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Karel Čapek coins the term "robot" in his play R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots), introducing the idea of machines built to serve humans. -
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Isaac Asimov formulates the Three Laws of Robotics in his short story "Runaround," influencing how robots are viewed in fiction and ethics. -
George Devol invents the first reprogrammable robot, later patented as the Unimate, a precursor to industrial robots. -
Devol and Joseph Engelberger establish the first robotics company, Unimation, sparking the commercial use of robots in industry. -
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The first industrial robot, Unimate, is installed in a General Motors assembly line, marking the beginning of robotic automation in manufacturing. -
WABOT-1, the first full-scale humanoid robot, is built in Japan by Waseda University, featuring the ability to walk and grip objects. -
The Honda E0 project begins, leading to the development of ASIMO, one of the most advanced humanoid robots. -
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NASA’s Sojourner rover becomes the first robot to explore the surface of Mars during the Mars Pathfinder mission. -
Roomba, the autonomous robotic vacuum cleaner, is introduced by iRobot, bringing affordable domestic robots into homes. -
Honda’s ASIMO is unveiled, capable of walking, running, recognizing faces, and interacting with humans, symbolizing major progress in humanoid robotics. -
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Google's self-driving car completes a 300,000-mile test without any accidents, pioneering autonomous vehicle technology. -
Sophia, a humanoid robot developed by Hanson Robotics, gains media attention for her human-like appearance and conversational abilities, even gaining honorary citizenship in Saudi Arabia. -
Boston Dynamics’ robots, such as Atlas, demonstrate increasingly advanced locomotion and mobility skills, capable of parkour, running, and performing complex tasks autonomously.