Have you ever seen a robot in a movie Was it helpful to humans Or did it harm humans Robots are a popular topic in science fiction In fiction robots are often seen as a symbol of a future where humans are ruled by machines But many robots are used today to help humans Robotics is the creation and use of machines to do jobs or tasks The first robots relied on moving mechanical parts They could perform simple actions such as move on their own But the invention of the computer completely changed the future of robotics Robots could be programmed to perform specific tasks Robotics About All
Today robots are used in industries around the world Robots are best at simple and repetitive tasks They are also helpful in situations that would be too dangerous for humans such as defusing bombs Some robots even have human-like senses such as sight hearing and touch All of these advances were accomplished by engineers and inventors throughout history Today’s innovators continue to come up with new ideas Who knows what robots will be able to do in the future Robotics is a popular subject for kids and adults alike Many schools even offer robotics classes or clubs
1 Chapter Ancient Automatons The first robots were very different from the robots of today In fact they weren’t even called robots These first robotic devices were known as automatons The first accounts of automatons date back to more than 2,000 years ago People in ancient Greece and China were said to have created automatons for telling time and performing other simple tasks Many of these automatons were powered by water or steam One of these was a steam-powered flying bird It was designed by Greek mathematician Archytas Automatons continued to be developed in medieval times Churches and other religious institutions often used automatons in worship These automatons were human-like figures that could move around Most people didn’t understand that they moved mechanically People believed a god or magical force was making them move
Up until the 1400s automatons remained simple mechanical devices Many were figurines used to impress and entertain others Then Italian artist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci designed a new type of automaton An early automaton is the Astronomical Clock in Prague Czech Republic Each hour sculptures of people and other figures move around as the clock chimes
