The word “robot” comes from the Czech word robota, which means hard physical labor. For the first time, devices for performing various tasks were called robots in the play Rossum's Universal Robots by Czech writer Karel Čapek. The history of modern robotics, according to official data, has only a few decades, but in the distant past, people not only dreamed, but designed robots.
Legends of deep antiquity
In the 12th century, the Arab Al-Jazeera invented and constructed several mechanical devices that could reproduce music. However, it is still unknown how these devices looked, whether they played well and whether they could be called the first robots. In the drawings of Leonardo da Vinci, images of a mechanical person were found. The genius assumed that his device would be able to sit and even move his arms. The German philosopher Albert the Great not only invented, but also designed a robot, which he called the iron servant. According to some sources, the device could not only move and perform simple actions, but also answer simple questions. However, a student of the philosopher named Thomas considered the iron servant a devil and destroyed the invention of his teacher.
In the 17th century, more and more "intelligent machines" were created by different people. The inventors assured that their creations would soon save people from hard work. However, in all cases it turned out that a living person was hiding inside the mechanism. There is a known case when a mechanical man created by V. Kempelen knew how to play chess. Once, during one of the games, spectators standing around the chess table rushed to the exit, shouts of “Fire! Fire!". The mechanical chess player was also frightened. It turned out that the person who operated the device also reacted to the false alarm. In 1738, the Frenchman J. Vauknason created a humanoid robot. His creation skillfully play the flute. Nothing is known about the further fate of this android.
XX century
In 1927, an American engineer named Wexley took part in the World's Fair in New York. There he demonstrated his invention - a human-like robot that obeyed voice commands and could perform simple movements.
In the middle of the 20th century, the desire to make robots humanoid was overcome. Engineers considered that in some cases it is much more convenient to move on tracks or on wheels. In the 1950s, human-controlled manipulators appeared that made it easier to work with radioactive materials. In the 60s, a self-propelled robot was patented, which was a cart with a camera and a microphone. This device was supposed to conduct reconnaissance in places of radioactive contamination and transmit information to the headquarters.
In 1962, the era of industrial robotics began in the United States. The robots were named Versatran and Unimeit. They were equipped with manipulators similar to a human hand, but the engineers decided not to make them look more like humans.
Over time, innovative robots have emerged: scouts, cleaners, waiters, and even a police robot. The presentation of the latter took place in 2009. This robot is equipped with a pistol, rifle and hand grenade launcher.
