We may think of robots as inventions of the future, but the reality is that robotics has been around since ancient times. In fact, humans have been exploring the idea of using robots to make our lives easier or more enjoyable for centuries.
We may think of robots as inventions of the future – or, in many cases, the machines that are going to take over our jobs in the here and now. But the reality is that robotics has been around in some form or another since ancient times. Surprised? Although it might sound far-fetched, humans have been exploring the idea of using robots to make our lives easier or more enjoyable for centuries. Let’s take a closer look at the astounding evolution of robots throughout history.
Ancient Civilizations and Early Automata
We now use robots for everything from complex surgeries to space exploration, but that wasn’t always the case. Technically, robots simply need to be capable of carrying out programmed tasks. There’s evidence that the oldest example of the water clock can be traced back to 1500 BCE, after it was found in the tomb of Pharaoh Amenhotep I. Ancient Egyptians also created animated statues of divinities, which were used in religious ceremonies and reportedly used head movements to dispense advice to worshippers.
In the 10th century, during the Western Zhou Dynasty, artisan Yan Shi created a humanoid that could sing and dance. An invention called the Cosmic Engine, a 33-foot clock tower featuring mechanical mannequins, was built around 1088 in China. Other examples of Chinese automata followed suit, including a royal robotic hairdresser, an android that proposed wedding toasts, and a mechanical musician made out of wood.
In ancient Greece, water clocks came on the scene by 235 BCE. Less than three decades later, famed mathematician Archytas invented a mechanical bird now known as The Pigeon, which could “fly” into the air with the help of steam power. Aristotle even speculated that the growing popularity of automata could lead to greater equality and alleviate the need for slavery. Alexandrian engineers later built puppet theaters and other automatic tools, leaving behind texts that detailed their use of hydraulics.
The Byzantines, who were inspired by the accomplishments of the ancient Greeks, built water clocks that contained complex gears. This knowledge was subsequently passed on to other civilizations, including the Arab engineers who made even further improvements to these inventions.
Artists and Innovators Make Headway
Beloved artist and inventor Leonardo Da Vinci isn’t merely famous for the Mona Lisa. He also built a mechanical knight (among other things) that was able to sit up, wave its arms, and move its head around. In the 1500s, other innovators created wooden robots that could go to local shops for their masters and winged creatures (such as birds and insects) that could soar in the skies.
During the 1700s and 1800s, modern automation really started to take off. Toymakers, philosophizers, watchmakers, and other inventors began to create more widespread automata that included moving ducks, talking dolls, humanoid musicians, child-like androids, chess-playing machines, and more. While these examples of automation were often somewhat impractical, they never failed to impress – and they paved the way for modern robots in the 19th century and beyond.
Modern Mechanical Wonders
Ada Byron, the Countess of Lovelace, was an English mathematician who is credited with writing the first algorithm for the Analytical Engine – known as one of the first computers. Although that machine was never completed due to her early death, Byron introduced the concept of mechanical programming to the world and subsequently opened the doors for what robots could accomplish.
At the turn of the century, Nikola Tesla invented a remote-controlled torpedo that later made a premier appearance at Madison Square Garden. Later on, weapons used in World War I would be modeled after Tesla’s creation. It wasn’t until the 1920s, however, that the term “robot” actually made its way into the lexicon. Karel Capek’s play, R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots) used the phrase to refer to mechanical beings that performed undesirable labor. The word supposedly came from Capek’s brother, who derived it from the Czech word for “servitude.” The word “robotics” didn’t show up until the 1940s, when science fiction writer Isaac Asimov (who penned I, Robot ten years later) coined the phrase in one of his short stories.
Asimov also created the three laws of robotics, which define the basic principles for modern robotics. These state that a robot may not injure a human being or allow a human being to be harmed; a robot must obey orders given to it by humans, except in cases wherein orders would be in opposition to the first law; and a robot must protect its own existence as long as that existence does not conflict with the first or second laws. Asimov later added a fourth law, which clarifies that robots must not harm humanity as a whole or allow humanity to be harmed by its own inaction.
By the 1950s, useful robots had started to emerge. Inventor George Devol created the Unimate, the first digitally operated and re-programmable robot, around this time. He managed to sell the Unimate, which could transport die castings and weld them onto cars, to General Motors in the 1960s, and his patent for the first robotic arm signaled huge things for the modern robotics industry. Inventions inspired by Devol’s were plentiful throughout the 1960s and 1970s.
Eventually, robotics became mainstream, used in everything from war weaponry to manufacturing plants. And while there’s still some fear that employers will replace their human workers with mechanical ones, the truth is that these robots are typically used to perform repetitive manual labor -- which can improve the health of human workers and provide them with the opportunity to learn more advanced skills.
Now, advancements in AI will continue to take robotics to the next level and find new ways to improve our lives. We may not yet know what kinds of automata are on the horizon, but one thing’s for sure: we’re eager and also a bit nervous to find out.