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Hero of Alexandria creates simple mechanical automata, such as statues that moved with steam or water. -
Leonardo da Vinci designs the "Mechanical Knight," a humanoid automaton capable of moving arms, head, and jaw. -
Clockwork automata appear in Europe, such as Vaucanson's famous "mechanical duck" and musician dolls. -
Isaac Asimov formulates the Three Laws of Robotics, the ethical and literary foundation of modern robotics. -
George Devol patents the first programmable robot: Unimate. -
Unimate is installed at the General Motors factory, the first industrial robot on the production line. -
KUKA develops the first industrial robot with six electric axes, a major advance in automation. -
The Honda P2 emerges, the first prototype of an advanced humanoid robot, the predecessor of ASIMO. -
Launch of the Roomba, a domestic vacuuming robot that popularizes robotics in homes. -
Advances in artificial intelligence and collaborative robotics (cobots) allow robots to work alongside humans in factories. -
AI-powered robots are advancing in surgery, space exploration, service, autonomous mobility, and humanoids (e.g., Boston Dynamics' Atlas, Tesla Optimus).