1928 – “Gakutensoku” Pneumatic Writing Robot – Makoto Nishimura (Japanese)

Gakutensoku (學天則, Japanese for "learning from the laws of nature"), the first robot to be built in Japan, was created in Osaka in 1928. The robot was designed and manufactured by biologist and botanist Makoto Nishimura (1883-1956). Nishimura had served as a professor at Hokkaido Imperial University, studied Marimo and was an editorial adviser to …

1877 – “Zoe” the Drawing Automaton – John Nevil Maskelyne (British)

My initiial intention with this posting was to show "Zoe" as an example of an  early Anthropomorphic mechanical master-slave manipulator as well as being a drawing machine. What is presented are some images and illustrations of John Nevil Maskelyne's "Zoe", and an operational description of what could be "Zoe", but nevertheless a contemporary suggestion of how a …

1895 – Mechanical Toy Artist – Caroline Spilsbury Pocock (British)

[Source: A Century of Toys From The London Toy & Model Museum, 1982, Exhibition Catalogue] Blurb from Youtube: A very rare and clever toy produced in Germany approximately 1885 until about 1905. The little hand-cranked tin artist draws with a graphite stick onto paper via 'programmed' double-cams (x and y axis). I read about it …

1929 – Writing Robot – (American? / German?)

Modern Mechanix Nov, 1931 Video Lady Robot Used to Write Window Display Advertising IN THIS mechanical age machinery is being substituted for human beings in every possible and conceivable situation. One of the latest and most unique pieces of machinery to be put to use to supplant human agency is the almost human advertising contrivance, …