Ancient & Medieval Automatons
3000 BCE - 1700 CE
The earliest mechanical devices designed to mimic living beings, from water clocks to elaborate clockwork automata.
Egyptian Water Clocks
Ancient Egyptians create clepsydras (water clocks) with mechanical figures that move as water drains, representing some of the earliest automated machines.
Archytas' Mechanical Pigeon
Greek mathematician Archytas reportedly creates a steam-powered wooden pigeon capable of flying about 200 meters—one of the first recorded autonomous machines.
Ctesibius' Automata
Greek inventor Ctesibius of Alexandria creates water-powered automata including singing birds and moving figures, establishing Alexandria as a center of mechanical innovation.
Hero of Alexandria
Greek engineer Hero describes numerous automated devices in his writings including automatic doors, a coin-operated holy water dispenser, and programmable automata powered by falling weights.
Banū Mūsā Brothers
Persian inventors publish 'The Book of Ingenious Devices' describing over 100 mechanical devices including an automatic flute player and a programmable drum machine.
Al-Jazari's Automata
Islamic polymath Al-Jazari publishes 'The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices' featuring humanoid automata, a programmable humanoid band, and an elephant clock with automated figures.
Leonardo da Vinci's Knight
Leonardo da Vinci designs a mechanical knight capable of sitting, raising its visor, and moving its arms. While possibly never built, the detailed plans demonstrate sophisticated understanding of humanoid mechanics.
Clockwork Monk
A 15-inch clockwork monk, possibly created for King Philip II of Spain, can walk, strike its chest, and move its mouth in prayer—one of the oldest surviving automata.
The Age of Automata
1700 - 1920
Master craftsmen create increasingly sophisticated mechanical marvels, while early industrialization brings the first programmable machines.
Vaucanson's Digesting Duck
French inventor Jacques de Vaucanson creates a mechanical duck with over 400 moving parts that appears to eat, digest, and excrete food. He also builds a flute-playing android.
The Jaquet-Droz Automata
Swiss watchmakers Pierre and Henri-Louis Jaquet-Droz create three famous automata: 'The Writer' (6,000 parts, programmable to write any 40-character text), 'The Musician,' and 'The Draughtsman.'
Jacquard Loom
Joseph Marie Jacquard invents a programmable loom using punched cards to control weaving patterns—a key precursor to computer programming and industrial automation.
Maillardet's Automaton
Swiss mechanician Henri Maillardet builds an automaton capable of drawing four pictures and writing three poems in French and English—containing the largest 'memory' of any such machine.
Steam Man
Zadoc Dederick patents a steam-powered humanoid designed to pull carts. While impractical, it captures public imagination and inspires science fiction.
Tesla's Remote Control Boat
Nikola Tesla demonstrates a radio-controlled boat at Madison Square Garden, calling it 'teleautomaton.' This demonstrates the first practical wireless remote control.
Torres' Chess Automaton
Spanish engineer Leonardo Torres y Quevedo builds 'El Ajedrecista,' the first true automaton to play chess—capable of checkmate with king and rook against king without human intervention.
Birth of Modern Robotics
1920 - 1960
The word 'robot' enters the lexicon, and the foundations of modern robotics are laid through cybernetics, feedback control, and early computing.
The Word 'Robot' is Born
Czech playwright Karel Čapek's play 'R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots)' introduces the word 'robot' from the Czech 'robota' meaning forced labor. The play depicts artificial workers who eventually rebel.
Metropolis Robot
Fritz Lang's film 'Metropolis' features the iconic robot 'Maria,' establishing the humanoid robot as a powerful image in popular culture.
Elektro at World's Fair
Westinghouse displays 'Elektro,' a 7-foot humanoid robot that can walk, talk (77-word vocabulary), smoke cigarettes, and distinguish red and green light, along with robot dog 'Sparko.'
Asimov's Three Laws
Isaac Asimov introduces the 'Three Laws of Robotics' in his story 'Runaround,' establishing an ethical framework for robots that continues to influence robotics discourse.
Cybernetics Founded
Norbert Wiener publishes 'Cybernetics: Or Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine,' establishing the theoretical foundation for feedback control systems essential to robotics.
Grey Walter's Tortoises
Neurophysiologist William Grey Walter builds 'Elmer' and 'Elsie,' autonomous robots that exhibit complex behavior from simple circuits—early demonstrations of emergent behavior in robots.
Turing Test Proposed
Alan Turing publishes 'Computing Machinery and Intelligence,' proposing the Turing test for machine intelligence and asking 'Can machines think?'
First Programmable Robot Patent
George Devol files a patent for 'Programmed Article Transfer,' describing the first digitally operated programmable robotic arm—the foundation of industrial robotics.
Unimation Founded
George Devol and Joseph Engelberger found Unimation, the world's first robotics company, to commercialize Devol's programmable arm invention.
First Industrial Robot
The Unimate #001, based on Devol's patent, is installed at a General Motors plant in New Jersey for die casting—the first industrial robot in production use.
Industrial Revolution
1960 - 1980
Robots transform manufacturing as industrial arms become standard in automotive plants, while research labs develop mobile robots and early AI.
Unimate at General Motors
The first Unimate robot begins operation on a General Motors assembly line in Trenton, New Jersey, performing spot welding and extracting die castings.
Rancho Arm
The Rancho Arm, developed at Rancho Los Amigos Hospital, becomes the first computer-controlled prosthetic arm, pioneering assistive robotics.
Shakey the Robot
Stanford Research Institute introduces Shakey, the first mobile robot capable of reasoning about its actions. It integrates perception, planning, and execution, pioneering many AI techniques.
Kawasaki Licenses Unimate
Kawasaki Heavy Industries licenses Unimate technology, beginning Japan's journey to become the world's leading industrial robot producer.
Stanford Arm
Victor Scheinman develops the Stanford Arm, the first electrically powered, computer-controlled robot arm, with a design that influences most subsequent robot arms.
WABOT-1
Waseda University in Japan builds WABOT-1, the first full-scale anthropomorphic robot. It can walk, grip objects, and communicate in Japanese.
PUMA Arm
Victor Scheinman designs the PUMA (Programmable Universal Machine for Assembly) arm for Unimation—it becomes the most common industrial robot design.
Cincinnati Milacron T3
Cincinnati Milacron introduces the T3, the first commercially available minicomputer-controlled industrial robot, making automation more accessible.
SCARA Robot Invented
Professor Hiroshi Makino at Yamanashi University invents the SCARA (Selective Compliance Assembly Robot Arm) configuration, ideal for assembly tasks.
Stanford Cart
Hans Moravec's Stanford Cart successfully crosses a chair-filled room autonomously using computer vision, demonstrating early autonomous navigation.
Robot Proliferation
1980 - 2000
Robots spread across industries and into homes. Japan leads manufacturing while medical, service, and entertainment robots emerge.
SCARA Commercialized
Japanese companies commercialize SCARA robots, and Japan's industrial robot population reaches 10,000 units—more than the rest of the world combined.
FANUC Robot Plant
FANUC opens a plant where robots build robots with minimal human intervention—an early demonstration of lights-out manufacturing.
PUMA in Surgery
The PUMA 560 robot assists in the first robot-assisted surgical procedure, a CT-guided brain biopsy at Memorial Medical Center.
Honda Begins Humanoid Research
Honda secretly begins its humanoid robot program, starting an 11-year journey that will produce the groundbreaking ASIMO.
Stäubli Acquires Unimation
Swiss company Stäubli acquires Unimation from Westinghouse, continuing the legacy of the first industrial robot company.
Genghis at MIT
Rodney Brooks' MIT lab creates Genghis, a six-legged walking robot using 'subsumption architecture'—demonstrating that complex behavior can emerge from simple rules.
ROBODOC
ROBODOC performs the first robot-assisted hip replacement surgery, pioneering precision orthopedic surgery.
Dante II
Carnegie Mellon's Dante II robot descends into Mt. Spurr volcano in Alaska, demonstrating robots for hazardous environment exploration.
Honda P2
Honda reveals P2, a self-contained humanoid robot that can walk, climb stairs, and push carts—stunning the robotics world with its capabilities.
Mars Pathfinder & Sojourner
NASA's Sojourner rover successfully explores Mars, becoming the first robot on another planet and pioneering planetary robotics.
LEGO Mindstorms
LEGO releases Mindstorms, making programmable robotics accessible to consumers and education, inspiring a generation of roboticists.
AIBO Robot Dog
Sony releases AIBO, an autonomous entertainment robot dog that can learn and develop personality—pioneering consumer social robotics.
ASIMO Unveiled
Honda unveils ASIMO, a 4-foot humanoid robot that can walk, run, climb stairs, and interact with humans—the most advanced humanoid of its era.
da Vinci Surgical System
Intuitive Surgical's da Vinci system receives FDA clearance for general laparoscopic surgery, launching the surgical robotics revolution.
The Robot Age Begins
2000 - 2015
Robots become commonplace in homes, hospitals, and warehouses. Mobile robots, drones, and self-driving cars emerge as major platforms.
Roomba Launches
iRobot releases Roomba, the first successful mass-market autonomous home robot. It becomes the best-selling consumer robot in history.
Mars Exploration Rovers
NASA's Spirit and Opportunity rovers land on Mars. Opportunity will operate for 15 years, far exceeding its 90-day mission.
DARPA Grand Challenge
DARPA holds the first autonomous vehicle race in the Mojave Desert. No vehicle completes the course, but the competition launches the self-driving car industry.
Stanley Wins Grand Challenge
Stanford's Stanley wins the second DARPA Grand Challenge, completing 132 miles of desert terrain autonomously—proving self-driving vehicles are possible.
Boston Dynamics BigDog
Boston Dynamics demonstrates BigDog, a quadruped robot with unprecedented rough-terrain mobility, funded by DARPA for military applications.
Universal Robots Founded
Universal Robots is founded in Denmark, pioneering lightweight collaborative robots (cobots) that can work safely alongside humans.
DARPA Urban Challenge
CMU's Boss wins the DARPA Urban Challenge, navigating 60 miles of urban environment with traffic—a major milestone for autonomous vehicles.
PR2 Platform
Willow Garage introduces the PR2, an open-source personal robot platform that advances ROS development and manipulation research.
NASA Robonaut 2
NASA and GM unveil Robonaut 2, a humanoid robot designed to work alongside astronauts on the International Space Station.
IBM Watson Wins Jeopardy
IBM's Watson defeats human champions on Jeopardy!, demonstrating AI's potential for understanding natural language and reasoning.
Kiva Systems Acquired
Amazon acquires Kiva Systems (now Amazon Robotics) for $775M, deploying warehouse robots at massive scale and transforming e-commerce logistics.
Baxter the Cobot
Rethink Robotics introduces Baxter, a safe, trainable robot designed for small manufacturers—pioneering accessible industrial automation.
Google Acquires Boston Dynamics
Google acquires Boston Dynamics and seven other robotics companies in a buying spree signaling big tech's interest in robotics.
DJI Phantom Drones
DJI's Phantom series popularizes consumer drones, creating a multi-billion dollar market and transforming aerial photography and videography.
Atlas Robot Unveiled
Boston Dynamics reveals the next-generation Atlas, a battery-powered humanoid demonstrating remarkable balance and mobility.
AI-Powered Robotics
2015 - Present
Deep learning transforms robot perception and planning. Humanoid robots attract billions in investment as AI enables new capabilities.
Boston Dynamics Sold to SoftBank
Google sells Boston Dynamics to SoftBank, which sees robotics as central to its technology investment strategy.
Waymo Spins Off
Google's self-driving car project becomes Waymo, accelerating commercial autonomous vehicle development.
Handle Robot
Boston Dynamics demonstrates Handle, a two-wheeled robot that can jump, roll, and manipulate objects—combining wheels and legs uniquely.
Sophia Citizen of Saudi Arabia
Hanson Robotics' Sophia becomes the first robot to be granted citizenship by a country, sparking debate about robot rights and AI.
SpotMini Commercial Launch
Boston Dynamics announces Spot (SpotMini) for commercial sale—the first legged robot available for enterprise purchase.
Waymo One Launches
Waymo launches the first commercial autonomous ride-hailing service in Phoenix, Arizona, marking a milestone for self-driving technology.
Tesla Autopilot Advances
Tesla's Full Self-Driving hardware reaches version 3.0, with the company pushing the boundaries of consumer autonomous driving.
Boston Dynamics Sold to Hyundai
Hyundai Motor Group acquires Boston Dynamics for $1.1 billion, gaining one of the world's most advanced robotics companies.
Tesla Optimus Announced
Tesla announces plans to build Optimus (Tesla Bot), a general-purpose humanoid robot, at AI Day, entering the humanoid race.
ChatGPT Changes AI Landscape
OpenAI releases ChatGPT, demonstrating large language models' potential for human-like interaction—technology increasingly applied to robotics.
Figure AI Founded
Figure AI is founded to build general-purpose humanoid robots, quickly attracting major investment and partnerships.
Humanoid Investment Boom
Venture capital floods into humanoid robotics: Figure AI raises over $500M, Agility Robotics raises $150M, and numerous startups emerge globally.
AI Foundation Models for Robots
Google DeepMind, NVIDIA, and others develop foundation models specifically for robotics, promising more capable and generalizable robot intelligence.
Figure AI Partners with BMW
Figure AI announces partnership with BMW for humanoid deployment in manufacturing, signaling commercial viability of humanoid workers.
Amazon Deploys Digit
Amazon begins deploying Agility Robotics' Digit humanoid in fulfillment centers, marking a milestone for humanoid commercial deployment.
Figure Raises $2B+
Figure AI raises over $2 billion in funding from Microsoft, NVIDIA, Amazon, and others—the largest humanoid robotics investment to date.
Humanoids Enter Production
Multiple companies including Figure, Tesla, and Agility begin limited production of humanoid robots for commercial customers.
The Present
DroidAge tracks 1,600+ robotics companies across 67 countries, with humanoid robots entering early commercial deployment and AI transforming robot capabilities.
Pioneers of Robotics
George Devol
1912-2011
Invented the first programmable robot arm and co-founded Unimation, launching industrial robotics.
Joseph Engelberger
1925-2015
"Father of Robotics." Co-founded Unimation and championed robots in manufacturing worldwide.
Rodney Brooks
1954-
Pioneered behavior-based robotics, co-founded iRobot (Roomba) and Rethink Robotics (Baxter).
Isaac Asimov
1920-1992
Science fiction author who coined "robotics" and created the Three Laws of Robotics.
Robotics Today
Explore Modern Robotics
From the pioneers who started it all to today's cutting-edge companies shaping the future.