Robotics: history and modernity. First robot

Robots are a miracle modern science, an idea that captivates and makes humanity tremble. Only in genre science fiction We know robots with different external shells and with a diverse set of functions and tasks that they perform. From the imaginary concept of an android to the modern implementation of self-functioning machines, we have always strived to improve technology in this area. The question arises: where did the first robot appear? How did this idea come about, and what gave birth to this industry of innovation and imagination?

Let's take a look at the definition of the word robot.

A robot is a device that is capable of independently performing a certain set of tasks. Surprisingly, the first robot appeared before the understanding of electricity. It was officially created around 400-350 BC. The inventor was the Greek mathematician Archytas. He created a figure of a wooden dove that moved in the air with the help of steam. It was also the first time to study how birds are able to fly.
Father of Mechanical Engineering.

Considered the father of mechanical engineering, Archytas was also a philosopher, mathematician, statesman, strategist and even a commander. Overall, he was a jack of all trades. Although this was illegal, his authority allowed him to be elected commander for 7 consecutive years. This was also due to the fact that in his career, he had never lost a battle.

He was a great mathematician.

One of his achievements was the solution of geometric problems about doubling the cube posed by Hippocrates and Chios. Archytas also made great contributions to music theory. Thanks to his knowledge of mathematics, he identified intervals with harmonic semitones, as well as the famous chromatic and diatonic semitones.
He inspired many people.

His mathematical works influenced Plato, Euclid and many others. Evidence that Plato revered Archytas is a quote from his work The Republic: “How does a people get such a good ruler as Archytas, instead of such a bad ruler as Dionysus II?” He later died in a shipwreck.
We are indebted to Archytas.

His contributions to mathematics and science in general inspire people to this day. If it were not for that little invention of the flying pigeon, perhaps we would not have such unimaginable plans for our future, and all these electrical and scientific miracles. Starting from robots that compete in

In the 12th century, the Arab Al-Jazire invented and designed several mechanical devices that could play music. However, what these devices looked like, whether they played well and whether they could be called the first robots is still unknown. Images of a mechanical man were found in Leonardo da Vinci's drawings. The genius assumed that his device would be able to sit and even move. The German philosopher Albert the Great not only invented, but also designed a robot, which he called the iron servant. According to some sources, the device could not only move and perform simple actions, but also answer simple questions. However, the philosopher's student named Thomas considered the iron servant to be the devil and destroyed his teacher's invention.

In the 17th century by different people More and more “intelligent machines” were created. The inventors assured that their creations would soon save people from hard work. However, in all cases it turned out that a living person was hiding inside the mechanism. There is a known case when a mechanical man, created by V. Kempelen, knew how to play chess. Once, during one of the games, spectators standing around the chess table rushed to the exit, somewhere shouts of “Fire! Fire!". The mechanical chess player was also frightened. It turned out that the person who operated the device also responded to the false alarm. In 1738 humanoid robot created by the Frenchman J. Voknason. His creation could play the flute skillfully. ABOUT future fate Nothing is known about this android.

XX century

In 1927, an American engineer named Wexley took part in World's Fair, held in New York. There he demonstrated his invention - a human-like robot that obeyed voice commands and could perform simple movements.

In the middle of the 20th century, the desire to make robots humanoid was overcome. Engineers considered that in some cases it is much more convenient to move on tracks or on. In the 1950s, human-controlled manipulators appeared, making it easier to work with radioactive materials. In the 60s, a self-propelled robot was patented, which was a cart with a camera and microphone. This device was supposed to conduct reconnaissance in places of radioactive contamination and transmit information to headquarters.

In 1962, the era of industrial robotics began in the United States. The robots were named “Versatran” and “Unimit”. They were equipped with manipulators similar to a human hand, but the engineers decided not to make them more similar to people.

Over time, innovative robots appeared: scouts, cleaners, waiters, and even a robot policeman. The presentation of the latter took place in 2009. This robot is equipped

As long as humanity can remember, there has been a desire in people to shift hard work onto someone else... of course, there have always been forced people - those are slaves - but slaves, unfortunately, are also people: they get tired, get sick, and finally - they sometimes have a tendency to rebel.. Now, if you could create a mechanism that could do everything that people do - and at the same time would not have the shortcomings of a living being...

Certainly. The gods were the first in this matter: the ancient Greek god-blacksmith Hephaestus made workers for himself... but myths are myths - and which of the people accomplished something similar in reality?

This was done in the 12th century by the Arab scientist Al-Jazeera. He created an ensemble of four mechanical musicians (unfortunately, the invention has not survived to this day, and there was no sound recording at that time - so it is difficult to say how highly artistic the performance was).

There is a drawing of a mechanical man in the works of Leonardo da Vinci. Whether Leonardo implemented this idea in practice is unknown, but if he did, it would have been just an interesting experiment without any special significance. practical significance: a mechanical man could only sit, spread his arms and raise the visor of a knight's helmet - no other functions were expected.

Here's the famous one German philosopher Albert the Great made a very useful “iron servant” who could even answer questions! But he didn’t have time to use it for long: Albert’s student Thomas (the future “angelic doctor” Thomas Aquinas) mistook the mechanical man for the devil and broke him.

Particular interest in this topic arose in the 17th century, even “machine minds” appeared... however, each such case turned out to be, if not fraud, then a clever trick in which people were hiding in machines - just remember the mechanical Turk playing chess, designed by the Austrian inventor B .Kempelen... but we must pay tribute: the inventor managed to keep the audience under his spell for a very long time, and an incident contributed to the exposure: during one of the performances, shouts were heard in the hall: “Fire!” True, the alarm turned out to be false - but the panic was real, and blows were heard inside the machine gun...

But the French inventor J. Voknason created a real robot in 1738. He was humanoid (nowadays such devices are called androds). It is difficult to say whether J. Vaucanson thought about the work of his predecessor Al-Jazari (1136-1206), but this android was also a musician - he played the flute... really, it is not clear why the inventors of the past so wanted to replace musicians with androids? Are my “brothers in the craft” really characterized by a particularly quarrelsome character? And why is this idea not in demand among science fiction writers? And what kind of dramatic novel could be written (or a film made) about the adventures of a robot musician, in which the public sees only a funny “mechanical toy” - and does not want to see creative individuality...

But let's get back to our robots! Of course, neither Al-Jazari, nor Albertus Magnus, nor J. Vaucanson called their inventions that way... this word is of Czech origin, and was first used in 1920 by the Czech writer Karel Capek in the play “R.U.R”, which tells about the factory where they produce " artificial people"... K. Capek at first wanted to call “artificial people” with another word - “labori”, but considered it too pedantic and turned to his brother for advice, and J. Capek came up with the word “robot”, derived from the Czech “robota” - which means “corvée”, “forced labor”), possibly “rob” (slave).

K. Capek's play is quite pessimistic: robots rebel and destroy humanity... But, apparently, such gloomy forecasts of the writer did not frighten the American engineer D. Wexley: in 1927, at the World's Fair in New York, he presented the first humanoid robot capable of performing simple tasks movements at the command of a person.

But why, in fact, should a robot be humanoid? After all, if it performs one specific function - why does it need two arms, two legs, and indeed - in some cases it is much more convenient to move on wheels or tracks... and when the desire for “anthropomorphism” was overcome, robots from “mechanical toys” began "turned into something useful: in the 50s. XX century Mechanical manipulators for working with radioactive materials appeared (they repeat the movements of the hands of a person located at a safe distance) in the 60s. – a remote-controlled cart with a manipulator, a microphone and a camera – for examining radioactive contamination zones...

And finally, in 1962, the first industrial robots were created in the USA. They were called Unimate and Versatran. There was nothing anthropomorphic about them anymore - except for a manipulator that vaguely resembled a human hand. These robots coped with their duties perfectly (and some of them still do it).

Since then, robots have been confidently “conquering” production, and more recently, other areas of activity: robot scouts, robot waiters, robot cleaners appeared... In 2009, a robot policeman was first introduced (so far only in exercises), equipped with a VSK-94 rifle, a Yarygin pistol and a launcher for hand grenades (however, the matter never went beyond the exercises)... in a word, it is difficult to name a field of activity where robots would not “mark” themselves. In some places they even replace pets - for example, many Japanese are so attached to robotic puppies that they associate low birth rates with this phenomenon... in addition, the Japanese are also going to simulate birth rates using robotics: not so long ago, a robot baby Yotara was created, on which young spouses can acquire parenting skills, and most importantly, comprehend the joys of motherhood and fatherhood...

Were science fiction writers right when they spoke about the danger of robots for humans?

To a certain extent, yes: since Japanese worker Kenzi Urada died at the hands of a robot in 1981, the number of victims of robots has been increasing every year... but it is far from matching the number of people dying under the wheels of cars - and refuse to do so For some reason, no one is going away from vehicles. Today no one seriously discusses the rebellion of robots. Much more serious is the danger that S. Lem warns about in “The Diaries of John the Quiet”: robots have completely replaced people in production, as a result, enterprises have mountains of goods that cannot be sold, and people all over the planet are dying en masse from hunger: human labor has become unnecessary, no one has a job - therefore, no money...

However, this is still a long way off... And the further, the more science fiction writers develop another topic: if a robot really becomes like a person, if it acquires intelligence and emotions, how will our relationship with such a robot develop? And more and more works are appearing in which robots evoke much more sympathy than people - just remember the films “Artificial Intelligence”, “I, Robot” or storyline replicators from the planet Asuras in the series “Stargate: Atlantis” (in the latter case, people generally look like some kind of fascist-like monsters)…

Will we end up leaving not only labor operations, but also moral principles to robots?

Science fiction writers of the 50s imagined the year 2000 with flying cars and robots living side by side with humans.
As we see, this has not yet happened, however, the field of robotics has gradually developed over the decades, sometimes rapidly, then its development subsided, but has now resumed unprecedented growth. Every month, thousands of different industrial robots are produced, humanoids and androids are being developed, scientists around the world are working on creating artificial intelligence, and all this is just the beginning.

Robotics is not independent industry, first of all, it is the synergy of all latest achievements technical, natural sciences and information technology.

When we say “robot”, people are far from technology and imagine it something like in Soviet science fiction films with iron arms and legs. Of course, we put a much broader meaning into this concept.

The following groups of robots are distinguished:

1. Industrial - when they say “robotics” they mean, first of all, the development of this area.

2. Military - the only kind, which has been developed in Russia, these also include robots for liquidating various accidents and natural disasters.

3. Space - these include satellites, rovers and anthropomorphic robots that help astronauts.

4. Household - cleaners, kitchen robots, companion robots.

5. Androids, humanoids - various anthropomorphic robots, whose goal is to improve the “humanity” of robots for various social purposes.

History of robotics

Automation and robotization of production in the capitalist world began in the 50s of the 20th century. It was at that time that the appearance of the first industrial robots can be attributed. They carried out the assembly of equipment and the simplest monotonous operations.
The first such robot was developed by self-taught inventor George Devol in 1954. The robotic arm weighed two tons and was controlled by a program recorded on a magnetic drum. The system was named Unimate, a patent was issued for the new device, and in 1961 the inventor founded the Unimation company.

The first robot was installed at the General Motors plant (at the foundry) in 1961. Then the new product was tested by Chrysler and Ford factories,

The Unimate system was used to work with cast metal parts that the manipulator removed from the casting molds. The gripping device was controlled by a hydraulic drive.
The robot had 5 degrees of freedom and a gripper with two “fingers”. The accuracy of the work was very high up to 1.25 mm. And there was more efficient than a human- worked faster and with fewer defects.

In 1967, industrial manipulators came to Europe. They are already expanding their functionality, mastering the profession of welder and painter. The robot gains “technical vision” through video cameras and sensors; it learns to determine the dimensions of products and their location.

In 1982, IBM developed official language for programming robotic systems. In 1984, Adept introduced the first electrically powered robot, Scara.
The new design made the robots simpler and more reliable, while maintaining high speed.

In the 90s, a controller appeared with an intuitive control interface that could be controlled by the operator, he could change parameters and adjust the operating mode. Since then, the capabilities of controlling robots and their functions have only developed, their complexity, speed, number of axes have increased, and they have begun to be used various materials, the possibilities for development and management became wider, and the first few confident steps were taken towards artificial intelligence.

At the same time, in the USSR he was actually a leader in robotics. It all started back in the 30s. In 1936, a 16-year-old Soviet schoolboy Vadim Matskevich created a robot that could lift right hand. To do this, he spent 2 years of work in the turning workshops of the Novocherkassk Polytechnic University. Previously, at the age of 12, he created a small radio-controlled armored car that shot fireworks. The authorities drew attention to Matskevich’s “robot” and in 1937 he presented it at the 1937 World Exhibition in Paris.

At the turn of the 30s - 40s. XX century In the USSR, automatic lines for processing bearing parts also appeared, and in the late 40s. XX century For the first time in world practice, a comprehensive production of pistons for tractor engines was created with automation of all processes - from loading raw materials to packaging finished products.

In 1966, a manipulator for laying metal sheets was invented in Voronezh; in 1968, an underwater robot “Manta” with a sensitive gripping device was developed in Leningrad; it was subsequently improved. In 1969, the TsNITI of the Ministry of Defense Industry began developing the Universal-50 industrial robot. Subsequently active in automated systems were being developed for large-scale production.

In 1985, 40 thousand industrial robots were already in use and several times exceeded the number used in the United States. Automated lines were in full operation at AvtoVAZ in the 80s and were even attacked by “hacker” workers.

There were major military and space developments. A unique achievement at that time was the DBR-1 unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, which was adopted by the USSR Air Force back in 1964. Such a device could carry out reconnaissance missions over the entire territory of Western and Central Europe.

One of the most notable achievements of domestic robotics and science was the creation at the Design Bureau named after. Lavochkin "Lunokhod-1". It was the Soviet apparatus that became the world's first planetary rover that successfully completed its mission on the surface of another celestial body.

In 1983, the unique anti-ship complex P-700 “Granit” was adopted by the USSR Navy. Its peculiarity was that during a salvo launch, the missiles could independently form a battle formation and exchange information with each other during the flight, independently distributing targets. In this case, one of the missiles of the complex could play the role of a leader, occupying a higher attack echelon.

“Humanoid robots” also developed: in 1962, the first robot guide, Rex, appeared - he conducted excursions for children in Polytechnic Museum. They say he still "works" there.

More than 100 thousand units of industrial robotics were produced in the Soviet Union. They replaced more than one million workers, but in the 90s these robots disappeared.

IN further development Robotics is progressing at an accelerated pace, because key industries are developing - physics, chemistry, electrical engineering and, most importantly, electronics. Vacuum tubes were replaced by power electronics, later microcircuits, then microcontrollers... New materials, new automation methods and programming methods are appearing.

But this no longer applies to Russia and the CIS. First of all, development takes place in the USA, in Southeast Asia and Western Europe.

Controlled robotic lines are being introduced in production; robotic manipulators are used in all industries, in agriculture, medicine, in space and, of course, in everyday life.

In some industries, up to 50% of the work is performed by industrial robots; for example, in the automotive industry, they can weld, paint, and move parts to another assembly area, where other robots will take care of them.

There are even 100% automated factories. There is a factory in Japan where robots assemble robots themselves. And they even prepare food for 2,000 people - the office center serving this plant.

In the 90s there was some decline. The introduction of robots using existing technologies into production did not bring the expected profit and funding for some large-scale projects was suspended. For a number of reasons - both economic and social - the expected boom did not happen; they remained as niche products for car assembly plants and a number of other industries.

A sharp jump occurred only in the mid-2000s and this development continues. First of all, due to the fact that the military became interested in robotics...

It is impossible to stop development and all countries that want to be at the forefront of global industry have to accept this and catch up.

Robot design and robotics tasks

There are six common tasks robotics:

1. Movement - movement in any environment
2. Orientation - being aware of your location
3. Manipulation - freely manipulate objects environment
4. Interaction - contact with others like yourself
5. Communication - communicate freely with a person
6. Artificial intelligence - the robot must independently decide how to carry out a human command

The most optimal movement of a robot on wheels and a tracked platform. It is these methods that provide the greatest stability and maneuverability.
For wheeled platforms, cross-country ability is more difficult - the wheel cannot overcome an obstacle higher than its radius. Wheel designs are constantly being improved, powerful servomotors are used, independent suspensions are being developed, and lug tires are used.

Quadruped and insectomorphic robots are stable (this means insect-shaped, several “legs”, usually 6). Such devices are often used for military purposes.

It took a very long time for the robot to learn to walk on two legs. Of all the existing ones, only the humanoid ASIMO from Honda copes well with this; it can not only walk steadily, but also climb stairs; the company has been developing it for more than 25 years
Most humanoid robots still move on a platform.

In addition to walking on the ground, certain models can crawl, swim and fly.

The robot orients itself in space using sensors, video cameras, and has the ability to “see” in the infrared range, detect ultrasonic vibrations and perceive thermal radiation.
The operator can also control it; he can be in the same room or several kilometers away.

All the stated problems of robotics are being solved to one degree or another. The robot becomes more perfect, it knows how to cooperate with other robots, learns to communicate with a person and understand him better.

An interesting scheme for training a space robot satellite; probably the same principle is used to configure other robotic systems. “Emotional learning,” as the developers call it. Its essence is that it contains an “emotional apparatus” that tells the companion what is “good” and what is “bad” for him. Good - if it targets a specific given object - this will increase the score, bad - if it deviates from it - the score will be reduced. Well, and so on until the device becomes stable “good”.
For example, this could be useful for space telescopes. Training is carried out with the help of an operator and takes about 20 minutes, the result is displayed in the knowledge base.

This particular device described by an astronaut can be thrown into open space: The satellite will perform the rest of the actions itself. The concept has developed a model of the nervous system, which logically follows from the conditions in which the nervous system of all living organisms operates.
Robotics of the future can independently collect new knowledge, analyze it and apply it in practice.

10 robots that influenced history the most

• Robotics

• Translation

It wouldn't be right if GeekTech didn't write anything for Robotics Week, and if there's one thing this blog loves, it's robots. Robots are constantly around us, from the coffee maker in the kitchen to the assembly lines at work. But where did the first robots come from? Who were the founders of the robots we see now?

There are hundreds of incredible robots out there, but we've selected a few of the most significant and memorable ones in chronological order.

Around 350 BC: The Pigeon

This first “robot” is really very old. Archytas, Greek philosopher, astronomer, mathematician and statesman, outlined the principles of mechanics. One of his projects was a wooden mechanical bird. It was powered by steam and could fly to a height of up to 200 meters. This invention may not only be the first robot on the planet, but also the first flying device.

1495: Leonardo's Robot

Leonardo da Vinci also took part in the history of robots. He designed the first humanoid robot. In 1495, he created a robot knight, which, judging by the sketches, could stand, sit, raise his visor and move his arms.

Using original sketches, modern designers managed to recreate the robot. The copy can perform all of the above movements.

1738: The Duck

French inventor Jacques de Vaucanson created several autonomous robots in his time, but The Duck is one of his most outstanding works.

The mechanical duck had more than 400 various parts, which isn't too surprising considering what she could do. The duck could flap its wings, eat, digest its food, and then defecate. It was quite an impressive robot!

Vaucanson managed to “teach” the robot to digest food by installing compartments for chemical decomposition of grain.

Only now, after 274 years, have appeared modern robots with similar capabilities, for example, although he only knows how to digest, unlike a duck who could perform other fun "tasks".

Unfortunately, no one knows what happened to the original duck. However, in the museum in Grenoble there is a replica of the duck created by a watchmaker.

1898: Tesla's Remote-Controlled Boat

You may know Nikola Tesla for his electric coils, but he has another achievement in the field of robots.

When Nikola was looking for a way to demonstrate his wireless transmission system (what we now know as radio waves), during a conference he put an iron boat in the water at Madison Square Garden and controlled it with a remote control, the boat received the signals and carried out Nikola's commands. At the time, no one understood how a remote-controlled boat would affect the future of robots, toys, radios and other devices we use today.

1962: The Unimate

In the 60s of the 20th century, inventors invested a lot of effort into the development of robotic manipulators, but one of the most important inventions was The Unimate arm. It was one of the first industrial robots and was installed on the General Motors assembly line to reduce the likelihood of injury and death on the job. The device could fold pieces of hot cast metal and weld body parts. Unimate is currently in the Hall of Fame with robots like R2-D2 and HAL.

1966: Shakey the Robot


Shakey the Robot was one of the first truly successful artificial intelligence robots. He could understand his own actions. If you gave Shakey a task, it would analyze it, unlike other robots that needed specific instructions.

Shakey demonstrated his ability to think and react by moving around rooms and hallways, turning lights on and off, opening and closing doors, and moving objects. The robot is currently retired and is housed in a museum in Mountain View.

1989: Genghis

Have you ever wondered which robot was one of the first to learn to walk? This is Genghis. This six-legged autonomous robot, created by the Mobile Robots Group in the laboratories of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was not only famous for its ability to walk, but also for how quickly and cheaply it was produced. However, it needs 4 microprocessors, 22 sensors and 12 servos to function.

His gait was called "the Genghis Gait". The robot's first steps:

1997: NASA Mars Pathfinder and Sojourner

NASA has also contributed to the development of incredible robots, but the robot that really stands out is Mars Pathfinder and Sojourner.

His main goal was to demonstrate the technologies needed to send a robot to Mars efficiently and economically. The robot managed to enter the atmosphere of Mars and send a lot of useful data about the Red Planet to Earth for further study.

1998: Lego Mindstorms

It wouldn't be GeekTech without mentioning LEGO. The Mindstorms series kits, containing programmable software and hardware, were among the cheapest and simple ways for those who wanted to make their own robot. The series was inspired by Seymour Papert's book Mind Storm: Children, Computers, and Big Ideas, in which the mathematician proposed simple theory learning by doing.

2000: ASIMO

Back in 1986, Honda announced its intention to take part in a project to create a humanoid robot capable of not only existing with people, but also surpassing their abilities. A little later, Honda announced ASIMO, one of the most impressive robots. He can emulate a person's gait, use his hands, speak and listen, and see and recognize people and objects. Of course, ASIMO has a ways to go before it can surpass human capabilities, but Honda already has a lot of ideas for the robot's future development.