Several engineers and inventors defined the field of robotics through their groundbreaking creations. Joseph Engelberger and George Devol invented the first programmable industrial robot, Unimate. Victor Scheinman invented the first electrically powered robotic arm. Ichiro Kato built WABOT-1, the world's first humanoid robot. Takeo Kanade built the first direct drive robotic arm. David Hanson created Sophia, one of the most advanced AI androids. These inventions laid the foundation for the robotics field.