A Timeline of Robots and AI

By Mootooth

  • First humanoid robot created by Friedrich Kaufmann

    This was the very first humanoid robot and thus kickstarts the "uncanny valley" issue.

  • Elektro created by Westinghouse Electric Corporation

    Elektro appeared in the 1939 New York World's Fair and had a variety of functions including speech, movement and recognise simple voice commands.

  • Elmer and Elsie constructed by William Grey Walter

    Walter believed, in contrast to people like Alan Turing, that the brain's secret workings lay in the analogue way it was wired up. His approach inspired later generations of robotic researchers.

  • Unimate invented by George Devol

    Unimate was the first industrial robot to be implemented into an assembly line - specifically at General Motors. It laid the foundation for the modern robotics industry.

  • WABOT-1 completed

    WABOT-1 was the world's first android (humanoid intelligence robot). Movement was made possible with control systems of the lower limbs, and tactile sensors were used to grip and transport objects. Artificial eyes and ears allowed WABOT-1 to measure distances and directions.

  • Direct Drive Arm I developed by Take Kanade

    This was the first direct drive arm which could be used for industrial purposes. Direct drive arms are still the best method of constructing mechanical arms today.

  • Development of DeepBlue started

    DeepBlue was a computer simulating artificial intelligence. Through an evaluation function, it was able to play chess and even beat the world champion Garry Kasparov in 1996.

  • Honda ASIMO created

    ASIMO serves as a display of the technological developments that we have reached. Through visual, ground and ultrasonic sensors, ASIMO can walk naturally. It can distinguish between voices and has the ability to recognise up to 10 different faces and address these by name.

  • Development of Google's Self Driving Car started

    Google has made many improvements to their version of a self-driving car. It has proved to be a better driver than humans and has been tested extensively on highways and the like.

  • Baxter created by Rethink Robotics

    This robot was designed for the dull tasks on a production line. Baxter is a very quick learner compared to must industrial robots, and thus any worker can show him a task being performed - Baxter will memorise and perform from this. Thus, there is no requirement for heavy coding and software development.