Group 1

D-402
Third century B.C. and earlier
One of the earliest descriptions of automata appears in the Lie Zi text, on a much earlier
encounter between King (1023957 BC) and a mechanical engineer known as Yan Shi, an
'artificer'. The latter allegedly presented the king with a life-size, human-shaped figure of his
mechanical handiwork.
Inventor: Yan Shi
320 BC
Greek philosopher Aristotle made this famous quote:
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.
First century A.D. and earlier
Descriptions of more than 100 machines and automata, including a fire engine, a wind organ, a
coin-operated machine, and a steam-powered engine, in Pneumatica and Automata by Heron of
Alexandria.
Inventors: Ctesibius, Philo of Byzantium, Heron of Alexandria, and others
425 B.C
Archytas of Tarentum, mathematician and philosopher, friend of Plato, manufactured the first
flying machine in world history. He called it "pigeon" (petomijani) or "a machine that flies". The
wooden pigeon movements were controlled by a jet of steam or compressed air and flew a
distance of 200m. Once the pigeon touched the ground it wasn't able to take off again. A wooden,
steam propelled bird, which was able to fly.
1495
Designs for a humanoid robot. Created many human-inspired, robot-like sketches, designs, and
models in the 1500s.
Inventor: Leonardo da Vinci
1738
Mechanical duck that was able to eat, flap its wings, and excrete called the Digesting Duck.
Inventor: Jacques de Vaucanson
1921
First fictional automatons called "robots" appear in the play R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots).
The word robot first appeared in print in the 1920 play R.U.R. (Rossums Universal Robots) by
Karl Kapek, a Czechoslovakian playwright. Robota is Czechoslovakian for worker or serf
(peasant). Typical of early science fiction, the robots take over and exterminate the human race.
When he (Young Rossum) took a look at human anatomy he saw immediately that it was too
complex and that a good engineer could simplify it. So he undertook to redesign anatomy,
experimenting with what would lend itself to omission or simplification. Robots have a
phenomenal memory. If you were to read them a twenty-volume encyclopedia they could repeat

the contents in order, but they never think up anything original. Theyd make fine university
professors.
Karel Capek, R.U.R. (Rossums Universal Robots), 1920
1930
Humanoid robot exhibited at the 1939 and 1940 World's Fairs
Inventor: Westinghouse Electric Corporation
Elektro is the nickname of a robot built by the Westinghouse Electric Corporation in
its Mansfield, Ohio facility between 1937 and 1939. Seven feet tall (2.1 m), weighing 265
pounds (120.2 kg), humanoid in appearance, he could walk by voice command, speak about 700
words (using a 78-rpm record player), smoke cigarettes, blow up balloons, and move his head
and arms. Elektro's body consisted of a steel gear, cam and motor skeleton covered by an
aluminum skin. His photoelectric "eyes" could distinguish red and green light. He was on exhibit
at the 1939 New York World's Fair and reappeared at that fair in 1940, with "Sparko", a robot
dog that could bark, sit, and beg.
1932
The first toy robot is believed to be the boxy, yellow, clockwork Robot Lilliput from
Japan... Although many collectors believe this robot to be from the late 1930's, experts are
beginning to attribute it to the mid 1940's, after the war. The next Japanese robot to make an
appearance was the late 1940's Atomic Robot Man. This second robot's date of birth is definitely
known, since it was given out as a promo item at the New York Sci-fi convention in 1950. The
box for Atomic Robot Man showed an ironic scene of the robot marching through a decimated
city, complete with an atomic mushroom cloud...
1948
In 1948 and 1949, Mr. Walter built two robots to demonstrate his theories of nervous
systems. Named Elmer and Elsie (short for Electro Mechanical Robots, Light Sensitive),
Walters robots were simple front wheel drive tricycle-like robots covered by a clear plastic shell.
These first robots were rather crude prototypes but his technician later built better quality robots
on his design which were widely shown in public. These robots represented some of the first
examples of autonomous robots.
1954
George Devol and Joe Engleberger design the first programmable robot arm. This later
became the first industrial robot, completing dangerous and repetitive tasks on an assembly line
at General Motors (1962).
1957
The Soviet Union launches Sputnik, the first artificial orbiting satellite. This marks the
beginning of the space race. It was a 58 cm (23 in) diameter polished metal sphere, with four
external radio antennas to broadcast radio pulses. The Soviet Union launched it into an
elliptical low Earth orbit on 4 October 1957. It was visible all around the Earth and its radio
pulses were detectable. The surprise success precipitated the American Sputnik and triggered
the Space Race, a part of the larger Cold War. The launch ushered in new political, military,
technological, and scientific developments.

1964
The IBM 360 becomes the first computer to be mass-produced. The IBM
System/360 (S/360) was a mainframe computer system family announced by IBM on April 7,
1964, and delivered between 1965 and 1978.It was the first family of computers designed to
cover the complete range of applications, from small to large, both commercial and scientific.
The design made a clear distinction between architecture and implementation, allowing IBM to
release a suite of compatible designs at different prices. All but the incompatible model 44 and
the most expensive systems used microcode to implement the instruction set, which featured 8bit byte addressing and binary, decimal and floating-point calculations.
1999
Sony releases the first version of AIBO, a robotic dog with the ability to learn, entertain
and communicate with its owner. AIBO is an iconic series of robotic pets designed and
manufactured by Sony. Sony announced a prototype robot in mid-1998. The first consumer
model was introduced on May 11, 1999. New models were released every year until 2005.
Although most models were dog-like, other inspirations included lion-cubs and space explorer,
and only the final ERS-7 version was explicitly a "robot dog".
AIBOs were marketed for domestic use as "Entertainment Robots". They were also
widely adopted by universities for educational purposes (e.g. Robocup) and research into
robotics and human-robot interaction.
2000
ASIMO, an acronym for Advanced Step in Innovative MObility, is a humanoid
robot designed and developed by Honda. Introduced on 21 October 2000, ASIMO was designed
to be a multi-functional mobile assistant.With aspiration of helping those who lack full mobility;
ASIMO is frequently used in demonstrations across the world to encourage the study
of science and mathematics. At 130 cm (4 ft 3 in) tall and 48 kg (106 lb), ASIMO was designed
to operate in real-world environments, with the ability to walk or run on two feet at speeds of up
to 6 kilometers per hour (3.7 mph). In the USA, ASIMO is part of the Innoventions attraction
at Disneyland and has been featured in a 15-minute show called "Say 'Hello' to Honda's ASIMO"
since June 2005.The robot has made public appearances around the world, including
the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the Miraikan Museum and Honda Collection Hall in
Japan, and the Ars Electronica festival in Austria.
2008
Roomba is a series of autonomous robotic vacuum cleaners sold by iRobot.
Roomba was introduced in 2002. As of Feb 2014, over 10 million units have been sold
worldwide. Roomba features a set of basic sensors that help it perform tasks. For instance, the
Roomba is able to change direction on encountering obstacles, detect dirty spots on the floor, and
detect steep drops to keep it from falling down stairs. It uses two independently operating wheels
that allow 360 degree turns. Additionally, it can adapt to perform other more "creative" tasks
using an embedded computer in conjunction with the Roomba Open Interface.
2012

A powered exoskeleton, also known as powered armor, exoframe, or exosuit, is a mobile

machine consisting primarily of an outer framework (akin to an insect's exoskeleton) worn by a
person, and powered by a system of motors or hydraulics that delivers at least part of the energy
for limb movement.
The main function of a powered exoskeleton is to assist the wearer by boosting their
strength and endurance. They are commonly designed for military use, to help soldiers carry
heavy loads both in and out of combat. In civilian areas, similar exoskeletons could be used to
help firefighters and other rescue workers survive dangerous environments. The medical field is
another prime area for exoskeleton technology, where it can be used for enhanced precision
during surgery, or as an assist to allow nurses to move heavy patients.
Three Laws of Robotics
Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics:
1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to
harm.
2. A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict
with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the
First or Second Law.
Asimovs three laws of robotics were designed to guide robots in their interaction with
humans and provide a safe way for future robotic development, one that cannot threaten human
existence. Yet in his own short stories Asimov's robots always happen to fall into all kinds of
trouble while following the laws in reality.
The 0th Law or the 4th law:
In the chapter "The Duel" in Robots and Empire, Asimov first presents another law, which he
calls the Zeroth Law of Robotics, and adjusts the other ones accordingly:
A robot may not harm humanity, or through inaction allow humanity to come to harm.
Terms to know
Robot - An electromechanical device with multiple degrees-of-freedom (dof) that is
programmable to accomplish a variety of tasks.
Robotics -The science of robots. Humans working in this area are called roboticists.
Dof-degrees-of-freedom,-the number of independent motions a device can make. Also called
mobility.
Kinematics - the study of motion without regard to forces/torques.
Dynamics -the study of motion with regard to forces/torques.
Actuator -provides force/torque for robot motion.
Sensor -reads actual variables in robot motion for use in control.
A humanoid (from English human and -oid "resembling") is something that has an
appearance resembling a human being. The term first appeared in 1912 to refer to fossils which
were morphologically similar to, but not identical with, those of the human skeleton. Although
this usage was common in the sciences for much of the 20th century, it is now considered

rare. More generally, the term can refer to anything with uniquely human characteristics and/or
adaptations, such as possessing opposable appendage (thumbs), binocular vision (having two
eyes), or biomechanic bipedalism (the ability to walk in an upright position).
A cyborg (short for "cybernetic organism") is a being with both organic
and biomechatronic parts. The term cyborg is often applied to an organism that has restored
function or enhanced abilities due to the integration of some artificial component or technology
that relies on some sort of feedback. While cyborgs are commonly thought of as mammals, they
might also conceivably be any kind of organism and the term "Cybernetic organism" has been
applied to networks, such as road systems, corporations and governments, which have been
classed as such. The term can also apply to micro-organisms which are modified to perform at
higher levels than their unmodified counterparts. It is hypothesized that cyborg technology will
form a part of the future human evolution.
An android is a robot or synthetic organism designed to look and act like a human,
especially one with a body having a flesh-like resemblance. Until recently, androids have largely
remained within the domain of science fiction, frequently seen in film and television. However,
advancements in robot technology have allowed the design of functional and realistic humanoid
robots.
http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/technology/historyofrobotics.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_robots
http://www.thrivenotes.com/the-four-laws-of-robotics/
http://www.singularitysymposium.com/laws-of-robotics.html
http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?ThreeLawsOfRobotics
http://www.thrivenotes.com/the-four-laws-of-robotics/