Robots

First water automaton

320 BCE

Philo of Byzantium constructed one of the first autonomous machines using water, a primitive form of a robot.

Mechanical Knight

1495

Leonardo sketched out plans for a robotic knight that could sit, wave its arms, and move its head. Although it was never built in his time, the design showcased da Vinci's visionary ideas for automata and engineering.

Jacquard Loom

1801

Invented by Joseph Marie Jacquard, the loom used a series of punched cards to control the weaving of patterns in textiles. This invention was a precursor to modern computing, as the concept of using punch cards for programming machines later influenced computer programming.

"Robot"

1921

The term "robot" first appeared in the play "R.U.R." (Rossum's Universal Robots). The story depicted synthetic beings created to work for humans, but eventually, the robots rebel. This marked the beginning of modern robot-related fiction and ideas about artificial intelligence.

Three Laws of robotics

1942

In his short story Runaround, Asimov proposed three fundamental rules to govern the behavior of robots: 1) A robot may not harm a human, 2) A robot must obey human orders unless it conflicts with the first law, and 3) A robot must protect its own existence unless it conflicts with the first two laws. These laws became a cornerstone in robot ethics and AI narratives.

Shakey

1966

Developed at the Stanford Research Institute (SRI), Shakey was a mobile robot that could perceive its environment, plan actions, and move. It was the first robot capable of logical reasoning and paved the way for future advancements in AI and autonomous systems.