Hello Robot – Machine in the life of modern man
Man has always depended on machines. From the most rudimentary sticks used as hunting weapons to modern weapons of mass destruction, we are becoming increasingly dependent on machines. Many of us perceive that machines are necessary for the proper functioning of our society.
It is a testament to our inventiveness that we are able to automate the many mundane aspects of how our society works to make life easier. The next generation of machines are smarter, smaller and more energy efficient.
The evolution of electronic toys bears a striking resemblance to the evolution of robotic technological advancement. From its initial stages of simple robots that are programmed to perform monotonous actions to highly sophisticated robots with artificial intelligence, we have come a long way in improving the quality of robots. Commercially, Sony and Tiger electronics launched popular ‘robo-pets’, which were very successful. In the virtual world, automated programs built for specific purposes are popular. The general consensus is that any machinery that is adaptable, can interact with and manipulate its environment is considered a robot. Bill Gates’ latest vision of ‘a robot in every home’ could be as prescient as his earlier vision of ‘a computer in every home’, which is now a real scenario.
Robot history:
There have been rough prototypes of robots since ancient times. These included robots, which operated on steam, wind, and water. The Greek mathematician Arkittas had made a machine-operated pigeon that could gain momentum using steam power. Alexander was reputed to have many self-operated machines, powered by wind pressure and steam. In 1088, Su Sang had created a clock tower that shows the time automatically somewhere in China. In 1136 and 1206 AD, a Muslim inventor named Al Zazari had developed a number of self-operated machines, such as cooking equipment and water-powered musical instruments. This human robot had been used as a singer on ships and as an entertainer in the king’s court.
Around 1495, Leonardo da Vinci had outlined a robot in human form. This sketch came to light in 1950 and was baptized Leonardo Robot. This robot was able to sit up, shake its hand, shake its head, and move its jaws. This Robot design had been made as the structure of a human being. Between 1738 and 1739, Jacques Devaucanson had created different robots of different sizes, including the duck robot, the flute-playing robot. The Duck robot was able to play with its wings. It could lengthen its neck; collect food from the hands of visitors. During the 1700s, in Japan, a number of different large robots were designed, of which a robot named ‘Karakul’ was famous for being able to offer tea. Between 1799 and 1881, Japanese craftsmen designed a variety of robots. In 1926, the Westinghouse Electric Corporation created a large robot called ‘Television’ that could perform many complex jobs. Scientist Makato Nisimura had designed the Japanese robot ‘Gakutensoku’, which was the first man-sized robot. England was not far behind in these inventions. In 1948-1949, the first electronic autonomous robot named “Elmore and Elsi” was created by William Gray Walter which shocked the world. It was capable of detecting light and darkness and was even capable of communicating with external devices. The first modern robot was born in the year 1954, created by George Davel and operated digitally. It was called ‘Uni met’ and Dave sold it to Genera Motors.
Karel Kapok, a Czechoslovakian writer, has popularized the term Robot through his work Ros mos-Universal Robot. This work was performed for the first time in 1921. It was an industry, where artificial human beings were made and called Robots. Karel Kapok later mentioned that he had thought of giving it the name ‘Labor i’, which is Latin for work, but then renamed it Robot, suggested by his brother, which roughly translates to ‘Hard Work’.
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