The word “robot” was coined by Karel Čapek in the sci-fi game RUR (Rossum's Universal Robots) to describe an artificial person. It comes from the Czech word robotnik, which means “worker”.
Modern robots are keeping pace with the digital revolution and advances in artificial intelligence. But analog robots that mimic humans or animals have a long history. Even if you have minimal interest in robotics, these ancient devices will amaze you with their ideas and designs. Designed without the aid of electricity or precision equipment, they are proof of the boundless creativity of humankind.
10. Moving statues
Ancient literature is full of stories about artificial people. Highlighted among them are stories of moving statues created by Daedalus, the father of the legendary Icarus. The Greeks also say that the god Hephaestus gave the King of Crete Minos a giant metal man named Talos, who protected his kingdom. Talos was almost invincible, and his only weak point was his ankle, in which the pipe of liquid passed close to the metal skin. Talos was destroyed when the ankle was punctured and the pipe damaged.
The stories of moving statues from ancient Egypt include one entry made by the priests of Amun around 1100 BC. It was reported that it was then that the robot chose the next pharaoh by reaching out and pointing at one of the family members. Moving statues have been very useful as religious propaganda. In Egypt, they were considered vessels with which the soul was reincarnated.
These machines may have been more than just a myth. Handwritten documents indicate that the ancient Egyptians had sufficient knowledge of the principles of mechanics to build non-digital robots. The standard ancient Egyptian robot consisted of an elaborate system of ropes and pulleys. There was also a “sacred flame” that “revived” the creature, but actually heated and expanded the air, thus activating the system.
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This method has evolved and improved over the centuries. The ancient Greek inventor Ctesibius from Alexandria built an apparatus that can be safely called the first steam engine with a piston system and a drive. No records of Ctesibius himself have survived, but later ancient engineers repeatedly turned to his drawings of devices that were driven by hydraulics, steam and pneumatics. The technology was limited to repetitive movements, but we can trace the origins of robots back to Ctesibius.
9. Claw
To put it bluntly, Archimedes' crane-like weapon was not a robot because it needed an operator. But Talon was the forerunner of the industrial robotic arms found in modern factories. Talon pulled enemy ships out of the water and overturned them.
The case of its use was clearly recorded by chroniclers in 213 BC, when it was used against the Roman invaders of Syracuse. The historian Polybius described the scene when Roman ships approached the city walls by sea. A giant hand attacked the main ship, "lifted the bow of the ship out of the water and held it vertically behind." Then the operator “secured the machine to make it motionless, and then, with a kind of trigger, throw the boat anchor and chain. After that, the overturned ships were filled with panic and a large amount of sea water”.
Plutarch added: "It was often possible to observe a terrifying sight, when the ship, raised from the water into the air, circled and shook until all the crew members flew off it in different directions, after which the ship was smashed against the walls."
The operation of this mechanism was based on the principles of two Archimedes' laws - the law of lever and the law of buoyancy. This knowledge was used to calculate the amount of force required to capsize the ship.
We have no direct evidence that Archimedes actually built this superweapon, and ancient reports may have exaggerated his prowess even if the device was ever used. But recent experiments by engineers have proven that the Talon is technologically possible even for that time.
8. Philo's maid
The Greek inventor Philo of Byzantine, who died around 220 BC, was also known as the “Mechanicus” for his impressive technical skills. Most of the information about him is contained in the only surviving work of 9 books, The Compendium of Mechanics. He lived after Ctesibius and continued his predecessor's research in hydraulics and pneumatics.
The fifth book, “Pneumatics” (a treatise on devices controlled by air flow or hydraulic pressure), describes a robotic woman Philo created. She held a jug of wine in her right hand. When a glass was placed in her left hand, she poured wine into it. adding water if the owner so desired. Through a complex network of containers, pipes and fittings that interacted with a system of counterweights, air pressure and vacuum, Philo built a robot that could do useful work instead of just being used in religious ceremonies.
But the availability of slave labor made such robots unnecessary. Robotics had to wait for a later time to reach its full potential. Philo's work influenced the next generation of scholars, especially Heron of Alexandria. His ideas, carried through the centuries, inspired Islamic science during the Middle Ages.
7. Programmable robot of Heron of Alexandria
Heron of Alexandria (10-70) was probably the greatest inventor of ancient times. He first invented holy water coin dispensers (the prototype of the modern vending machine), automatic doors and the "aeolipile" that harnessed steam power 1700 years before James Watt's steam engine. But one of Heron's most amazing creations was the first programmable robot, which he created in 60 AD.
The device was a three-wheeled cart that transported other robots to the stage where they performed. The falling weight pulled the rope tied around the two independent axles of the cart. Using the axis landmarks, Geron could program the robot's course and direction in advance. But friction could be a problem, so the car needed a smooth surface to move.
Programmer Noel Sharkey of the University of Sheffield considers this rope-based control system to be equivalent to modern binary code programming. Old-fashioned punch cards worked the same way.
6. Leonardo's knight and lion
When discussing ancient robots, the question inevitably arises: "Was Leonardo da Vinci's genius interested in robots?" Knowing the genius of Leonardo, it is not surprising that he dabbled in the science of artificial humans and animals.
Leonardo studied Heron's work and combined the scientist's knowledge with his own knowledge of anatomy, metalworking and engineering to create his own artificial creatures. With his understanding of the mechanics of the human body and the movement of animals (kinesiology), Leonardo constructed mechanical models of muscles and joints. And historians say that several of the missing pages of Leonardo's codex “Atlanticus” (dated 1497) may have contained a section on robotics.
For a theatrical performance in Milan, Leonardo built an armored knight capable of moving completely unaided. By means of pulleys, weights and mechanisms, the knight could sit, stand, move his head and remove the shield. Using fragmentary descriptions that have been preserved, robot technician Mark Rosheim recreated the knight in 2002. Leonardo's automated mechanisms were so effective that they even served as inspiration for NASA's own Rosheim robots.
Another invention of Leonardo was the lion, presented to King Francis I of France in 1515, who could walk independently. When he stopped, his chest opened, showing bouquets of flowers. In 2009, the lion was recreated from the surviving drawings by Leonardo.
5. Praying monk
Gianello Torriano was one of the foremost Italian watchmakers of the 16th century. He entered the service of Emperor Charles V in 1529 and went with him to the monastery in San Yuster after Charles resigned in 1555. Torriano tried to alleviate the emperor's depression by creating small robots.
Torriano made miniature soldiers fighting at the dinner table. He reportedly carved small birds from wood and made them fly around the room. One robot can still be seen at the Kunsthistorisches in Vienna. He no longer works, but was reportedly able to take small steps straight or in a circle, play the lute with his right hand, and turn his head.
The Smithsonian Institution, meanwhile, houses a working robot attributed to Torriano - the 39-centimeter Praying Monk. A robot made of wood and iron walks along a square trajectory, hits the chest with its right hand, raises and lowers the rosary with its left and from time to time kissing them. He can turn and nod his head, roll his eyes and quietly mumble prayers with his lips.
Legend has it that when Don Carlos, the minor son of Philip II, lay dying from a head injury from a fall, Philip and all of Spain prayed for a miracle. The bones of a monk named Diego de Alcala, who had been dead for a century, were placed near the boy. That night, the monk appeared to Don Carlos, assuring him that he would recover. Don Carlos really regained consciousness and healed. The grateful Philip commissioned Torriano to create the figure of a monk. This technical miracle was Philip's answer to the divine miracle. San Diego in California was also named after Diego de Alcala.
4. Karakuri-ningyo
The Japanese love of robots has lasted for centuries. The first Japanese robots were created during the Edo Period (1603-1868). They were called karakuri-ningyo (“mechanical dolls”) and were made from wood, thread and screws. The Japanese also used Western clockwork technology.
The most common were “karakuri zashiks,” small domestic robots that were intended for entertainment. Some karakuri could even serve tea to guests. Similar to Philo's mechanism for the robot maid, the karakuri could be activated by placing a teacup in her hand. As with Heron's robot cart, the adjustable rope allowed the doll to be programmed.
There were also “dashi karakuri”, which were used during religious festival processions, much like the moving statue of Ktesibius. These robots played out ancient myths and legends. Finally, “butai karakuri” or theatrical puppets resembled the statues of the Hero of Alexandria. The Japanese were so impressed with the work of these miniature actors that their fellow humans tried to imitate their movements rather than vice versa.
3. Flutist
Voltaire called the mechanical genius Jacques de Vaucanson “the new Prometheus” for his ability to give life to inanimate materials. When he was a child, Jacques studied the church clock while he waited for his mother after confession. Jacques memorized all their parts and was able to recreate at home. While growing up, he experimented with robots. Once Jacques fell ill, and in his delirium he dreamed of a mechanical flutist. As soon as he recovered, he began to create a robot.
Demonstrated on February 11, 1738, the flutist seemed like an unreal robot, because the flute is one of the most complex instruments even for living people. Sounds are produced not only with the dexterity of fingers and breathing, but also with the help of a certain amount of air and the way the flutist folds his lips. But Jacques de Vaucanson managed to construct a robot that could play 12 different tunes. He created mechanisms that mimic every muscle involved in playing the flute.
Through a system of bellows, pipes and weights, Jacques was able to control the air flowing through the passages. He designed lips to open, close, and move back and forth. The metal tongue regulated the air flow and created pauses. Jacques's robot was actually breathing.
Jacques' problem with his fingers was that even though the levers did the right thing, the wooden fingers were simply too stiff to make the right sounds. To simulate real fingers, Jacques rigged their wooden counterparts with real leather to make them soft.
Jacques de Vaucanson created other robots, the most famous of which is a duck that cleaned itself after eating. But unlike the flutist, the duck was more fun than a real attempt to imitate the functions of a living being.
2. Writer
At the Neuchâtel Museum of Art and History, west of Berne, Switzerland, a three-year-old barefoot boy sits at a mahogany table, writing letters with a goose feather in his right hand. On the surface, the adorable toy doll appears to be the ancestor of the modern computer. Look closely and you will see that his eyes follow his work. He shakes the nib after dipping into the inkwell.
Designed by Swiss-born watchmaker Pierre Jacques Droz in the late 1770s, the writer's 6,000 custom-made parts work together to create a fully programmable writing robot. The boy is turned on by the handle, which launches the main driving forces. He can write any text up to 40 letters and four lines. Its software system disk allows it to write without any outside interference. You can even interrupt the writer in the middle of a line and change the program.
Jacques Droz always amazed with his robots. Under King Ferdinand VI of Spain, people were convinced that his creations were the result of witchcraft. To avoid being accused of witchcraft, the designer invited the Grand Inquisitor to investigate his robot and its internal mechanisms to make sure that it moves by natural means.
The writer is the author of one of three robots built from 1767 to 1774. The other two, less complex ones, are the "Lady Musician" robots and the draftsman. What makes these robots special is the miniaturization of the basic mechanisms. All the mechanisms that control the robots were located within their bodies, and not on the piece of furniture accompanying the device, as was usual. This miniaturization has made it more difficult to keep all the parts in sync, and so even 200 years later, these robots never cease to amaze.
1. Boy artist
The robot on display at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, invented two centuries ago, is called the Artist Boy and continues the tradition of pure mechanical magic started by the robot writer. The painter boy was the masterpiece of another Swiss watchmaker, Henri Mellard.
It is simply overwhelming in its complexity. The rotation of the brass fists precisely controls the incredibly lively hand movements. It's not just a matter of simple geometry like moving your hand along the x, y and z axes. Imagine that this robot can easily draw a perfectly straight diagonal line. A robot can do what not every person is capable of.
The robot can create a drawing in approximately three minutes. Incredible precision is achieved with parts that have been made mostly by hand. The fists have an extraordinary permanent memory and allow the robot to write three poems (two in French and one in English) and four drawings, including a drawing of a Chinese temple.
Several simpler mechanisms control eye and head movements. To prove that this is not just a robot that can move with a brush and eyes, the boy at some point stops writing, raises his head and stares into the distance, as if thinking what to write next. Then he lowers his head again and the hand resumes work.