The word "robot" entered our lexicon relatively recently - only in the last century. But it turns out that mankind has been familiar with robotic creatures for much longer, and even at the dawn of civilizations, people knew how to create (or they created) amazing mechanical machines, the rationality of whose actions still raises doubts: weren't the strange creatures described in antiquity described in antiquity? As you know, an android is a humanoid robot that can execute orders and sometimes make independent decisions.
Mentions of such creatures are found in many old books, and often their images are covered with myths and legends, so now it is difficult to say whether this is a fiction, or in fact, the creations of the higher mind that existed.
Interesting creatures are listed in the well-known Myths of Ancient Greece. And if you carefully read these stories "between the lines", then you can find a lot of mysterious and mysterious among the events described there.
For example, take at least the lame Hephaestus - an amazing master of the hammer and anvil, who was able to forge maidens with "strength, voice and intelligence" into his assistants. In addition to the beautiful maidens in the smithy of this hardworking god, strange copper creatures on three legs were scurrying about, who served the gods who came to visit the blacksmith (quite similar to remote-controlled robots).
And, of course, the list of these "works" of Hephaestus would be incomplete without the huge giant Talos, who guarded Crete from enemy ships. Talos drove away enemies, throwing huge stones in their direction, and could also shout out the laws established by the king of the island. The giant was made of metal, and his body was fed by a single artery, which was plugged with a nail somewhere on the heel.
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There was a similar robot giant in ancient China, they called him Chi-Yu. Four-eyed, six-armed, with trident ears (isn't it radars?) This wondrous creature could move on the ground and fly, although not for long. Chi-Yu's food consisted of sand, stones and metal. After death, the Chinese buried the head of the robot in a cave, but for a long time the locals came there to bow, and sometimes a reddish cloud of steam rose from the grave. Perhaps the strange apparatus somehow processed stones and sand into atomic energy, and it was the nuclear emissions after its breakdown that were described as an incomprehensible color "cloud".
Interesting legends are spread among the peoples of the North. One of the most mysterious stories related to this area is associated with the legendary Golden Woman, which was already mentioned in the 9th-12th centuries. At that time, the peoples living in the valleys of the Northern Dvina, in the upper reaches of the Kama and the Vychegda region, worshiped a strange living golden idol that could move and make sounds. It is worth noting the fact that sometimes the "speeches" uttered by the woman had a very negative impact on people.
In this regard, some scientists have put forward the assumption that the Golden Woman is nothing more than an alien robot, perhaps simply abandoned by its owners due to a breakdown. This hypothesis explains why the "woman" initially moved and "spoke." Gradually, the mechanism still wore out, and the idol began to emit sounds of lower frequencies - in the infrasonic range, which acted extremely unfavorably on people, causing them to experience bouts of inexplicable fear, panic and unwell.
One of the wonders of the world, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, amazed sailors at one time not only with its impressive size, but also with the fact that the servants of the tower were female robots. The four gilded maidens each did their own thing: one showed the speed, the second warned about shoals, the third could emit sound signals, and the fourth determined the direction of the wind.
Among the drawings made by the great Leonardo da Vinci, scientists found a drawing of a knight-robot, which, according to the owner's idea, could ride a horse and defend himself with various types of weapons.
Another interesting mention of the android refers to China in the 9th century. A book called Chao Ye Qian Zai describes an event from that time that mentions a skilled Chinese master named Yang Wuliang. This man once made a wooden figure of a monk holding a begging bowl in his hands. When the cup was filled to the top with coins, the monk said: "Alms collected." Crowds of people came to the city where the master lived in order to see and hear the talking monk.
There was also an iron robot in Russia. Peter Dancy, a scientist from England, found interesting materials in the archives of a Dutch merchant Johan van Vem, confirming that during the time of Ivan the Terrible, overseas guests who came to the Tsar's palace could contemplate an "iron man" who had unheard-of strength (he could beat a bear), and was also trained to serve guests at the table. This robot moved with the help of gears and leverage systems.
Time passed. Inventors began to perfect their art in creating humanoid robots, and androids appeared who could not only talk, but even write and dance. But these masterpieces of the past, in comparison with modern ones, seem to be just children's toys.
The robots of today can not only be used as waiters and bartenders, but also act as an interlocutor. The recently presented model of a robot artist is able to independently create paintings using original solutions.
According to a few gloomy futurists, in ten years, androids will be able to compete with humans. Because it is they who will be given an advantage in the workplace as independent, highly qualified and not requiring an increase in wages.