through the use of magnets. -
Demand for Menial Labour Robots (cleaning)
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.