Leonardo da Vinci's Mechanical Knight
Leonardo da Vinci designed a humanoid automaton known as the Mechanical Knight, which could sit, wave its arms, and move its head and jaw. This early concept laid the groundwork for future robotic designs.
1495
1738
Jacques de Vaucanson's Automata
French inventor Jacques de Vaucanson created several automata, including the famous Digesting Duck, which could mimic the actions of a real duck. His work demonstrated the potential for mechanical devices to replicate biological functions.
1921
Karel Čapek's Play "R.U.R."
Czech writer Karel Čapek introduced the term "robot" in his play "R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots)," which depicted a future where robots are mass-produced to serve humans but eventually rebel.
1942
Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics
Science fiction writer Isaac Asimov formulated the Three Laws of Robotics, which have become fundamental principles in the field of robotics and artificial intelligence.
1956
The Birth of Artificial Intelligence
John McCarthy, Marvin Minsky, Nathaniel Rochester, and Claude Shannon organized the Dartmouth Conference, marking the birth of artificial intelligence as a field of study.
1961
Unimate: The First Industrial Robot
Unimate, the first industrial robot, was installed at General Motors. It revolutionized manufacturing by performing repetitive tasks with precision and efficiency.
1973
WABOT-1: The First Humanoid Robot
Waseda University in Japan developed WABOT-1, the world's first full-scale humanoid robot, capable of walking and interacting with its environment.
1986
Honda's ASIMO Project
Honda began developing ASIMO, a humanoid robot designed to assist people in their daily lives. ASIMO became one of the most advanced and recognizable robots in the world.
1996
IBM's Deep Blue Defeats Garry Kasparov
IBM's Deep Blue, a chess-playing computer, defeated world champion Garry Kasparov, showcasing the capabilities of artificial intelligence in complex tasks.
2000
Sony's AIBO Robot Dog
Sony introduced AIBO, a robotic pet designed to interact with humans and exhibit behaviors similar to a real dog, highlighting advancements in consumer robotics.
2004
DARPA Grand Challenge
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) held the first Grand Challenge, a competition for autonomous vehicles, accelerating the development of self-driving technology.
2011
IBM's Watson Wins Jeopardy!
IBM's Watson, an AI system, defeated human champions on the quiz show Jeopardy!, demonstrating the power of natural language processing and machine learning.
2012
The Rise of Collaborative Robots
The introduction of collaborative robots (cobots) like Rethink Robotics' Baxter marked a shift towards robots working alongside humans in various industries.
2016
AlphaGo Defeats Go Champion
Google DeepMind's AlphaGo defeated world champion Go player Lee Sedol, showcasing the potential of AI in mastering complex games and strategic thinking.
2020
Boston Dynamics' Spot Robot
Boston Dynamics released Spot, a versatile quadruped robot capable of navigating challenging environments and performing a variety of tasks, from inspection to delivery.
2023
Advancements in Soft Robotics
Significant progress was made in the field of soft robotics, with the development of robots that mimic the flexibility and adaptability of natural organisms, expanding the applications of robots in delicate and complex environments.
