An early 19th-century illustration of Ctesibius's clepsydra (image via Wikipedia.)
#1 The Clepsydra
1400 BCE
Babylonians develop the clepsydra, a clock that measures time using the flow of water, which is considered one of the first robotic devices in history. For centuries, inventors refine the design, and some time around 270 BCE, the Greek inventor Csestibus becomes famous for a water clock that utilizes animated human figures.
#2 Aristotle
322 BCE
The Greek philosopher Aristotle imagines the utility of robots, writing: “If every tool, when ordered, or even of its own accord, could do the work that befits it… then there would be no need either of apprentices for the master workers or of slaves for the lords.”
#3 DaVinci’s Knight
1495
Leonardo DaVinci designs a clockwork knight that is designed to sit up, wave its arms, and move its head and jaw. It’s not certain whether the robot was ever built, but the design may constitute the first humanoid robot.
A modern reconstruction of DaVinci's robot. (photo via Wikipedia)
#4 The Digesting Duck
1737
French inventor Jacques Vaucanson builds a clockwork duck capable of flapping its wings, quacking, eating and digesting food.
#5 The Mechanical Turk
1769
Hungarian author and inventor Wolfgang von Kempelen builds The Turk, a maplewood box with a mannequin dressed in cloak and turban protruding from the back. The device gains great fame as an automaton capable of playing chess against skilled opponents –until it is discovered that a human operator hides inside the box.
A modern reconstruction of von Kempelen's Turk (image via Wikipedia)
#6 The Jacquard Loom
1801
French silk weaver and inventor Joseph Jacquard invents an automated loom that is controlled by punch-cards. Within a decade it is being mass-produced and thousands are in use across Europe.
#7 The Puppet Who Wished To Be A Real Boy
1881
Italian author Carlo Lorenzini writes Pinnochio, a children’s book about a marionette who turns into a real boy. The literary theme of mechanical men who come to life will flourish along with the technological evolution of robots.
Nikola Tesla's radio-controlled boat. (Image via Wikipedia)
#8 Tesla, Ahead Of His Time
1898
Nikola Tesla demonstrates a new invention he calls “teleautomaton” to spectators at Madison Square Garden in New York –a radio-controlled boat. The audience believes it’s a trick, and remote control technology does not become commonplace until decades later.
#9 Rossums Universal Robot
1921
Czech playwright Karl Capek coins the term “robot” in a play called R.U.R. (Rossums Universal Robot). The word comes from the Czech robota, which means drudging, forced work. The play ends with robots taking over the Earth and destroying their makers.
#10 Maria & Metropolis
1926
Film director Fritz Lang releases Metropolis, a silent film set in a futuristic urban dystopia. It features a female robot –the first to appear on the silver screen– who takes the shape of a human woman in order to destroy a labor movement.
Director Fritz Lang (right) inspects the robot from the film Metropolis (photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
#11 The Three Laws
1942
American science fiction author Isaac Asimov publishes a short story, “Runaround,” which introduces the Three Laws of Robotics:
- A robot may not harm a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
- A robot must obey the orders given to it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
- A robot must protect its own existence, as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
#12 The Birth Of Cybernetics
1948
American mathematician Norbert Wiener publishes Cybernetics: Or Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine, a seminal work in the field of practical robotics.
#13 Unimate Gets To Work
1954
Industrial robotics pioneer George Devol creates Unimate, the world’s first programmable robot. In 1961 it is put to work on a General Motors automotive assembly line.
#14 Birth Of The Robotics Industry
1956
George Devol and Joseph Engelberger form the world’s first robotics company, Unimation. In the 1960s, it is purchased by the Condec Corporation, which later is bought, in part, by industrial manufacturing giant Eaton.
#15 Computer Assisted-Manufacturing
1959
The Servomechanisms Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology demonstrates computer-assisted manufacturing. A robotic milling machine creates a commemorative ashtray for each attendee.
#16 Shakey The Robot
1966
The Artificial Intelligence Center at the Stanford Research Center begins development of Shakey, the first mobile robot. Its endowed with a limited ability to see and model its environment, and is controlled by a computer that fills an entire room.
A HAL 9000 console from the film 2001: A Space Odyssey
#17 “I’m sorry, Dave. I’m afraid I can’t do that.”
1968
HAL 9000 (Heuristically programmed ALgorithmic computer) appears in the Stanley Kubrik film 2001: A Space Odyssey, written (and novelized) by Arthur C. Clarke. The artificially intelligent computer runs the spaceship Discovery –and eventually goes berserk. The character reflects concern about the increasing power of intelligent machines over man.
#18 Human-Cyborg Relations
1977
R2-D2 and C-3PO appear in George Lucas‘ Star Wars. The plucky androids are arguably the best-known robots in modern culture.
#19 The Stanford Cart
1979
The Stanford Cart, a four-wheeled rover equipped with a TV camera for vision, navigates around the obstacles in a chair filled room by analyzing and programming its own course.
#20 Dante Descends
1993
An eight-legged robot named Dante attempts to explore Antarctica’s Mt. Erebus volcano. The landmark effort is remotely controlled from the U.S., and ushers in a new era of robotic exploration of hazardous environments.
The Sojourner rover (image via NASA)
#21 Pathfinder
1997
The tiny Sojourner Rover begins its scientific mission on Mars. Moving at a maximum speed of 0.02 miles per hour, the robot explores the immediate area around its landing point, and takes 550 photographs over the next three months.
#22 Speaking Furbish
1998
A fuzzy, batlike robot called Furby becomes the must-have toy of the holiday season. The $30 toys “evolve” over time, first speaking in gibberish, but soon developing the use of pre-programmed English phrases. Over 27 million of the toys sell in a 12-month period.
#23 Man’s Best Friend
1999
Gadget-lovers develop a serious case of puppy love for Sony‘s robot dog AIBO. The $2,000 mechanical mutt can navigate around a room and respond to a set of limited commands.
Honda's ASIMO robot. (image via Wikipedia.)
#24 ASIMO walks
2000
Honda Motor Company’s humanoid robot ASIMO steps onto the stage. Standing 1.3 meters tall, it can walk and run with a near-human gait.
#25 The Cyber Sweeper
2002
iRobot releases the Roomba robotic vacuum. With over six million units sold, the Frisbee-shaped device is the most commercially successful domestic robot in history.
#26 Big Business
2004
The robotics industry crosses $1 billion in revenues in North America.
#27 Spirit
2004
NASA’s Spirit Rover lands on Mars and begins exploration of the planet. It will keep rolling for 6 years after its original 90-day mission ends, and will travel over 7.7 kilometers.
#28 Stanley Crosses The Finish Line
2005
Stanley, an autonomously-driven vehicle created by a team from Stanford University, successfully negotiates a 212 kilometer off-road track. It becomes the first car to complete the DARPA Grand Challenge, winning a $2 million prize.
#29 The Robonaut
2012
The final mission of the Space Shuttle Discovery delivers the first humanoid robot in space to the International Space Station. Dubbed R2, the Robonaut has a near-human range of motion and can perform tasks dubbed too dangerous for human astronauts. NASA says the bots “are essential to NASA’s future as we go beyond low earth orbit.”
Robonaut 2, onboard the International Space Station
#30 A Driverless Car Gets Licensed
2012
The Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles issues the world’s first license for a robotic, self-driven car. It’s issued to a Toyota Prius modified with technology developed by Google. To date, Google’s driverless cars have logged more than 300,000 miles in traffic, and haven’t been the cause of a single accident.
This list is based on a timeline created by the Robotic Industries Association, and updated from an older version on Forbes.com.
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