Robotics is associated with the term “robot,” which became popular in 1920 thanks to Universal Robots Rossum by Czech writer Karel apek, who used the word “robota” to refer to forced labor or servants. Really? Want to know more about robotics’ history, origin, and inventions? Continue reading Dustin Bratten’s article to learn more.
Robotics’ beginning
To understand the origin of robotics, one must look back thousands of years when men began developing automatons. Prehistoric people or animals that could move on their own were used as entertainment around the 7th-6th century BC. This concept seems isolated from what we know as robots today, as we associate the term with science fiction inventions. In these, robots have a human-like appearance and are programmed to perform tasks by their creators. You’ll learn more about these programmes in Software Engineering Fundamentals.
Although robotics is a modern science, the basic concept is the same: These are inventions that look like us or other beings and can perform different jobs to satisfy the creator. Ancient people used them for entertainment. Robotics is used to automate various industrial sectors to improve organizational productivity.
Robotics’ history
Now that you know the origin, we’ll explain robotics’ history and evolution. This science develops human-like artifacts to reduce people’s workload. EDS Robotics defines robotics as “a science that combines different technological fields to design robots capable of performing automated tasks based on their software.”
First robots appeared in the mid-20th century, when robotics began to develop. George Devol created the first industrial robot for his company Unimation in 1953. The Unimate industrial robot was designed to transport and weld castings in molds, as this work was dangerous for the company’s employees.
Unimate was installed at GM’s Inland Fisher Guide Plant in 1961. This made the company a robotics pioneer. Since then, robot development in large industries has continued.
Here are some future robots:
1964 saw the first robotic palletizer. 1971 Soviet Mars lander 1976: First American Mars robot 2002’s humanoid robot, etc. Robotics’ greatest inventions In the history of robotics, many innovations have tried to replicate human appearance, movements, and behaviors to perform difficult or dangerous tasks. Developed robots are numerous. We’ll discuss some of the most important robotics inventions here.
1. First Mars Robot (1971)
The Mars 3 probe, a spacecraft designed to explore the red planet, was a milestone in robotics. The Soviet spacecraft captured and sent photos of Mars’ surface and data on its temperature, wind, and atmospheric composition. After landing on Mars, the robot lost contact.
2. First U.S. Mars Robot (1975)
Viking I sent a U.S. spacecraft to Mars unmanned. It had an orbital probe to photograph Mars’ surface and identify its properties for scientific analysis. The 1975 mission was the most expensive to Mars. It also made robotics history by providing most of the information known about Mars.
3. Manipulator Arm
Unimation, the pioneer in robotics, developed PUMA (Programmable Universal Manipulation Arm) to perform assembly tasks and research. Westinghouse took over Scheinman and Staubli’s manipulator arm. This invention pioneered the robotic assembly industry in the U.S.
4. Humanoids
Humanoid robots are among robotics’ most complex inventions. Bipedal, they mimic human shape and behavior. Honda’s ASIMO is one of the best-known androids in history. It could walk on two legs and interact with people to interest kids in science. Hanson Robotics’ 2015 Sophia is another popular humanoid robot. Due to its high level of artificial intelligence, this robot has been given the title of Saudi citizen.
Robotics’ significance
When thinking about robotics’ history, its many benefits come to mind. Each has fulfilled a need or desire. The different types of robots that have emerged over the years have marked each era in which they appeared, as they helped reduce man’s tasks, allowed the development of new activities humans can’t perform, and improved some people’s quality of life.
What’s the secret? Consider robotics’ history. The main goal of developing these devices is to replace men in risky or time-consuming tasks to optimize processes and protect people. Although robotics as we know it today is modern, men have had the intention for thousands of years. They’ve created human-like products to do some jobs.
Thanks to AI, new creations can develop and learn on their own to help society.