The Robotics History

By heisenberg1302
  • 300 BCE

    Antiquity

    Antiquity
    -Automatons in Ancient Greece: Philosophers like Aristotle and mathematicians like Archytas of Tarentum imagined mechanical machines. Archytas designed a mechanical pigeon capable of flying.
  • 70 BCE

    Middle Ages

    Middle Ages
    -Heron of Alexandria: A Greek engineer who created automatons like the "steam engine" or "Aeolipile," an early prototype of a motor.
  • 1500

    15th-18th Century

    15th-18th Century
    15th Century – Leonardo da Vinci: In 1495, he drew the design for a mechanical knight, considered one of the first humanoid robot designs. 1738 – Jacques de Vaucanson: A French engineer who created automatons like the "Mechanical Duck," which mimicked natural movements.

  • 19th Century

    19th Century
    1801 – Jacquard Loom: The first mechanical device controlled by punched cards, a precursor to automation. 1898 – Nikola Tesla: Created a remote-controlled boat, considered one of the first remote-control devices.

  • 20th Century

    20th Century
    1921 – Karel Čapek: In his play R.U.R., the word "robot" was introduced for the first time.
    1942 – Isaac Asimov: Published his Three Laws of Robotics.
    1954 – First Industrial Robot: George Devol patented the "Unimate," a robotic arm designed for industrial automation.
    1961 – Installation of Unimate: General Motors installed the first industrial robot, Unimate.
    1969 – Stanford Arm: Developed at Stanford University, this robotic arm was the first to be fully controlled by a computer.

  • 1970s-1980s

    1970s-1980s
    1973 – First Industrial Robot with Six Axes: The German company KUKA created the Famulus robot, the first industrial robot with six degrees of freedom.
    1979 – First Spacecraft with Robotic Arm: NASA included a robotic arm in the Space Shuttle Columbia.
    1986 – Foundation of iRobot Corporation: This company developed robots for military and domestic applications, like the Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner.
    1989 – Honda's P3: The first bipedal robot capable of walking, a precursor to ASIMO.

  • 1990s-2000s

    1990s-2000s
    1997 – Mars Pathfinder: The Sojourner rover was the first robot to autonomously move on the surface of Mars.
    2000 – Honda ASIMO: Introduced as one of the most advanced humanoid robots, capable of walking and performing complex tasks.
    2004 – Spirit and Opportunity Rovers: Explored Mars for years, far beyond their planned operational lifespans.

  • 2010s

    2010s
    2013 – Boston Dynamics and Advanced Robots: The company introduced robots like Atlas and Spot, known for their agility and ability to perform tasks in dynamic environments.
    2016 – DeepMind's AlphaGo: A Google AI system that defeated human champions in the complex game of Go, marking a breakthrough in intelligent robotics.

  • Present

    Present
    2021 – Perseverance and Ingenuity Drone: NASA’s Mars mission includes the Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter, the first drone to fly on another planet.
    2023 – Tesla Bot: Elon Musk presented the first advancements in a humanoid robot aimed at performing repetitive and dangerous work tasks.