-
Automatons
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. -
The First Conveyor Belt
Henry ford installs the world's first moving conveyor belts-based assembly line in his car factory. A Model T can be assembled in 93 minutes. -
The First 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. -
Period: to
Evolution of Technology
-
Grandfather of Digital Computers
Two University of Pennsylvania professors, John Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert, build the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator Considered the grandfather of digital computers, it fills a 20-foot by 40-foot room and has 18,000 vacuum tubes. -
Turing Test
Ala 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'. -
The First Robot 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. -
Arpanet, the forerunner of today's internet, is created
ARPA wanted to create a computer network that would continue to function in the event of a disaster, such as a nuclear war, so that if part of the network was damaged or destroyed the rest of the system would work. That network was named ARPANET, (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network), which linked US scientific and academic researchers. It was the forerunner of today's Internet. In time, ARPANET computers were installed at every university in the US that had defense related funding. -
The Altair 8080
The January issue of Popular Electronics magazine features the Altair 8080, described as the "worlds,s first minicomputer kit to rival commercial models." -
Eight-legged Robot
Carnegie Universities eight-legged walking robot, Dante II, successfully descends into Mt Spur to collect volcanic gas samples. -
Robocup
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. -
Robotic 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. -
Smallest Robot
Epsom release the smallest known robot, a standing 7 cm high and weighing just 10 grams. The robot helicopter is intended to be used as a 'flying camera' during natural disasters. -
Roomba 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. -
Apple Watch
Apple releases the Apple Watch. Microsoft releases Windows 10. -
The first Self-Replicating Robot
Researchers at 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. -
The Internet is born
The term "Internet" was coined by Vinton Cerf, Vogen Dalal and Carl Sunshine at Stanford University to describe a global transmission control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP) network, or the rules that allow for information to be sent back and forth over the Internet.
