The document provides an extensive overview of the evolution of robotics, detailing the history, definition, and classifications of robots from their inception to modern advancements. Highlighted are significant robots such as Unimate, IRB 6, and Asimo, discussing their capabilities and applications across various fields including industrial, military, and healthcare. It emphasizes that contemporary robots, while fascinating, do not possess self-awareness or the dramatic capabilities often depicted in science fiction.

1. Dr Sanjoy Sanyal
Professor, Surgeon, Informatician

2.  What is a Robot? (Slides 3 – 5)
 Classification of Robots (Slides 6 – 7)
 Table - ½ Century of Evolution of Robotics (Slide 8)
 UNIMATE (Slides 9 – 16)
 IRB 6 (Slides 17 – 23)
 CONSIGHT-1 (Slides 24 – 25)
 Humanoid Robot Evolution (Slides 26 – 28)
 WABOT-1 (Slides 29 – 32)
 WABOT-2 (Slides 33 – 36)
 ASIMO Development (Slides 37 – 50)
 BEAR (Slides 51 – 60)
 BAXTER (Slides 61 – 72)
 References / Acknowledgments (Slide 73)

3.  Contrary to what Sci-Fi thrillers would have
us believe, Robots are not self-aware machines
 They will not enslave us into bonded labors in
their version of ‘Silicon Mines’!
 They will not wage war against Humans, like
‘Skynet’!
 They will not send one of their own from the
Future to the Present to kill a boy, who they
have determined is destined to lead future
Humans against the Robots!!

4.  1921: Czech playwright Karel Capek coined the term
'robot‘ in his play Rossom's Universal Robots
 "Robot" is from the Czech word 'robota' which
means ‘forced labor’
 Today: It is a programmable device that can perform
a specific function in response to a specific command
 Therefore it has to have:
 ‘Sensory’ (Input) feature
 Processing capability
 ‘Effector’ (Output) capability
 Of course, if it also looks ‘Humanoid’ that will be the
icing on the cake!

5.  An analogy can be drawn with a person
 Seeing a coin on the pavement (Sensory Input)
 Deciding to pick it up (Processing)
 And then doing so (Effector Output)
 He has used the above three features, apart
from definitely looking ‘Human’ 
 The 1st 2 Robots (Unimate, IRB 6) had limited
Processing and ‘Effector’ (Output) capability
 But they had no ‘Sensory’ features, and
definitely no ‘Humanoid’ features either!

6. Based on Real-world Applications
 Industrial: UNIMATE; IRB6; Consight-1; BAXTER
 Military: BEAR, MATILDA, MARCbot, Packbot
 Space: Robonaut 2; Sojourner; Spirit; Opportunity;
Curiosity; Canadarm2; Raven (Space Telesurgery)
 Surgical: PUMA; NeuroMate; NeuroArm; Minerva;
RAMS; Raven; NeuRobot; da Vinci®, AESPOP®;
HERMES®; SOCRATES®; ZEUS®
 Nursing: RIBA; Robear
 Domestic / Entertainment: Chess-player, Vacuum
cleaner; Violin-player; Piano-player (WABOT-2);
Dancing Robot (ASIMO-3)

7. Based on Versatility
 Mono-Tasking (‘Specialist’): WABOT-2 (Piano-player); Violin-
player; Vacuum cleaner; Chess-player; RIBA, Robear
 Multi-Tasking (‘Versatile’): WABOT-1; ASIMO; BEAR;BAXTER
Based on Physical Appearance
 ‘Humanoid’ (Biped/Caster, Mobile): WABOT-1; WABOT-2;
ASIMO; Robonaut2; BEAR; PETMAN; BAXTER; RIBA; Robear
 ‘Non-Humanoid’: Most Robots in use nowadays
 Robotic Arms (Non-mobile): Most Industrial Robotic Arms (IRB6,
UNIMATE,); Canadarm2; All Surgical Robots ( Previous slide)
 Robotic Vehicles (Mobile): Martian Robotic Vehicles (Sojourner; Spirit;
Opportunity; Curiosity); Military Robots (MATILDA, MARCbot,
Packbot); DARPA Research Robots (Racing Cars, RHex, Sand Flea)
 Quadruped Robots (Mobile): DARPA Research Robots (Cheetah)

8. Year ROBOT Company / Organization
1961 UNIMATE Slides 9-16 General Motors, USA
1972-1973 IRB 6 Slides 17-23 ASEA BB, Sweden
1978 CONSIGHT-1 Slides 24-25 General Motors, USA
1970-1973 WABOT 1 Slides 29-32 Waseda University, Japan
1980-1984 WABOT 2 Slides 33-36
1986-1993 Honda E Series Honda, Japan
1993-1997 Honda P Series
2000-2002 ASIMO-1 Slides 37-50
2004-2007 ASIMO-2
2011, 2014 ASIMO-3 +
2005- 2012 BEAR Slides 51-60 Vecna Technologies, USA
2012 BAXTER Slides 61-72 Rethink Robotics, USA

9.  1st Industrial Robot
 Year: 1961
 Company: General Motors
assembly line, Inland Fisher
Guide Plant, Ewing Township,
New Jersey
 Inventor: George C. Devol
 Weight: ~ 1 Metric Ton
 Components: Big computer-like
box, joined to another box,
connected to an Arm, with
systematic tasks stored in a Drum
Memory (Cognitive Geometrics)

10.  1950s: Devol created it
 1954: Filed patent
 1961: Received patent
 Patent Description: “The
present invention relates to
the automatic operation of
machinery, particularly the
handling apparatus, and to
automatic control apparatus
suited for such machinery”
 Devol successively called
it ‘Programmed Article
Transfer’; ‘Manipulator’;
and finally ‘Robot’

11.  Programmed to transport die castings from an assembly
line and welding these parts on auto bodies
 Dangerous task for workers; Could be poisoned by
gas fumes or lose a limb if they were not careful

12. Unimate
was
obviously
nothing
like the
Sci-Fi
versions of
Androids,
or
Humanoid
Robots

13. Kawasaki
Unimate
and
ArcWorld
Motoman

14. PROGRAMMABLE UNIVERSAL MACHINE FOR ASSEMBLY (PUMA)
INDUSTRIAL ROBOT (1985 – ADVANCED RESEARCH & ROBOTICS, OXFORD,
CT) : PUMA WAS THE 1ST TIME A ROBOT WAS EVER USED FOR NEUROSURGERY
UNIMATE PUMA 500 UNIMATE PUMA 200

15. In various shows, Unimate
could do the following:
 Knock a golf ball into a
cup
 Wave the orchestra
conductor's baton
 Grasp an accordion and
wave it around
 Pour beer for a
gentleman!
 Pour coffee for a lady!!

16.  George Devol and his apprentice Joseph Engelberger
started the world's 1st robot manufacturing company,
UNIMATION, INC.

17.  IRB 6 was 1st
model of ASEA
IRB
 Year: 1972-1973
on assignment
by ASEA CEO
Curt Nicolin
 Designers: Björn
Weichbrodt, Ove
Kullborg, Bengt
Nilsson, Herbert
Kaufmann
 Company: ASEA
BB in Västerås,
Sweden

18.  World’s 1st fully
electrically-driven,
Microprocessor-
controlled industrial
Robot, using Intel’s
1st chipset in a
Programmable
Microcomputer
 Memory: 16 KB RAM
 LED Display: Could
display 4 Digits
 Movement: 5 axis
(Later 6)
 Lift capacity: 6
kilograms

19.  ASEA IRB: An industrial
robot series
 Years: 1975 to 1992
 Functions: Material
handling, Packing,
Transportation, Polishing,
Welding, Grading
 1st IRB 6 could wax and
polish stainless steel tubes
bent at 90° angles
 IRB 6 was the Swedish
symbol for a new Labor
market, shared between
man and robot

20. Later versions of
IRB 6 had 6 axis of
movements
These versions came
after 1988, when
ASEA merged with
Brown, Boveri and
Cie to form ABB

21.  With success of
Unimate, other auto
companies started
using their own
versions of Robotic
Arms
 A typical robot was
designed to weld hot
pieces of metal
together in a repetitive
fashion

22.  Robots are good at
repetitive, monotonous
tasks requiring precision
and / or those that are
potentially dangerous for
humans
 Robotic Arms can perform
such tasks tirelessly, while
saving humans from harm
 Today almost every car
manufacturing plant uses
Robots in their assembly
lines

23. Robotic Arms Did Have
 Programmable capability
 Limited ‘Memory’
 Movement in up to 6 Joints
(Waist, Shoulder, Elbow,
Wrist Bend, Flange, Wrist
Rotation)
Robotic Arms Did NOT Have
 ‘Sensory’ facilities: Ability
to pick up Visual /Auditory
cues from environment
 ‘Humanoid’ appearance
Therefore, devising a Robot
with ‘Sensory’ capability
was the next logical step

24.  In foreground is a
Metal Table, with a
reflective surface
 On left foreground
is a black Robotic
Arm
 Behind the table is a
Conveyor Belt
 The man is placing
Objects on the Belt,
with ‘1978
Consight’, ‘771015-
25’ etc written
 Above the Belt is a
Frame of black
pipes with Sensors
‘A Vision-Controlled Robot
System’
‘A Practical Vision-based
Robot Guidance System’

25.  1st Robot with
‘Sensory Input’
capability
 Year: ca. 1978
 Company: General
Motors
 Use: Transfer parts
on conveyor belts
 Visual Sensors
could detect and
sort 6 different
kinds of auto parts
from a Conveyer
Belt transporting
1,400 auto parts /
hour Pictures: Courtesy SciShow (Brief History of Robotics)

26.  1495: Leonardo da Vinci created a
‘Humanoid Automaton’
 Apparently, it could sit up, move its
arms, twist its head
 Cloaked in European medieval
armor like a Knight
 Discovered in manuscripts in 1950
Side issue: da Vinci Surgical System®
is a master-slave robotic system
created by Intuitive Surgical, Inc.
in 1997. It has 3-D visualization
and Endo-wrist®. It got FDA
approval for Abdominal and
Cardiac surgery in 2000 and 2002. It
is used in 210 centers worldwide.

27.  Elektro was closer to the
concept of a ‘Humanoid Robot’
 Company: Westinghouse
Electric Corporation
 Year: 1937 – 1938
 Stats: 7’ tall; 265 lbs weight
 Walked on voice command
 Spoke 700 words through a 78-
rpm record player
 World Fair (1939): Smoked
cigarettes, blew up balloons,
distinguished between red and
green lights, moved his head
and arms

28.  Till 1970s: Artificial Intelligence (AI) was
still in its infancy
 ‘Android Robots’ were designed to
mathematically calculate and analyze
what they ‘saw’ in their environment
 These ‘Retro Robots’ got ‘paralyzed’ after
moving forward by a meter, overwhelmed
with all the new input
 1980s -1990s: Turning point in study of
AI; A Robot did not need a highly
accurate representation of the world to
interact with it, an idea inspired by
movement of Nature itself
 This new perspective revolutionized the
study of AI and Robotics

29.  WABOT: WAseda RoBOT
 Designer: Ichiro Kato
 Institution: Waseda University
in Tokyo, Japan
 Year: 1970 – 1973
 1st full-scale Anthropomorphic
Humanoid Locomotion-type
‘Versatile’ Robot
WABOT-1 Features:
 Limb Control System
 Artificial Eyes, Ears, Mouth
 Distance and Direction Sensors
 Tactile Sensors
 Gripping, Transporting Objects

30.  Vision System
 It used eyes to
recognize objects
 It could determine
distance/direction
 Speech System
 It could converse with
people
 Initially only in
Japanese
 Mental Faculty: Of a 1
½ year-old child

31.  Limb Control System
 Lower Limbs:
 Biped stance
 Bipedal locomotion
 Upper Limbs:
 Tactile Sensors on its
Hands
 Could Grip and
Transport objects
 WABOT-1 consisted of
 WAM-4: Artificial
hands
 WL-5: Artificial legs

32.  Could measure distance
 Locate direction of things it
searched for
 All these were possible due to:
 External Receptors
 Artificial Eyes
 Artificial Ears
 Artificial Mouth
 WABOT-1 was classified as a
‘Versatile’ Robot
Picture: Courtesy SciShow (Brief History of Robotics)

33.  Year: 1980 – 1984
 Institution: Waseda
University, Japan
 Type: Humanoid
‘Specialist’ Robot in
the 1980s
 WABOT-2 Features:
 Camera
 Skilful Hands
 Speakers and
Microphones
 80 microprocessors
 50 Degrees of Freedom

34.  ‘Intelligent’: Could play keyboard
 ‘Expert’ Hands: Could play quite difficult tunes
 Conversation: Could converse with people in
Japanese

35.  ‘Vision’: Installed cameras served as ‘Eyes’
 ‘Reading’: Could read musical notes
 ‘Hearing’: Could listen, accompany singers, adjust its
tempo ad-hoc

36. Mission of WABOT-2:
 Playing a keyboard
instrument was set up
as an ‘intelligent’ task
 WABOT-2 aimed to
accomplish that
 An artistic activity such
as playing a keyboard
instrument required
human-like intelligence
and dexterity
 WABOT-2 was defined
as a ‘Specialist Robot’
rather than a ‘Versatile
Robot’ like WABOT-1
1984 version is pictured here

37.  ASIMO: Advanced Step in
Innovative MObility
 Humanoid Robot
 Company: Honda, Japan
 Year: 21 October 2000
 Height: 51 inches (130 cm)
 Can walk or run at speeds of
up to 3.7 mph (6 km/hour)
 Can climb up / down stairs,
carry a tray, push a cart
 Can detect movements of
multiple objects
 Assess distance, direction
 Can greet a person when
he/she approaches

38.  Honda’s Goal: Create a walking robot which can adapt and
interact in human situations, and improve quality of life
 1980s: Began developing Humanoid Robots preceding
ASIMO
 Honda E Series (1986-1993): E0 was the 1st Bipedal Model

39.  Honda P Series (1993-1997):
Included 1st self-regulating,
Humanoid Walking Robot with
wireless movements (Right pic.)
 E- and P-Series paved the way
for ASIMO (Lower picture; P3
on left, ASIMO on right)

40.  Weight: 52 Kg
 Height: 120 cm
 Width: 45 cm
 Depth: 44 cm
 Walking Speed: 1.6 km/ hr
 Running Speed: Nil
 DoF (Degrees of Freedom): 26
 Battery: Ni-mH; 38.4 Volts; 4
hours to fully charge
 Battery Time: 30 minutes
 Languages: Nil

41.  Ideal Height: Between 120 cm and
height of an average adult, for
operating door knobs, light switches
 Battery: Transition from Nickel
Metal Hydride (in Asimo-1) to
rechargeable 51.8V lithium Ion
battery (in Asimo-2/3) increased
operating time to 1 hour
 Computer: 3-D Computer Processor;
Consists of 3-Stacked die, Processor,
Signal Converter and Memory
 Location: In the ‘waist’ area and can
be controlled by a PC, Wireless
Controller or Voice Commands

42.  Weight: 54 Kg
 Height: 130 cm
 Width: 45 cm
 Depth: 37 cm
 Walking Speed: 2.5-2.7 km/hr
 Running Speed: 3-6 km / hr
 DoF: 34
 Battery: Li-Ion; 51.8 Volts; 3 hours
to fully charge
 Battery Time: 40-60 minutes
 Languages: Nil

43.  Weight: 48 Kg
 Height: 130 cm
 Width: 45 cm
 Depth: 34 cm
 Walking Speed: 2.7 km/hr
 Running Speed: 9 km / hr
 DoF: 57
 Battery: Li-Ion; 51.8 Volts; 3
hours to fully charge
 Battery Time: 60 minutes
 Languages: English, Japanese

44.  Walking Speed: 2.7
kilometers per hour (1.7 mph)
 Running Speed: 9 kilometers
per hour in a Straight line
 Determined by:
 Floor Reaction Control and
 Target Zero Moment
Point Control
Tokyo Motor Show 2011
Asimo-1 (2000-
2002)
Asimo-2a
(2004)
Asimo-2b
(2005-2007)
Asimo-3 (2011)
Walking 1.6 km/hour 2.5 km/hour 2.7 km/hour 2.7 km/hour
Running Nil 3 km/hour 6 km/hour 9 km/hour

45.  Movements are
determined by
Floor Reaction
Control and
Target Zero
Moment Point
Control
 These enable
ASIMO to keep
firm stance and
maintain position
 Can adjust length
of steps, body
position, speed
and direction of
step
Sole of Foot is part of the Floor
Reaction Control

46.  ASIMO 2004-2007 has total of 34 DoF
 Calculation 1:
 Neck, Shoulder, Wrist, Hip Joints
each have 3 DoF (Total = 21 DoF)
 Hand (4 fingers + thumb) each has 2
DoF (Total = 4 DoF)
 Ankle each has 2 DoF (Total = 4 DoF)
 Waist, Knees, Elbows each have 1 DoF
(Total = 5 DoF)
 Calculation 2:
 Head = 3 DoF
 Arms = 7×2 (=14 DoF)
 Hands = 2×2 (=4 DoF)
 Torso = 1 DoF
 Legs = 6×2 (=12 DoF)
Dancing in Disneyland 2005

47. Asimo 2000-
2002
Asimo 2004-
2007
Asimo 2011
Head (Neck) 2 3 3
Arm (Shoulder,
Elbow, Wrist)
5 x 2 = 10 7 x 2 = 14 7 x 2 = 14
Hand (Fingers) 1 x 2 = 2 2 x 2 = 4 13 x 2 = 26
Torso (Waist) 0 1 2
Leg (Hip, Knee,
Ankle)
6 x 2 = 12 6 x 2 = 12 6 x 2 = 12
Total DoF 26 34 57
Conducting an
Orchestra in April 2008

48.  Environment
Identifying Sensors:
(1st picture)
 Visual Sensors
 Ground Sensors
 Ultrasonic Sensors
 Visual Sensors: 2
cameras inside Head;
Used to detect
obstacles (2nd picture)

49.  Ground Sensors: In lower
portion of Torso; Includes
1 Laser Sensor and 1 Infrared
(IR) Sensor (1st picture)
 Laser Sensor: Detects
ground surface
 IR Sensor: With automatic
shutter based on
brightness
 Detects pairs of floor
markings to confirm
navigable paths of the
planned map (2nd picture)

50.  Ultrasonic Sensors: In the
Front and Rear; To sense
Obstacles
 Front Sensor: In the
lower portion of Torso,
with the Ground Sensors
(1st picture)
 Rear Sensor: At the
bottom of backpack (2nd
picture)

51.  BEAR: Battlefield Extraction-
Assist Robot
 Company: Vecna Technologies,
Cambridge Research Laboratory
near Boston, Massachusetts
 Inventor: Daniel Theobald,
President and CTO of Vecna
 Year: 2005 (Version 1); 2012
(Version 8)
 Form: Some ‘Humanoid’ features –
Head, Neck, Torso, 2 Arms, 2
‘Legs’ (which are actually treads)
 Purpose: Evacuate wounded
soldiers from battle zone with no
risk to human life; Transport
civilians from disaster area

52. 1. Teddy Bear Face:
Reassures wounded
soldier
2a. Hydraulic Upper Torso
Actuator: Carries 520
lbs (236kgs); Earlier
version carried 360 lbs
2b. Hydraulic Exertion:
3000 PSI
3a. Kneeling: Tracked ‘legs’
travel over rubble
3b. Standing: Switches to
wheels on smooth
surfaces

53. 4. Dynamic Balance Behavior
(DBB): Can carry heavy
loads upright on its Ankles,
Knees or Hips for 1 Hour
Maintains balance in any
position even while
carrying heavy objects
5. Frame: Aluminum (1st
version); Steel (2nd next
version); Titanium
(Subsequent versions)
 Explosion and Fire-resistant
 Steel framing around the
hydraulic lines and battery

54.  Hydraulic Actuator in
Torso is controlled by
Solenoids that turn the
Hydraulic Valves on and
off to make Robot move
 Tracked Legs are
electronically powered
 Battery Pack powers the
Tracked Legs for 1 hour
 Developments to Battery
Pack will double its
capacity and give the
Tracked Legs 2 hours of
run time

55.  Hands are very strong
 Hydraulic Actuator
gives it ability to lift
520 lbs
 Previous versions
could lift 360 lbs
 Titanium frame will
increase its lifting
capacity
 Pictures show it lifting
a 185 lb dummy
 Very precise grip; Can
grasp an egg without
breaking it

56.  Slides its ‘Arms’ under its
burden like a forklift
 Later versions are fitted
with maneuverable hands
to gently scoop up
casualties
 Can lift 135kg with its
hydraulic arms in a single
smooth movement, to
avoid causing pain to
wounded soldiers
 However, there is no
feature to support the Head
of an unconscious soldier

57.  Independent legs
for enhanced
mobility
 Combination of
Gyroscopes and
Computer-
controlled motors
maintain balance
 Can cross bumpy
ground without
toppling
 Can tackle stairs
while carrying a
human-sized
dummy

58.  Remotely Controlled:
An operator can see
and hear through
IR, Night Vision,
Optical Cameras and
Microphone installed
in BEAR
 Touch and Pressure
Sensors on BEAR's
Hands
 Chemical and
Biological Agent
detection Sensors

59.  Voice Commands:
BEAR AI can process it
 BEAR can ask for
assistance
 iGlove: Motion-capture
glove allows soldier to
make a simple hand
gesture to command
the Robot
 Mounted Force
Controller. Special rifle
grip mounted on M-4
carbine

60.  Narrow enough to squeeze
through doorways
 Search and Rescue operations
 Transporting supplies
 Clearing obstacles
 Lifting heavy objects
 Handling hazardous materials
 Reconnaissance
 Inspecting for mines and IEDs
 Civilian Rescue: Mineshafts,
Earthquakes, Fire, Mudslides
 Industrial: Moving heavy
inventory
 Healthcare: Heavy patients,
Handicapped, Elderly

61.  Humanoid Industrial Robot with
 Two 7-axis arms
 Screen mimicking an animated
Face
 Integrated Cameras
 Sonar
 Torque Sensors
 Direct Programming access
 Height: 3-foot without pedestal;
5'10" - 6'3" with pedestal
 Weight: 165 lbs without pedestal;
306 lbs (138 kg) with pedestal
 Cost: $25,000 (£19,000/ €22,000)

62.  Company: Rethink Robotics
 Founder: Rodney Brooks
 Year: September 2012

63.  Performs simple industrial jobs
and dull tasks on a production
line; such as
 Loading / Unloading
 Sorting
 Handling of materials

65. Baxter runs on open-source Robot Operating System on a regular,
Personal Computer which is embedded in its chest

66. Baxter does
not need
elaborate
programming
or software
engineers
Any worker
can program
Baxter in
minutes
Usual
industrial
robots require
extensive
codes and
programs

67. Baxter has extra sensors in its hands that allow it to pay very
close attention to detail

68.  Face is an animated
screen
 Baxter can express
itself by making
facial expressions
 Its face can show
what it is focused on,
and its current status
 It can express
confusion when
something is not
right
 Baxter has sensors
surrounding its Head
that allow it to sense
people nearby

69.  Sensors around its head allow
Baxter to adapt to its
environment
 It knows that it cannot
continue with its job if it
drops a tool
 Most other industrial robots
either try to do their task
repeatedly despite lacking the
proper tools, or shut down, or
stop working at the slightest
change in their environment
 Extra dials, buttons, and
controls are available on
Baxter's arm for more
precision and features

72. Sorting objects, brewing coffee, folding a T-shirt, handling a
kitchen knife, looping wires, etc; Baxter can learn
You move your hands in the desired motion and Baxter can
memorize them
Baxter can be taught to perform multiple complicated tasks

73.  Hank Green. SciShow Presenter; A Brief History of
Robotics. (The inspiration behind this PPTX) URL:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoC2ZGRI8a8
 History of Robots: URL: http://www.robots-and-
androids.com/history-of-robots.html
 Consight: URL:
http://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catal
og/102640482
 Waseda University Humanoid: URL:
http://www.humanoid.waseda.ac.jp/booklet/kato_
2.html
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