What did the first robots look like and create?

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

For several hundred years in a row, mankind has wanted to make life as easy as possible by shifting the implementation of complex tasks onto the shoulders of robots. And we are very good at this, because today anyone can buy a robot vacuum cleaner for not so much money and forget about cleaning the floors.

In hospitals in some countries, some of the staff are robots designed to take care of patients. And in factories, production mechanisms automatically assemble electronics and even huge cars.

But when did humanity even think about developing robots and when did the inventors manage to create them? Many will say that the first robot in the world was created by the well-known Leonardo da Vinci - is it not for nothing that there was a diagram of the assembly of a humanoid mechanism among his documents? But, in fact, the first robots were created long before the birth of the Italian artist and scientist.

Mr. Televox is one of the first American robots

What kind of robots are there?

The word "robot" comes from the word robota, which can be translated as "forced labor." That is, what is called a "robot", against its will, must carry out commands and, in essence, be a slave. To be more precise, the term means a device that is designed to perform a certain kind of action according to a predetermined instruction.

Usually robots receive information about their surroundings from built-in sensors that act as senses. And they are engaged in the implementation of tasks either independently, following the laid down program, or obeying the commands of another person. The purpose of robots can be different, from entertaining people to assembling complex devices.

Robots are different, but the main thing is that they do not harm people

Interesting fact:American science fiction writer Isaac Asimov is the author of the Three Laws of Robotics. First, a robot cannot harm a person. Second, the robot must obey all human commands except those that contradict the first law. Third, the robot must take care of itself to an extent that does not contradict the first and second laws.

The first robots in history

According to historical data, the first robots in the world were created around 300 BC. Then, on the lighthouse of the Egyptian island of Pharos, two huge figures in the form of women were installed. In the daytime, they were well lit by themselves, and at night they lit up with artificial light.

From time to time they turned and struck the bell, and at night they made loud sounds. And all this was done in order for the arriving ships to know in time about the approach to the coast and prepare for a stop. Indeed, sometimes, when fog or pitch-black night appeared, the coast could not be noticed. And these women can be called robots, because their actions exactly correspond to the meaning of the word "robot".

Lighthouse on the island of Pharos

Leonardo da Vinci robot

The Italian scientist Leonardo da Vinci is considered the inventor of one of the first robots. Documents unearthed in the 1950s suggest that the artist developed a blueprint for a humanoid robot in 1495. The diagrams depicted a robot skeleton that was programmed to perform human movements.

He had an anatomically correct jaw model and was able to sit down, move his arms and neck. The records stated that knightly armor should be worn over the frame. Most likely, the idea of creating an "artificial man" came to the artist's mind while studying the human body.

Robot Knight Reconstruction

Unfortunately, scientists have not been able to find evidence that Leonardo da Vinci's robot was actually created. Most likely, the idea remained on paper and was never implemented into reality.

But the robot was recreated in modern times, hundreds of years after the development of the drawing. The robot was assembled by Italian professor Mario Taddey, who is considered an expert on Leonardo da Vinci's inventions.

When assembling the mechanism, he strictly followed the drawings of the artist and ultimately created what the inventor wanted to achieve. Of course, this robot does not shine with broad capabilities, but the professor was able to write the book "The Machines of Leonardo da Vinci", which was translated into 20 languages.

The first robot musician

Several hundred years after Leonardo da Vinci, the French mechanic Jacques de Vaucanson attempted to create an artificial man. According to historical documents, in 1738 he managed to create a robot, the structure of which completely copies the human anatomy.

He could not walk, but he played the flute perfectly. Thanks to the design of many springs and devices for blowing air into various parts of the mechanism, the robot flutist could play the wind instrument with his lips and moving fingers. Demonstration of the robot took place in Paris and was described in the scientific work "Le mécanisme du fluteur automate".

Jacques de Vaucanson's copper duck scheme

In addition to the humanoid robot, Jacques de Vaucanson created robotic ducks from copper. At their core, they were mechanical toys that could move their wings, peck at food and, as strange as it may sound, "defecate."

Today, such technologies would look extremely strange. In addition, such toys can already be freely purchased at any children's store. There you can find both walking figures and complex robots with remote control. But hundreds of years ago, copper ducks must have seemed like something magical.

The first Soviet robot

In the XX century, mankind has already realized the prospects of robotics and is seriously engaged in the production of robots. In those days, engineers wanted to create humanoid mechanisms, but they did not look like real people. By modern standards, they were completely metal monsters who could practically do nothing. So, in 1928, the American engineer Roy Wensley showed the public the robot "Mr. Televox", which was able to move several limbs and perform simple voice commands.

American "Mr. Televox"

The Soviet Union also did not want to stand aside. While in other countries serious guys in thick glasses were engaged in the development of complex mechanisms, in the first Soviet robot it was created by a 16-year-old schoolboy. It turned out to be Vadim Matskevich, who at the age of eight created a compact radio station, and at the age of 12 invented a tiny armored car that shoots missiles. He was a very famous boy and soon acquired all the components needed to create a full-fledged robot.

The first Soviet robot "B2M"

The Soviet robot "B2M" was presented in 1936 at the World Exhibition in Paris. Its height was 1, 2 meters, and radio communication was used for control. The humanoid robot was able to execute 8 commands, which consisted of moving different parts of the body.

Due to the weakness of the motors, the robot could not fully understand the right hand and this gesture was similar to a Nazi greeting. Because of this misunderstanding, the "B2M" robot brought the boy a lot of problems and only his youth and support from the authorities of the USSR anti-crime body saved him from repression.

Clipping from a foreign newspaper about the new version of the "B2M" robot

In 1969, young followers of Matskevich created a new robot based on the "B2M" design. This android was presented to the public in the framework of the Japanese exhibition "EXPO-70" and also attracted the attention of the world community.

And Vadim Matskevich himself all this time was engaged in the creation of "technical" games for schoolchildren and wrote two popular books: "An entertaining history of robotics" and "How to build a robot." Matskevich died in 2013 and a documentary film "How a Lieutenant Stopped the War" was shot in his honor.