The History of the World’s First Robot – A Fascinating and Complex Journey

The history of the first robot is complex, as the definition of "robot" has evolved over time—from early mechanical automata to modern programmable machines. However, the first true electronic autonomous robots with complex behavior were created in England by William Grey Walter at the Burden Neurological Institute in Bristol in 1948 and 1949. Walter’s robots, named Elmer and Elsie, were small, three-wheeled machines often called "tortoises" due to their shape and movement. These robots could sense light and navigate towards it, and would return to a charging station when their batteries were low, demonstrating behaviors that mimicked simple animal instincts.

Before Walter’s work, various mechanical automata were built in Europe and Asia, such as the trumpet-playing humanoid robot by Friedrich Kaufmann in Germany in 1810, and Japan’s Gakutensoku in 1928, designed by Makoto Nishimura. These early creations, however, were not autonomous in the modern sense—they were powered by clockwork mechanisms or simple electronics and could only perform pre-set actions.

                                               

The first digitally programmable and industrial robot was invented in the United States by George Devol in 1954. This robot, later known as "Unimate," laid the foundation for the modern robotics industry. Unimate was installed at a General Motors plant in New Jersey in 1961, where it performed repetitive tasks such as lifting hot metal parts from die-casting machines.

To summarize, while early automata and mechanical robots appeared in Germany and Japan, the first electronic autonomous robots were made in England by William Grey Walter in the late 1940s. The first industrial, programmable robot was developed in the United States by George Devol in the 1950s. Thus, England is credited with creating the first electronic autonomous robots, while the United States pioneered the first industrial robot.

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 1. Who created the first electronic autonomous robots with complex behavior?

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2. In which country were the first electronic autonomous robots made?

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3. What were the names of William Grey Walter’s robots?

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4. What animal did William Grey Walter's robots resemble in their movement and design?

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5. Which country is credited with inventing the first digitally programmable industrial robot?

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6. Who invented the first digitally operated and programmable robot?

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7. What was the name of the first industrial robot installed at General Motors?

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8. In what year did William Grey Walter build his first robots?  

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9. What task did the Unimate robot perform at the General Motors plant?  

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10. Which early robot was built in Japan in 1928 and could move its hands and head?

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