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Period: Jan 1, 700 to Dec 31, 1499
100 AD - 15th Century
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Jan 9, 725
Mechanical Clock
The first true mechanical clock was invented in 725 AD by a Chinese engineer and a Buddhist monk. It used a device that was powered by water that caused the clock to tick. http://www.thocp.net/reference/robotics/robotics.html -
Jan 11, 1088
Su Song's Clock
Su Song led a group of very skilled men in building a clock tower. It consisted of 3 levels. The whole tower formed a single mechanism was powered by water. http://www.thenagain.info/WebChron/China/SongClock.html -
Jan 9, 1169
Al-Jazari
Al-Jazari was an Arab who was an expert in many fields. In his writings he claims to have made various mechanical devices. Some of these include a large elephant clock that moved and chimed, and a musical robot band and a waitress autmaton that served drinks. http://www.thomasnet.com/articles/engineering-consulting/robotics-history -
Apr 12, 1495
Leonardo's Robot
Leonardo DaVinci created a primitive robot that resembled an armored knight. Mechanical devices such as these were commonly used to entertain nobility in medieval times. http://robotics.megagiant.com/history.html -
Period: Jan 1, 1500 to
16th-19th Century
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Pascaline
Blaise Pascal invented the Pascaline to help his father with taxes. He built about 50, and only a few can be found today in museums. www.robotshop.com/content/PDF/timeline.pdf -
Jacques de Vaucansons' Automata
Jacques de Vaucanson built several automatons. One could play a flute. Another could play a flute and a drum or tambourine. His most famous was a duck, and it modeled the motion of a duck's anatomy with mechanics. http://robotics.megagiant.com/history.html -
Charles Babbage
Babbage was born in 1791. He developed the foundations of computer science. He is famous for both his difference engine and the analytical engine. However, he never completed either of these due to lack of money. He is widely considered the Father of Computers. http://www.thomasnet.com/articles/engineering-consulting/robotics-history -
The Jacquard Loom
Joseph-Marie Jacquard invented a machine that was in essence a loom that could created designs to print on cloth or tissue. It was the first machine to use punched cards to control a series of operations. www.robotshop.com/content/PDF/timeline.pdf www.robotshop.com/content/PDF/timeline.pdf -
The Steam Man
The Steam Man was invented in 1865 by John Brainerd. It was created to pull wheeled carts and other wheeled devices. An electric version of the Steam Man was developed in 1885. www.robotshop.com/content/PDF/timeline.pdf -
Period: to
20th Century
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Asimov coins "Robotics"
Isaac Asimov was the first person to coin the term robotics. He used the term to describe the technology of robots. He would later go on to write many science-fiction novels about robots, and he wrote "The Three Law of Robotics." http://inventors.about.com/od/roboticsrobots/a/RoboTimeline.htm http://inventors.about.com/od/roboticsrobots/a/RoboTimeline.htm -
Star Wars
George Lucas releases his classic film Star Wars. Several characters in Star Wars are robots, such as R2-D2 and C-3PO. The movie inspired researchers to delve deeper into the world of robotics. http://robotics.megagiant.com/history.html http://robotics.megagiant.com/history.html -
The Stanford Cart
The Stanford Cart was a cart which had a camera mounted on it. Said camera would take pictures of the surroundings from multiple angles and send the information to the computer. In 1979, the Stanford Cart crossed a room full of obstacles without human guidance.
http://inventors.about.com/od/roboticsrobots/a/RoboTimeline.htm
http://inventors.about.com/od/roboticsrobots/a/RoboTimeline.htm -
The Gastrobot
Students at the University of South Florida invented a robot called the Gastrobot. Chris Campbell's and Stuart Wilkinson's robot could produce carbon dioxide for power after digesting organic mass. http://robotics.megagiant.com/history.html -
Furby
The Furby was released in 1998 into the christmas toy market by Tiger Electronics. It uses a multitude of sensors to react to its environment and communicate. http://robotics.megagiant.com/history.html -
Period: to
21st Century
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Hero of Alexandria
Hero of Alexandria created several automata that were used in performances in the theater. Most of his automata were based on the principles of hydraulics. The timeline has been malfunctioning, and places this event at 2000, when it should be at 100 AD. Please regard it as a part of that timespan.
http://www.thocp.net/reference/robotics/robotics.html -
HUBO
HUBO is a robot developed by the Korean Institute of Science and Technology. They claim that it is the smartest mobile robot in the world. It is wirelessly connected to a computer, which does all of the thinking for the robot. www.robotshop.com/content/PDF/timeline.pdf -
BIGDOG
BIGDOG is a robot that was developed by Boston Dynamics. It has 4 legs, and is designed to mimic the movements of a dog. It can adapt to its terrain and outside influences. http://weburbanist.com/2008/11/18/10-of-the-worlds-weirdest-craziest-and-most-useful-robots/ -
T-Rot Robotic Bartender
The T-Rot Robotic Bartender was unveiled at the APEC forum in 2005. It can recognize speech and is an expert mixologist. It has the full capability of a human bartender. http://weburbanist.com/2008/11/18/10-of-the-worlds-weirdest-craziest-and-most-useful-robots/ -
Roomba
The Roomba is a small, disc-shaped robot that vacuums the floors of one's home. It is one of the only commercially available robots today. http://store.irobot.com/category/index.jsp?categoryId=3334619&cp=2804605 -
Robonaut 2
The Robonaut 2 is a humanoid robot that is designed to assist humans in complex tasks. It is able to work in microgravitational conditions in space. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/robonaut.html
