The word robot first appeared in the novels of Czech writers.
Robot is a new term that only appeared in the 20th century. In 1920, Czech playwright Capek first proposed the word robot in his script "Rossam Universal Robots (R.U.R)". Robot evolved from the ancient Slavic word robota. Robota originally means forced labor. Capek coined the new word robot with the meaning of "slave machine" based on it in the context of the rapid development of technology and production after the industrial revolution in the twentieth century.
It reflects human beings’ desire to create machines that can think and work like humans, instead of working for themselves. But at that time, the word robot only had a science fiction meaning and did not have practical significance. It was after the emergence of industrial robots in the 20th century that robots truly became a reality.
The Story of the First Robot
Humanity has developed into the 20th century. With the refinement of social division of labor, people engaged in simple and repetitive tasks have a strong desire to have some kind of robot that can replace their work. With the advent of machines, Ingeberg and DeVore from the United States were at the forefront of research in this area.
In 1954, electronics expert DeVore obtained a patent for a "programmable manipulator". This is a manipulator like a human arm that works according to a program. Different tasks need to be programmed, so it is versatile and flexible. From this, Ingeberg, a physicist who is keen on robot research, thought that if such a machine could be built, it could learn the actions of others like people. , and then the operation can be repeated automatically.
So, in 1958, Ingeberg and DeVore teamed up to create the first truly practical industrial robot, which was quickly used. ? Subsequently, they established the world's first robot manufacturing factory, Uni Mason Company, and called the first batch of robots "Uni Mason", which means "universal automatic". Ingeberg was therefore called Known as the "Father of Industrial Robots", in 1984 he also predicted: "I will make robots mop the floor, cook, wash my car and check safety."