Robotics is a section of technology that focuses on the design, programming, usage, and building of robots and computer systems that have to do with robots. However, even though our generation seems to have more of an advantage of creating these mechanical beings, it has been discussed and even attempted throughout history, even dating back to Aristotle. Granted, Aristotle’s view of science and physics is not the most reliable, but he did say this: “If every tool, when ordered, or even of its own accord, could do the work that befits it… then there would be no need either of apprentices for the master workers or of slaves for the lords,” and that ever so happens to be the goal of all robots.
The study, or in this case the discussion of robotics began with the concept described by Aristotle in 320 BCE. Around 1800 years later in 1495, the world-renowned Leonardo Da Vinci began to sketch the concept of humanoid robots. Another 200 years later, life-sized automatons were created, becoming the first technical “robots”. Then, when the 20th century comes along, the advancements in robotics sky-rocket.
In 1913, Henry Ford created the world’s first conveyor belt-based assembly line in his factory, reducing the time to create a Model T to a mere 93 minutes. In 1920, Karel Capek dubs machines that resemble humans “robots”, in his play, which depicts a society where robots have taken over the world. In 1932, the first actual robot was created in Japan, called the “Lilliput”- a wind-up toy that could walk. in 1937, Alan Turing began the computer revolution with his paper “On Computable Numbers”. Then the ideas just kept coming, influencing many science fiction movies such as The Terminator, Star Wars, and 2001: A Space Odyssey. The advancement of robotics was also responsible for landing Neil Armstrong on the moon, LEGO-based educational projects such as what we did in class, robotic arms, satellites, robotics being used in medicine, and finally humanoid and dog-like robots.
Sources:
Apple Dictionary
http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/technology/historyofrobotics.html
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