When robots appeared: 5 fascinating facts about robotics

SSPDaily has prepared five facts about robotics. Learn about the potential for simplifying and accelerating future development.

The origin of robots

It is commonly believed that robots appeared in the XXI century, but this is a significant misconception. In fact, robots have been around since the 18th century, thanks to engineer Pierre Jacquet-Droz, an incredible pioneer. Jacquet-Droz introduced an unusual musician-automaton, a mechanical female doll that could move its arms and eyes, playing melodies on a miniature organ.

Creepy machines

In 1978, during a study, robotics scientist Masahiro Mori discovered an unusual pattern: the more a robot resembles a human, the more fear it causes in the human psyche. A cute robot dog evokes emotion, while a technologically advanced humanoid android causes horror and panic. This disturbing phenomenon is commonly referred to as the "uncanny valley".

Rise of the machines

The first known incident involving robots occurred when a worker at a Ford plant was tragically killed by a robotic arm while trying to move materials. Then, in 2015, a robot assistant at a Volkswagen plant in Germany accidentally crushed a worker with a steel plate.

These incidents sparked a major backlash against robotics. It is important to note, however, that these accidents were caused by workers' failure to follow safety precautions, not by problems inherent in the robots themselves.

Citizenship for robots

While the idea of granting robots citizenship is being actively discussed and worked on in the EU, South Korea, Japan, and other developed countries, Saudi Arabia has already gone down this path. In 2017, Riyadh granted citizenship to an intellectual robot named Sophia for the first time in history. Interestingly, it is not customary in Saudi Arabia to grant citizenship to foreign workers, but an exception was made for Sofia, and she thanked the authorities for this unique recognition.

Prophetic predictions come true

Prophecies about the emergence of smart machines appeared before their actual existence. The first robot appeared in the 18th century, although Aristotle predicted their appearance as early as 350 BC. In his work "Politics" Aristotle suggested that soon there will be machines capable of performing monotonous tasks, which will lead to increased labor efficiency.