History of

Robotics
BY ENGR. GILDA O. LANDICHO
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT
 When was the Robot born?
 270 BC – A Greek mathematician, engineer
and inventor named Ctesibius (also spelled
Ktesibius), the first great figure of the
ancient engineering tradition of Alexandria,
Egypt.
 Ctesibius was the son of a barber. He is
credited with a number of inventions,
including several automatic machines,
water pumps, and pneumatic catapults.
Ctesibius most famous invention was an
improvement of the clepsydra or water clock,
in which water dripping at a constant rate
raised a float that held a pointer to mark the
passage of the hours. (right)

Another notable invention was a hydraulis

(earliest known mechanical pipe organ), the
first worldwide instrument and was used at
outdoor public entertainments, its sound was
loud and penetrating. (left)
 When was the Robot born?
 Leonardo da Vinci (1452 – 1519) is
best known as an artist, his work as
a scientist and an inventor make
him a true Renaissance man. His
contributions to robotics cannot be
overlooked. He was born in the
region of Florence, Italy.

 Designed in 1478, Leonardo’s self-propelled cart is

capable of moving without being pushed or pulled
manually and widely considered to be the world’s first
robotic vehicle.
 When was the Robot born?
 The Leonardo’s mechanical knight was
designed around 1495 and sported
German-Italian armour. The knight was
considered the first humanoid robot ever
created, da Vinci’s design would later be
utilized by NASA to aid in the construction
of planetary exploration.
 The knight consisted of several gears &
pulleys, and have been capable of moving
its arms and legs. Additionally, the knight
would have been able to sit and stand.
 When was the Robot born?
 January 2, 1921 – The science-fiction
play about robots premieres at National
Theater in Prague, Czechoslovakia, and
became famous and influential in both
Europe and North America. Rossum’s
Universal Robots (R.U.R.) by a Czech
writer Karel Capek, marks the first use
of the word “robot” to describe an
artificial person. The term comes from a
Czechoslovakian word “robota” means
“forced labor.”
 When was the Robot born?
 A scene from the play, showing three robots.
 When was the Robot born?
 Late 1930s – Liliput is considered
to be the first tin toy robot in the
world. Robot Liliput was produced
by K.T. Japan. The original wind-up
tin robot could walk and swing its
arms, was hand-painted and stood
approximately 15cm tall. An
original Liliput is highly collectible.
Reproductions come in all flavours,
different colours, different sizes
and modified details
 When was the Robot born?
 1942 – The word “robotics” was also coined
by a American author, a professor of
biochemistry, and a highly successful writer
Isaac Asimov first used the word in his short
story “Runaround”. Asimov had a much
brighter and more optimistic opinion of the
robot’s role in human society than did
Capek. He introduced The Three Laws of
Robotics in his short story and generally
characterized the robots as helpful servants.
 The 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 to 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.
 When was the Robot born?
 1954 – An American inventor and
entrepreneur George Devol, invented and
patented the first programmable robot,
called UNIMATE – a combination of the
words “universal” and “automation”. This
machine moved with six degrees of
freedom and stored step-by-step digital
commands – making it first industrial
robot ever created.
 Devol’s invention earned him the title
“Grandfather of Robotics”.
 Unimate Robot
 The original Unimate based on 1954 Devol’s patent was consisted
of a large computer-like box, joined to another box and was
connected to an arm, with systematic tasks stored in a drum
memory. It was a hydraulic manipulator arm that could perform
repetitive tasks.
 When was the Robot born?
 1960s – An American engineer and entrepreneur
Joseph Engelberger acquired Devol’s robot patent
and able to modify it into an industrial robot and
form a company called Unimation Inc. to produce
and market the robots. The industrial robot was
used by car makers to automate metalworking and
welding processes.
Engelberger was responsible for the birth of one
of the most important and impactful industries,
gaining him global recognition as “the Father of
Robotics”.
 When was the Robot born?

 Joseph Engelberger (left) and George

Devol are served a drink by a mechanical
arm they developed in early 1960s.
 The Rancho Arm – First Artificial Robotic Arm
 1963 – The researchers at the Stanford
University designed the Rancho arm
robot at Rancho Los Amigos Hospital in
Downey, California as a tool for the
handicapped. The Rancho Arm’s six
joints gave it the flexibility of a human
arm. It holds a place among the first
artificial robotic arms to be controlled
by a computer.
 Sputnik 1 – the First Artificial Orbiting Satellite
 4 October 1957 – According to NASA,
Sputnik 1 was the world’s first artificial Earth
satellite ever sent to space by the USSR as
part of Soviet space program. It was about
the size of a beach ball (58 cm) and weighed
only 83.6 kg.
 Sputnik 1 achieved an Earth orbit with an
apogee (farthest point from Earth) of 940 km
and a perigee (nearest point) of 230 km,
circling Earth every 96 minutes and remaining
in orbit until 4 January 1958, when it fell back
and burned in Earth’s atmosphere.
 The Stanford Arm
 1969 – The Stanford Arm designed by Victor Scheinman at Stanford
University, was the first successful all-electric serial manipulator,
controlled by a microprocessor, an improvement over the Unimate. It
was a six degrees of freedom (5 revolute joints and a prismatic joint)
robot designed to permit an arm solution.
 The Shakey - First Intelligent Robot
 1966 to 1972 – The Shakey, the world’s first
autonomous mobile robot with ability to
perceive, capable of moving around and to a
certain degree, respond to his environment.
Developed in Stanford Research Institute (SRI) by
a group of engineers, managed by Charles Rosen.
 The Shakey was far more advanced than the
original Unimate, which was designed for
industrial applications.
 The Shakey greatly influenced modern robotics
and Artificial Intelligence techniques. Today,
resides in the Computer History Museum.
 The Silver Arm
 1974 – David Silver was a student in
Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
who was the primary developer of the
Silver Arm.
 The Silver Arm was an improved
robotic arm which was used to
perform small-parts assembly using
delicate touch and pressure sensors
and a microcomputer. The arm’s fine
movements approximate those of
human hand and fingers.
 PUMA 560
 1985 – The first documented use of a
robot-assisted surgical procedure when
the PUMA 560 (Programmable Universal
Manipulation Arm) robotic surgical arm
was used in a delicate neurosurgical
(brain) biopsy, a non-laparoscopic
surgery. It was designed to outperform
hand biopsies in terms of accuracy and
surgical precision.
 Da Vinci Surgery System
 2000 – The da Vinci Surgery System
broke new ground by becoming the first
robotic surgery system approved by the
FDA for general laparoscopic surgery.
 The da Vinci vision system delivers 3D
high-definition views, giving the surgeon
a crystal clear view of the surgical area
that is magnified 10 times to what the
human eye sees.
 The First Wheels on Mars: Mars Pathfinder & Sojourner
 December 4, 1996 – NASA launched its first mission
to land on Mars in 20 years. Called Pathfinder, this
would be only the third time NASA had attempted to
land a spacecraft on Mars. The previous two
landings of the Viking 1 & Viking 2 spacecraft
occurred in the Summer 1976. Both of the Viking
Landers had used a combination of parachutes and
braking rockets to slow their descent and
successfully soft land on the Red Planet. Pathfinder
however used a new combination of parachutes and
inflatable airbags. The airbags would inflate around
the lander forming a protective cocoon and allow it
to bounce to a safe landing.
The First Wheels on Mars: Mars Pathfinder & Sojourner
 July 4, 1997 – The Pathfinder successfully entered the Martian atmosphere
carrying a small, six-wheeled robotic experiment, named Sojourner – the first
rover that would roam the planet’s rugged, red terrain. Pathfinder and
Sojourner together ushered in a golden age of Mars exploration at NASA.
Beyond Earth, Mars has become the most robotically explored planet in the
solar system.
 1998 – The Irobot introduced Packbot,
a series of military mobile robot used for
bomb disposal, search, reconnaissance
and other dangerous missions.  It can
climb stairs, drive through mud, and
operate in all-weather conditions.
 More than 2000 were used in Iraq and
Afghanistan. They were also used to aid
searching through the debris of the
World Trade Center after 9/11 in 2001.
 In 2002, the Packbot was first deployed
to aid the United States Troops.
 Roomba – Robotic Vacuum Cleaner
 September 2002 – Introduced the
Roomba, a series of autonomous
robotic vacuum cleaners sold by
Endeavor Robotics (previously iRobot).
The battery-operated domestic Roomba
enables to navigate the floor area of a
home and clean it with the aid of
sensors and computer processing.
Roombas' sensors can detect the
presence of obstacles, detect dirty
spots on the floor, and sense steep
drops to keep them from falling down
stairs.
 When was the Robot born?
 1986 – Honda Engineers set out to create a walking robot. Early
models (E1, E2, E3) focus in developing legs that could stimulate the
walk of a human. The next models (E4, E5, E6) were focused on walk
stabilization and stair climbing.
 1993 – The P series is a chronological progression of prototype
humanoid robots as developed by Honda.
 Honda’s first humanoid robot, P1 was rugged at 6’2” tall, and 386
lbs. P2 improved with a more friendly design, improved walking,
stair climbing/descending, and wireless automatic movements. The
P3 model was even more compact, standing 5’2” tall and weighing
287 lbs.
Honda E-Series Development Process
Honda E-Series Development Process
Humanoid Robot that combines Upper
Body with Legs – Honda P-Series
History of ASIMO Development?
 The 2000 ASIMO
 2000 – P4 is the final prototype humanoid robot,
called ASIMO.
 ASIMO is the culmination of two decades of humanoid
robotics research by Honda engineers. ASIMO can run,
walk on uneven slopes and surfaces, turn smoothly,
climb stairs, and reach for and grasp objects.
 ASIMO can also comprehend and respond to simple
voice commands. ASIMO has the ability to recognize
the face of a select group of individuals. Using its
camera eyes, ASIMO can map its environment and
register stationary objects. ASIMO can also avoid
moving obstacle as it moves through its environment.
 The 2005 ASIMO
 Compared to previous versions, The 2005 ASIMO enhanced functions
to operate with people, such as holding hands while walking, carrying
objects with a tray or cart operation. By developing a unified control
system that operates these functions, ASIMO could autonomously
conduct reception guidance and delivery services.
 The 2007 ASIMO
 Multiple networked ASIMOs can share each other’s task status, and
by assigning tasks in most efficient way, can operate together
effectively. By calculating the distance from each ASIMO to the tasks’
location and considering battery charge, tasks are assigned to each
ASIMO to autonomously perform, maximizing overall time efficiency.
 The 2011 ASIMO
 The latest version ASIMO becomes
more autonomous, capable of
continuous behaviour without human
operation. With greatly enhanced
situation adaptive capacity both
intelligently and physically, ASIMO
moves one step closer to practical use
in crowded public spaces and office
environments.
The 2011 ASIMO – Advancement of Intelligence
Capabilities
The 2011 ASIMO – Advancement of Intelligence
Capabilities
The 2011 ASIMO – Advancement of Intelligence
Capabilities