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This page contains a timeline showing significant events in the development of Teleoperators, Exoskeletons and Industrial Robots with dates showing the creation or announcement of these machines.

Check out the updates page for recent posts.

There are many way to sub-categorize Teleoperators, from remote manipulators, Man-amplifiers and exoskeletons, prosthetics and orthotics, through to walking machines. These days, this overall category comes under the general heading of Haptics. The Man-amplifiers when combined with Walking machines are now commonly called Mechas (Mekas), following the naming popularized by Japanese Anime.

I've recently added a small but significat grouping on Early Industrial Robots.

Early Exoskeletons and Man-Amplifiers

1830c – Steam-assisted walker (Spoof) – Robert Seymour

1889- Rinehart Walking Machine
1890- Yagn Walking Apparatus
1904- Crosse Leg-Powered Unicycle
1904 – Skorzewski Walking Apparatus

 1917 - Steam-powered "Pedomotor" by Kelley

1934 – Cobb "wind-up" Lower extremity walker

1953 – "Creakyfoot" Power Suit by E.R. James (Fiction)

Gizmo Outboard-motor assisted walker

 1956- Mobile Space Suit – Lent

1959 – "Starship Troopers" Power Suits – Robert Heinlein (Fiction)
1961-2- Man-Amplifier Cornell Aeronautical Labs – Neil Mizen

 1964 – Body Support System – Kultsar

  1962 – Case Institute Externally Powered Orthosis

 1964 – Rancho "Golden Arm" Powered Orthosis

1965-71- GE Hardiman I

1967 – The Ambushers (Fiction)   

1970-2 – Powered Exoskeleton – Vukobratovic

1972-3 – Grundmann & Seireg

1978 – Shulman Jogging Machine
 1986 – Power Loader – Aliens (Fictional)

 1987 – LIFESUIT – Exoskeleton – Monty Reed

1989- Man-Amplifier – Mark Rosheim

1990 – SpringWalker

 1990 – Power-Assist Suit

1991- Pitman - Jeff Moore

 1998 – "Walking Machine" – Stelarc

2000- Electric SpringWalker 

 Kazerooni Human Extender

2001- McKibben powered vests – Japanese

 2002 – HAL-3 – Cyberdyne

 2003 – Matrix 3 Exo Suits (Fictional)

 2004 – BLEEX – Kazerooni

 2005 – HAL 5

 2008 – Iron Man exoskeleton (Fictional)

 2008 – XOS – Sarcos-Raytheron

 2008 – Power-assist suit (Japan)

 2009 – HULC – Locheed Martin

 2009 – Panasonic Power Loader

 2009 – District 9 Exoskeleton (Fictional)

 2010 – XOS 2 – Sarcos-Raytheon

 2010 – Avatar (Fictional)

 2010 Panasonic Power Jacket

Early Teleoperated Walking Machines

                         
1962 – GE Pedipulator - Ralph Mosher          
1969 – GE Walking Truck – Ralph Mosher

 1978-9 – Mobile Suit Gundam

1990 – SpringWalker

 1986 – Power Loader – Aliens (Fictional)

 1998 – "Walking Machine" – Stelarc

 

21st Century

 

2000- Electric SpringWalker 

 2003 – Matrix 3 Exo Suits (Fictional)

 2009 – District 9 Alien Exoskeleton (Fictional)

 2010 – Avatar (Fictional)            
                    
 

Early Remote Mobile Manipulators

 1967 – RIVET (Remote Inspection VEhicle Telechiric)

 

 

Early Master-Slave Manipulators

 1925 – Teledactyl by Hugo Gernsback (Concept)

1942 – Waldo and waldoes

   – Early Anthropomorphic Remote Control

1770- "The Turk" Chess Player

1875- "Psycho" Card Playing Automaton

1877- "Zoe" Drawing and Writing Automaton

1929- "Dr Motor" - Tarján Ferenc

1931- Writing Mannequin

 

   – No Force-Feedback

 

1930- Giant Mechanical Worker by Franz Hübl

 1948 – Payne Manipulator

 1950 – "Adelbert" Manipulator by Youmens.
1959- Hughes MOBOT I

1963- Hughes MOBOT

1964- Hughes MOBOT II

1969 – Self-propelled Anthropomorphic Manipulator (SAM)
1972 – JPL/AMES Teleoperator – Vykukal

 

  

  - Force-Feedback           
 

 1954 – ElectroMechanical Manipulator – Ray Goertz

1956- GE Yes Man

1958-9- GE Handyman – Ralph Mosher

1962- MASCOT

1969- Syntelmann – Kleinwaechter            

1969- GE Man-Mate Industrial manipulator

1971 – Naval Anthropomorphic Teleoperator ("NAT")

1983 – "Greenman" Teleoperator

1992 – TOPS TeleOperator/telePresence System

 1997- Robot Manipulator – Rosheim

 

 

Early Industrial Robots

 

Pre-Robot Manipulators

 

 1892 – Babbitt Crane for Furnaces

 c1940 The Iron Hand

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 1950 – GE Manipulator – Manual or remote control.

 

First Re-Programmable Machines and Industrial Robots

 

 1801 – Jacquard Loom

 1873 – "Automat" Cam-operated Lathe by Christopher Spencer

 1934 – Programmable Spray-painting patent by Pollard Jr.

 1935-7 – "The Robot Gargantua" by 'Bill' Griffith P. Taylor - First 'pick-and-place' Robot.

 1938, April – Automated positional spray-painting patent by Pollard Sr.

 1939, August – Roselund filed his automated spray-painting patent.

 1941 – Isaac Asimov, aged 21 in May 1941, invents the word 'Robotics' in a robot story entitled "Liar!".

 1947 – Del Harder, a Ford executive, coins the word "Automation".

 1954, March – The Brit Cyril Kenward filed his " Positioning or Manipulating Apparatus" patent.

 1954, December – Devol's "Programmed Article Transfer" patent filed and granted in 1961.

 1955 – "PLANOBOT" by Joe Brown

 1959 – "TransfeRobot" by Shelley

 1959 – Working Robot and Prototype Unimate by Devol & Engelberger

 1960 – "Versatran"

 1961 – 1st "Unimate", installed at GM

 1962 – "Unimation" formed by Devol and Engelberger

 1962 – "Fleximan" by  Anthony Kaye

 1965-7 – Ole Molaug developed his Trallfa spray-paint robot. First production run in 1967. Now ABB
1967 – Unimation agreement with Kawasaki Triggered the Japanese robot industry
1971 – Cincinnati Milacron launched the first mini computer controlled robot T³

1974 – ASEA IRB-6 First Electric-powered Industrial Robot

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