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The World's Most Famous Inventor (with apologies to Edison)
Fascinated by the phenomenon of flight, Leonardo produced detailed studies of the flight of birds, and plans for several flying machines, including a helicopter powered by four men (which would not have worked since the body of the craft would have rotated) and a light hang glider which could have flown. On January 3, 1496 he unsuccessfully tested a flying machine he had constructed.
Owing to his employment as a military engineer, his notebooks also contain several designs for military machines: machine guns, an armored tank powered by humans or horses, cluster bombs, a working parachute, etc. even though he later held war to be the worst of human activities. Other inventions include a submarine, a cog-wheeled device that has been interpreted as the first mechanical calculator, and a car powered by a spring mechanism. In his years in the Vatican, he planned an industrial use of solar power, by employing concave mirrors to heat water. While most of Leonardo's inventions were not built during his lifetime, models of many of them have been constructed with the support of IBM and are on display at the Leonardo da Vinci Museum at the Château du Clos Lucé in Amboise.
Perhaps the and most controversal and certainly thought-producing novel of our time, The Da Vinci Code, now a blockbuster motion picture revealed Da Vinci's robotic machine.Leonardo is widely credited with designing and building the world's first robotic machine, the so-called Robot Knight, a programmable cart. It is believed to have been a le-and-pulley-driven artificial man, which had been thought to be a simple suit of arms. Citing drawings discovered decades earlier by Italian scholar Carlo Pedretti, Rosheim explained how the figure "sat up, waved its arms, moved its head via a flexibble neck, and opened and closed its anatomically correct jaw - possibly emitting sound while accompanied by automated musical instruments such as drums."
Leonardo's programmable cart (sound familiar?), which may have supported a Robot Lion, a Robot Knight, and a "digital," hydraulically powered automaton for striking a bell.
The robot, the theory goes, may have been commissioned by the Sforza rulers as court entertainment or an exhibit in a kind of mechanical sculpture garden. A finished drawing of the knight has never been recovered, but Rosheim, armed with mechanical aptitude and a strong knowledge of the history of robotics, was able to extrapolate its use from a patchwork of drawings. Paolo Galluzzi, director of Florence's Institute and Museum of the History of Science, described Rosheim's robot thesis as "absolutely convincing." Galluzzi included the knight in an exhibition and commissioned Rosheim to create a computer model. In 2002, Rosheim was invited by the BBC to build a prototype. His model was able to walk and wave - proving Rosheim's theory once and for all.
The Da Vinci inspired Blue Diamond Remote Control robotic cleaner employs state-of-the-art 21st. century technology. But we must admit, that Leonardo's 15th century genius inspired it.
Timeline
of
Robotics
| Robots have been fascinating to the human race as soon as they started to think about machines or simulacrums. This narrative will display a timeline on robotics. |
Major Developments from DaVinci's Time
|
~3500 BC
Greek
myths
of
Hephaestus
and
Pygmalion
incorporate
the
idea
of
intelligent
robots.
~2500 BC
Egyptians
invent
the
idea
of
thinking
machines:
citizens
turn
for
advice
to
oracles,
which
are
statues
with
priests
hidden
inside.
~1400 BC
Babylonians
develop
a
water
clock
named
the
"clepsydra."
This water clock is considered one of the first "robotic" devices in the history of man kind. The water is recycled through a kind of siphoning system.
~700 - 800 BC
First
symbolic
mention
of
robots
-
automatae
-
appears
in
Homer's
Iliad(7)
-
or
simulacra
as
they
will
be
called.
Here they are called "Golden Servants" made by the Greek mythological god Hephaestus: the binding god. His particular power's are to mold metals into living beings made of precious metals. In Greek mythology, heavens are made of metal (bronze or gold) and Hephaestus is known as the celestial smith.
Archeologists will find hollow statues in which were hidden substances, believed to be potions, that should give mythological powers to these statues. A conclusion can be made that in the believe of the early Greek culture these statues would come, or were, alive and guard the premises when needed. Just like the Golden Servants that serve the god Hephaestus in his celestial forge are alive, given a soul by Hephaestus.
427 BC
In
the
Phaedo
and
later
works
Plato
expresses
ideas,
several
millennia
before
the
advent
off
the
computer
that
are
relevant
to
modern
dilemmas
regarding
human
thought
and
its
relation
to
the
mechanics
of
the
machine.
420 BC
Archytas of Tarentum, a friend of Plato, constructs a wooden pigeon whose movements are controlled by a jet of steam or compressed air.
~350 BC
The
brilliant
Greek
mathematician,
Archytas
of
Tarentum
builds
a
mechanical
bird
dubbed
"the
Pigeon",
that
is
propelled
by
steam.
It
serves
as
one
of
histories
earliest
studies
of
flight,
not
to
mention
probably
the
first
model
airplane.
~322 BC
The Greek philosopher Aristotle writes...
If every tool, when ordered, or even of its own accord, could do the work that befits it... then there would be no need either of apprentices for the master workers or of slaves for the lords. ...
hinting how nice it would be to have a few robots around.
~270
The
Greek
inventor
and
physicist
Ctesibus
('ti
sib
ee
uhs')
of
Alexandria
designs
water
clocks
that
have
movable
figures
on
them.
Water clocks are a big breakthrough for timepieces. Up until then the Greeks used hour glasses that had to be turned over, after all the sand ran through. Ctesibus' invention changes this because it measures time as a result of the force of water falling through it at a constant rate. In general, the Greeks of this epoch are fascinated with automata of all kinds often using them in theater productions and religious ceremonies.
~200 BC
In
China
artisans
develop
elaborate
automata,
including
an
entire
mechanical
orchestra.
~50 BC
The
Greek
tradition
is
revived
by
Marcus
Vitruvius
Pollio
(90
-20
BC,
who
describes
several
automata
and
developed
the
canon
of
proportions,
which
will
become
the
basis
of
classical
anatomical
and
architectural
aesthetics.
(5)
(3)
8 AD
One
of
the
first
stories
of
A.I.,
as
a
story
is
written
of
how
a
man
falls
in
love
with
a
statue
he
has
created
that
has
come
to
life.
100 AD app.
Hero
of
Alexandria
detailed
several
automata
that
were
used
in
theater
and
for
religious
purposes.
He
also
designed
automata
that
opened
the
gates
on
hydraulic
principles.
725
A
Chinese
engineer
and
a
Buddhist
monk
build
the
first
true
mechanical
clock
a
water-driven
device
with
an
escapement
that
causes
the
clock
to
tick.
1200 AD app.
Arab
authors
also
designed
complex
mechanical
arrangements.
The most famous amongst them is Al-Jazari. He wrote Automata - which is considered the most important text for the study of the History of Technology. This book is richly illustrated and gives the state of the art of technology in the middle ages and shows how advanced technology in that time was compared with the western countries.(6)
Talking
heads
were
said
to
have
been
created,
Roger
Bacon
and
Albert
the
Great
reputedly
among
the
owners.
1400
Automated
carillons
begin
to
appear
in
the
Netherlands.
1495
In
approximately
1495,
before
he
began
work
on
the
Last
Supper,
Leonardo
designed
and
possibly
built
the
first
humanoid
robot
in
Western
civilization.(4)
The robot, an outgrowth of his earliest anatomy and kinesiology studies recorded in the Codex Huygens, was designed according to the Vitruvian canon. This armored robot knight was designed to sit up, wave its arms, and move its head via a flexible neck while opening and closing its anatomically correct jaw. It may have made sounds to the accompaniment of automated drums. On the outside, the robot is dressed in a typical German-Italian suit of armor of the late fifteenth century. This robot would influence his later anatomical studies in which he modeled the human limbs with cords to simulate the tendons and muscles.(3)
~1500
In
the
16th
century
Clockmakers
extended
their
craft
to
creating
mechanical
animals
and
other
novelties.
The technology of clockmaking has contributed considerably to the contruction of Atomata and calculators alike.
1525
The
first
real
android
in
human
form
that
has
been
recorded
is
thought
to
have
been
built,
approximately
in
this
year,
by
Hans
Bullmann
at
Nuernberg
Germany.
He is said to have created quite a few androids - simulated people of which some can even play musical instruments to the delight of paying customers. (16)
Contemporary with Bullmann was Gianello Torriano of Cremona (1515-1585). One of his figures, that of a woman lute player, survived and is now in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.(20)
Torriano, a lady figurine playing the lute. (28)
1533
In
his
laboratory
at
Nuernberg,
scholar
Johann
Müller,
a.k.a.
Regiomontanus,
is
reputed
to
have
created
an
iron
fly
and
an
artificial
eagle,
both
of
which
could
take
to
the
air.
Supposedly
with
steam
pressure.(16)
1543
In
England,
John
Dee
creates
a
wooden
beetle
that
can
fly
for
an
undergraduate
production
of
Aristophanes'
Pax.(16)
1560
Here
is
a
fine
example
of
the
technology
of
automata
in
the
sixteenth
century.
Shown here is a wooden monk, apr 30 centimeters in height, with a crude lever and joints mechanism. The purpose of this puppet will remain guesswork, and how long it took to create it too. But with our contemporary tooling it would certainly take a few months to get this intricate machinery working. A scientist in historic tooling would probably give it a year, but to our opinion at least 2 years of trying and retrying. This proves that making automata still went on during the dark ages. (the above pictures are taken at the Deutsches Museum at Munich in Germany, and the statuette stands behind very thick glass, that's why you see some reflection in the pictures)
1564
 picture from: Dix livres de chirurgie (Paris 1564) |
In
Dix
livres
de
chirurgie
(Paris
1564)
Pare
Ambroise
publishes
a
design
of
a
mechanical
hand.
Made
from
the
real
thing
enforced
with
mechanical
"muscles".
|
1580
Rabbi
Loew
of
Prague
is
said
to
have
invented
the
Golem,
a
clay
man
brought
to
life.
18th century
It
is
in
the
18th
century,
halfway
through
the
Edo
period,
that
Japan
sees
the
debut
of
puppets,
called
"karakuri-ningyo,"
with
mechanisms
fitted
inside
that
makes
them
move
by
themselves.
At about the same time, similar mechanical dolls, called "auto-mata", appear in Europe. As for the Japanese puppets, their initial development dates back to the middle of the 16th century when "Nanban (foreign) culture" made its way to the country near the end of the Muromachi Era. A close examination of the puppet's mechanism points to the particular influence of the clock making technology of Europe brought to Japan by Francis Xavier and other Jesuit missionaries.
1725
At
the
Heilbrunn
chateau
in
Germany,
a
mechanical
theatre
is
created
featuring
119
animated
figures
that
perform
a
play
about
village
life
to
the
accompaniment
of
a
water-powered
organ.(16)
While
training
as
a
Jesuit,
Jacques
Vaucanson
creates
flying
angels
which
cause
him
to
be
thrown
out
of
the
order.
(16)
1727
The
now
famous
word
"android"
is
coined
after
German
philosopher
and
alchemist
Albertus
Magnus
who
attempts
to
create
an
artificial
being.
1737
French
inventor
Jacques
Vaucanson
creates
several
robotic
beings,
including
a
human-sized,
flute-playing
android.
1738
Jacques
de
Vaucanson
begins
building
automata
in
Grenoble,
France.
He builds three in all. His first was the flute player that could play twelve songs. This was closely followed by his second automaton that played a flute and a drum or tambourine, but by far his third was the most famous of them all. The duck was an example of Vaucanson's attempt at what he called "moving anatomy", or modeling human or animal anatomy with mechanics." The duck moved, quacked, flapped it's wings and even ate and digested food.
1753
Actually
the
very
first
writing
automata,
in
the
western
world,
was
developed
by
Knaus
in
1753.
If you look closely to the top of this contraption you will observe some writing on a white rectangular piece of paper. And as was usual in these centuries, the ornaments were almost as important as the functionality of the machine itself.
1760
German
Inventor
Friedrich
von
Knauss
creates
an
android
able
to
hold
a
pen
and
write
a
segment
of
up
to
107
words.
1772
Pierre
Jacquet-Droz
starts
to
create
life-like
androids
modeled
after
writers,
artists
and
musicians.
1773
Pierre
and
Henry
Louis
Jaquet-Droz
(Swiss)
invented
the
first
automaton
that
could
write.
Soon after that they build another automaton that draws a portrait of King Louis XV. Taking the word 'robot' in a broad sense, we might say that their machines are some of the first working robots. They create three dolls, each with a unique function. One can write, another plays music, and the third draws pictures as the one shown here.
At the museum d'Arts et d'Histore at Neuchâtel, Switzerland, public demonstrations of the Jaquet-Droz automations can be attended. Demonstrations are held at the first sunday of each month at 14, 15, and 16 hours. Price is included in the admission of the museum.(24) The above automata draws 4 sketches, each sketch is drawn in about 3 minutes.
A nice book on this type of early automatons is written by Gaby Woods at least the fist few chapters, after that the book is less to the point.
1801
Joseph
Jacquard
builds
an
automated
loom
that
is
controlled
with
punched
cards.
Punch
cards
are
later
used
as
an
input
method
for
some
of
the
20th
centuries
earliest
computers.
1810
The
Mechanical
Trumpeter
constructed
by
Friedrich
Kaufmann
in
1810.
This is an example of a program (e.g. stepped drum) mounted into an automata to play a tune, like the European street organs. The notches mounted on the drum activated valves that let the air pass by 12 tongues. Which produced a kind of modulated sound. This sound will be modulated through a trumpet so it does sound like a trumpet The stepped drum and the bellows are powered by a spring mechanism that need to be wound up, observe the crank laying at the bottom. The height of this automata is apr. 180 cm.
1818
Mary
Shelley
writes
the
famous
novel
"Frankenstein."
which
is
about
a
frightening
artificial
life
form
created
by
Dr.
Frankenstein.
The Frankenstein complex still resides in the mind of the general public. Pointing towards the possible mishap that will undoubtedly be caused by malfunction of robots and alike and that all machines will eventually turn against human kind. Later fears, misshapen, accidents and even novels concerning artificial life forms will deal with this so called "Frankenstein complex". In the mind of mankind robots are bound to cause accidents or other imaginary mischief.
1822
Charles
Babbage
demonstrates
a
prototype
of
his
"Difference
Engine"
to
the
Royal
Astronomical
Society.
He continues his work by designing an even more ambitious project "the Analytical Engine" that reportedly was to use punch cards inspired by Joseph Jacquard's invention. During his lifetime he never produces a functional version of any of the machines. Despite this shortcoming he is often heralded as the "Father of the Computer" and his work lives on as the foundation for the binary numbering system that is the basis of modern computers. A computer will form the "brain" of future robots.
1889
Edison's
"invention
laboratorium"
is
producing
a
talking-doll.
1890
Nikolai
Tesla
creates
the
first
remote-controlled
vehicles.
1892
Seward
Babbitt
(USA)
designs
a
motorized
crane
with
gripper
to
remove
ingots
from
a
furnace.
(23)
1898
Nikola
Tesla
builds
and
demonstrates
a
remote
controlled
robot
boat
at
Madison
Square
Garden.
1921
The
word
ROBOT
is
used
for
the
first
time
in
the
context
of
mechanical
people
in
a
play
called
"R.U.R"
(Rossum's
Universal
Robots)
by
Czech
dramatist
Karel
Capek.
These are intelligent machines meant to serve their human makers. But the play ends dramatic as robots took over the world and destroyed humanity. The Frankenstein syndrome invented before he was even there! Karel Capek (Czech) called these powerful beings "robota" meaning forced and slavishly work. He distinguishes the robot from man by the absence of emotion.(12)
1926
Fritz
Lang's
movie
"Metropolis"
is
released.
"Maria" the female robot in the film is the first robot to be projected on the silver screen. The android is built in the form of its creator's wife. This movie is commonly known as the precursor to Star War's C-3PO.(19)
1936
Alan
Turing
introduces
the
concept
of
a
theoretical
computer
called
the
Turing
Machine.
It is a fundamental advance in computer logic and also spawns new schools in Mathematics. He completes his seminal paper On Computable Numbers, which paves the way for modern computers.
1938
The
first
programmable
paint-spraying
mechanism
is
designed
by
Americans
Willard
Pollard
and
Harold
Roselund
for
the
DeVilbiss
Company.
1929-1938
Psychologists
Clark
Hull,
Thomas
Ross,
develop
the
Hypothetico-Deductive
System,
in
an
attempt
to
design
learning
robots.
1940
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1942
v
is
generally
credited
with
the
popularization
of
the
term
"Robotics"
which
was
first
mentioned
in
his
story
"Runaround"
in
1942.
2006
The
Pool
Dr.
markets
the
World's
Most
advanced
robotic
pool
cleaner,
the
Blue
Diamond
Remote.
Asimov later adds a "zeroth law" to the list:
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