History

History of Robotics
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The Word Robot
Karel Capek, made famous the word robot, which is the Czech word for forced labor or serf. Capek introduced the word in his play R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots) first performed in 1921. Capek's play portraits a paradise where robot machines initially provide many benefits for humans, but in the end bring an equal amount of blight in the form of unemployment and social unrest.

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1940
Isaac Asimov (1920-1992) produces a series of short stories about robots starting with "A Strange Playfellow" (later renamed "Robbie") for Super Science Stories magazine. The story is about a robot and its affection for a child that it is bound to protect. Over the next 10 years he produces more stories about robots that are eventually recompiled into the volume "I, Robot" in 1950.

1942
Asimov is generally credited with the popularization of the term "Robotics" which was first mentioned in his story "Runaround" in 1942. But probably Isaac Asimov's most important contribution to the history of the robot is the creation of his 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 the 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. Asimov later adds a "zeroth law" to the list: 0. A robot may not injure humanity, or, through inaction, allow humanity to come to harm.

1948
 Norbert Wiener, a professor at M.I.T., publishes Cybernetics or "Control and Communication in the Animal', a book which describes the concept of communications and control in electronic, mechanical, and biological systems.

British robotics pioneer William Grey Walter creates autonomous machines called Elmer and Elsie that mimic lifelike behavior with very simple circuitry.

===1959 ===

John McCarthy and Marvin Minsky start the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Computer-assisted manufacturing was demonstrated at the Servomechanisms Lab at MIT.

===1960 ===

Unimation is purchased by Condec Corporation and development of Unimate Robot Systems begins.

American Machine and Foundry, later known as AMF Corporation, markets the first cylindrical robot, called the Versatran, designed by Harry Johnson and Veljko Milenkovic.

===<span style="color: #ff6666; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">1962 ===

The first industrial arm robot - the Unimate - is introduced. > <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">It is designed to complete repetitive or dangerous tasks on a General Motors production line. This manipulator is the first of many Unimates to be deployed.

<span style="color: #ff6666; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">1966
An artificial intelligence program named ELIZA is created at MIT by Joseph Weizenbaum. ELIZA functions as a computer psychologist that manipulates its users statements to form questions. Weizenbaum is disturbed at how quickly people put faith in his little program. The Stanford Research Institute creates Shakey. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">The first <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">mobile robot that can reason about its surroundings. Five years later, funding is cancelled when the shortcomings of the machine become apparent. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The assembly line robot Unimate is controlled step-by-step by commands stored on a magnetic drum, the 4,000-pound arm sequenced and stacked hot pieces of die-cast metal. Unimate is the brainchild of Joe Engelberger and George Devol, and originally automated the manufacture o f TV picture tubes.

<span style="color: #ff6666; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">1975
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Victor Scheinman develops the Programmable Universal Manipulation Arm (Puma), which becomes widely used as industrial robots.

Unimation will purchase Vicarm Inc. (1977) and develop The PUMA (Programmable Universal Machine for Assembly) robot to be marketed in 1979.

<span style="color: #ff6666; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">2000
<span class="footer" style="color: #804040; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 8pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">Honda's ASIMO

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Honda debuts a new humanoid robot ASIMO, the next generation of its series of humanoid robots.The Battlebots event is held in Las Vegas, Nevada.LEGO releases the MINDSTORMS Robotics Invention SystemTM 2.0

O<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">ctober, The UN estimates that there are 742,500 industrial robots in use worldwide. More than half of these are being used in Japan.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">November 11, Sony unveils humanoid robots, dubbed Sony Dream Robots (SDR).

<span style="color: #ff6666; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">2002
<span class="footer" style="color: #804040; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 8pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">Asimo, Honda Japan

Honda's Asimo was the first robot that could walk independently with relatively smooth movements and could climb the stairs. Honda's ASIMO robot rings the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange.

**Click here**for images of early robots.