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Robotics
Who Pioneered Robotics?
A Historical Timeline About Robotics
By Mary Bellis
We have evidence that mechanized human-like figures date back to
ancient times to Greece.
The concept of an artificial man is found in works of fiction
since the early 19th century.
Despite these initial thoughts and representations,
the dawn of the robotic revolution began in earnest in the 1950s.
George Devol invented the first digitally operated and
programmable robot in 1954.
This ultimately laid the foundation of the modern robotics
industry.
Earliest History
Around 270 B.C. an ancient Greek engineer named Ctesibius made
water clocks with
automatons or loose figures.
Greek mathematician Archytas of Tarentum postulated a
mechanical bird he called "The Pigeon" which was propelled
by steam.
Hero of Alexandria (10–70 AD) made numerous innovations in
the field of automata, including one that allegedly could speak.
In ancient China, an account about an automaton is found in
the text, written in the 3rd century BC, in which King Mu of Zhou is
presented with a life-size, human-shaped mechanical figure by Yan Shi, an
"artificer."
Robotics Theory and Science Fiction
Writers and visionaries envisioned a world including robots in
daily life.
In 1818, Mary Shelley wrote "Frankenstein," which was
about a frightening artificial lifeform come to life by a mad, but brilliant
scientist, Dr. Frankenstein.
Then, 100 years later Czech writer Karel Capek coined the term
robot, in his 1921 play called "R.U.R." or "Rossum's Universal
Robots."
The plot was simple and terrifying; the man makes a robot then
robot kills a man.
In 1927, Fritz Lang's "Metropolis" was
released. The Maschinenmensch ("machine-human"),
a humanoid robot, was the first robot ever to be depicted on film.
Science fiction writer and futurist Isaac Asimov first used the
word "robotics" in 1941 to describe the technology of robots and
predicted the rise of a powerful robot industry.
Asimov wrote "Runaround," a story about robots which
contained the "Three Laws of Robotics," which centered around Artificial
Intelligence ethics questions.
Norbert Wiener published "Cybernetics," in 1948, which
formed the basis of practical robotics, the principles of cybernetics based
on artificial
intelligence research.
First Robots Emerge
British robotics pioneer William Grey
Walter invented robots Elmer and Elsie that mimic lifelike behavior
using elementary electronics in 1948.
They were tortoise-like robots that were programmed to find
their charging stations once they started running low on power.
In 1954 George Devol invented the first digitally operated and a
programmable robot called the Unimate.
In 1956, Devol and his partner Joseph Engelberger formed the
world's first robot company.
In 1961, the first industrial robot, Unimate, went online in a
General Motors automobile factory in New Jersey.
Timeline of Computerized Robotics
With the rise of the computer industry, the technology of
computers and robotics came together to form artificial intelligence; robots
that could learn.
The timeline of those developments follows:
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Modern Robotics
Commercial and industrial robots are now in widespread use
performing jobs more cheaply or with greater accuracy and reliability than
humans.
Robots are used for jobs which are too dirty, dangerous or dull
to be suitable for humans.
Robots are widely used in manufacturing, assembly and packing,
transport, earth and space exploration, surgery, weaponry, laboratory research
and mass production of consumer and industrial goods.
Mary
Bellis
Inventions
Expert
Introduction
New
York-based film producer and director
Singled
out by Forbes magazine for her writing on inventors.
Known
in art and independent film circles by the name CalmX
Creator
of computer-generated art
Experience
Mary
Bellis was a former writer for ThoughtCo, where she covered inventors for 18
years. She was a freelance writer, film producer, and director. In
addition, Forbes Best of the Web credited her for creating the number one
online destination for information about inventors and inventions. Her
writing has been reprinted and referenced in numerous educational books and
articles. She was known for her short independent films and
documentaries, including one on Alexander Graham Bell. She specialized in
making and exhibiting computer-generated art, while working as an animator,
journalist and an independent video game developer.
Education
Mary
Bellis held a Master of Fine Arts in film and animation from the San
Francisco Art Institute.
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and Dotdash
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