Early Teleoperators, Exoskeletons and Industrial Robots

This page shows a timeline of 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.

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 Exoskeleton

1976 – Pneumatic Exoskeleton Prosthesis – Pierre Rabischong

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

2000- Electric SpringWalker

 2003 – Matrix 3 Exo Suits (Fictional)

 2009 – District 9 Alien Exoskeleton (Fictional)

 2010 – Avatar (Fictional)

Early Remote Mobile Manipulators

1959 – Hughes MOBOT I

1960 – KOELSCH Mobile Manipulator

1960 onwards – Miscellaneous Mobile Manipulator Arms

1961 – "The Little Ranger" Remote Mobile  Manipulator

 1963 – MRMU Mobile Remote Manipulator Unit

1963 – Hughes MOBOT

1964- Hughes MOBOT II

1966 – "Herman" Mobile Remote Manipulator – PaR Systems

 1967 – RIVET (Remote Inspection VEhicle Telechiric)

1969 – Self-propelled Anthropomorphic Manipulator (SAM)

 1970-1 – CURV Mobile Linkage Manipulator – Naval Undersea Research

 1971 – MULE – Manned/Unmanned Lunar Explorer

 1974 – Remote-Controlled Manipulator Vehicle – KHG

 1975 – “Roboteer” Mobile Remote Manipulator

1976 – MF3 Manipulator Vehicle – Köhler

1985 – Nuclear Maintenance Robot “AMOOTY” – Tokyo Uni / Toshiba

Early Master-Slave Manipulator

 1925 – Teledactyl by Hugo Gernsback (Concept)

 1929 – "Robot #792" Mobile Remote Robot (Concept)

 1930 – "Flying Robot" Teleoperated Robot (Concept)

from 1942 onwards – Waldo, Waldoes and Master Exoskeletons

   – 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 Master-slave Manipulator

 1950 – "Adelbert" Manipulator by Youmens

 1953 – GE O-Man Manipulator

 1954 – Teledoctor by Hugo Gernsback

 1958-62 – "Beetle" Mobile Manipulator – G.E. Corp.

 1960 – “Minotaur” Remote Manipulator by General Mills
1972 – JPL/AMES Teleoperator – Vykukal

1960 onwards – Miscellaneous Mobile Manipulator Arms

 

  – Force-Feedback

 1954 – ElectroMechanical Manipulator – Ray Goertz

 1955 – Manned Mobile Remote Manipulator

1956- GE Yes Man

1958-9- GE Handyman – Ralph Mosher

1958 – Remote Servo-manipulator by Ray Goertz et al.

1959 – MASCOT Remote Servo-manipulator by Carlo Mancini

1965 – GE Boom

1969 – Syntelmann – Kleinwaechter

1969 – GE Man-Mate Industrial manipulator

1970-2 – "Virgule" Remote-Controlled Manipulator – Jean Vertut

1971 – Naval Anthropomorphic Teleoperator ("NAT")

1983 – "Greenman" Teleoperator

 1984-93 – Nuclear Inspection Centaur Robot – ART Project

1985 – ACEC Mobile Inspection Vehicle

1992 – TOPS TeleOperator/telePresence System

 1997- Robot Manipulator – Rosheim

 

Early Lunar and Off-world Teleoperated Rovers

1959 – Lunar Robot MOBOT (Concept)

 1959 – Lunar Construction Vehicle from Project HORIZON – U.S. Army

 1960 – "Homobile" Lunar Rover by Hugo Gernsback

 1961 – Tracked Lunar Vehicle (Concept) – GE

 1961 – Moonwalker – Space-General Corp

 1989 – MOSAP (MObile Surface APplication traverse vehicle)

 Miscellaneous Lunar and Off-World Walker – Concepts and Illustrations

 Miscellaneous Lunar and Off-World Rovers with Manipulators – Concepts and Illustrations

 

Early Teleoperators in Space

-Unmanned

 1959-61 -Concept O-6 Remotely Controlled Utility Tug

 1962 – Unmanned Space Mobot (Concept) – Hughes Aircraft

 1962 – Nonanthropomorphic Space Suit  (Concept) – Douglas Aircraft

 1964 – SCHMOO (Concept) – Lockheed

 1968 – Android Space Manipulator (Concept) – GE

 1970 – Experimental Teleoperator System (T/S) – NASA

 1972 – "Free Flyer" with Manipulators – NASA/Bell/Rancho Los Amigos

 1972 – Rancho Anthropomorphic Manipulator (RAM) – Rancho Los Amigos Hospital/NASA

 1972 – Extentible Stiff Arm Manipulator (ESAM) – MSFC

 1973-8 –Daedalus 'Wardens' – T. J. Grant et al

 1982-4 – Telepresence Servicer Unit (TSU) – M.I.T.

 1983 – Beam Assembly Teleoperator (BAT) – University of Maryland

 1984-7 – Orbital Maneuvering Vehicle (OMV) – NASA

 1987 – Flight Telerobotic Servicer (FTS) – Grumman

 1987 – Flight Telerobotic Servicer (FTS) – Martin Marietta

 1949 – Space Tug (Illustration) by Klaus Bürgle

 1954 – Wernher von Braun "Space Bottle"

 1955 – N.Kolchitsky Space Tug

 1958 – Astrotug – Lockheed

 1959-61 – Concept O-9 Manned Utility Tug

 1960 – Mercury Converted Space Capsule (Concept) – Douglas Aircraft

 1960 – Bell "Remora"

 1960 – SLOMAR Tug – Martin

 1960 – Space Manipulators (Concepts) – General Mills

 1961 – Space Pod (Concept) – Lockheed

 1961 – Space Maintenance Capsule & Adapter – NORAIR

 1961 – Humpty Dumpty (Concept) – Douglas Aircraft Co.

 1961 – Orbital Space Tug (Concept) – GE

 1962 – Manned Auxillary Fitter Craft with Mandible (Concept) – Sperry

 1965 – Space Pod (Concept) – Boeing

 1966-7 – Space Horse (Concept) – LTV

 1966-7 – Space Taxi (Concept) – LTV

 1967 – Space Work Platform (Concept) – Bendix

 1965-8 – Space Pod – 2001-A Space Odyssey

 1968 – STEM Remote Space Manipulator (Concept) – Spar Aerospace

 1968 – Serpentuator – MSFC

1969, July 20 – First moon landing.

 1970 – Space Tug (Concept) – MSFC/Boeing

 1971 – Space Tug (Concept) – MSFC/Boeing

 1971-2 – Apollo-Soyuz Shuttle Manipulator (Concept) – NASA/Johnson

 1976 – Space Manipulator – Boeing

 1978 – Manned Remote Work Station (MRWS) – Grumman

 1979 – Manned Orbital Transfer Vehicle (MOTV) – Grumman

 1985 – Manned Autonomous Work Station (MAWS) – Griffin

 1986 – P.O.W.E.R. Flexible Robot Arm

 Miscellaneous Space Tugs with Manipulator Arms (Illustrations)

 1892 – Babbitt Crane for Furnaces

 c1950 – "The Iron Hand"

 1950 – GE Manipulator – Manual or remote control

 1953 – GE O-Man Manipulator

 1801 – Jacquard Loom

 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.

 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

 1960 – "Versatran"

 1961 – 1st "Unimate", installed at GM

 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