Fun Facts About Bots

You've probably noticed a few Bots around the site. We're huge fans of automation and the idea of using Bots to increase Velocity. Although we're all familiar with robots from the movies, books and games, we thought it would be fun to share some facts about the history and use of robots.

•  A predecessor to the robot was the automaton. This was based on the Greek word "automatos" which meant "that which moves by itself". Although it provided a level of automation, it wasn't able to respond to external stimuli. 
• The word "robot" was first used by a Czech writer named Karel Capek in 1921. He used the term in a play titled R.U.R (Rossum's Universal Robots). The word was based on the Czech word "rabota" which meant "servant, enslaved worker".
• The concept of a robotic arm emerged in 1954. A scientist from France, Raymond Goertz came up with the idea of adding electric motors to articulated arms. 
• The first patent for a robot was granted in 1961. George Devol obtained that patent for what was called Unimate (short for Universal Automation). Unimate ended up being used on a General Motors assembly line in New Jersey.
• In 2003 a humanoid robot named Asimo, made an official state visit to the Czech Republic. He was there as an ambassador of peace and goodwill between robots and humans.
• At the end of 2008, the world robot population reached 8.6 million. 

Information Sources:

World Robot Population Reaches 8.6 Million, Posted By: Erico Guizzo. Wed, April 14, 2010, IEEE Spectrum Automation Blog 

Robots: From Science Fiction To Technological Revolution, Daniel Ichbiah, Harry N. Abrams, Inc. Publishers, September 20, 2005, ISBN-10: 0-8109-5906-2