1957 – “Artificial Muscle” – Joseph Laws McKibben (American)

Although "fluidic actuators" had been around for a long time prior to Joseph Laws McKibben's invention, none had been used previously for prosthetic applications, yet alone robotics. It was McKibben's use that coined the term "Artificial Muscle". Joe McKibben talks about his invention: More Help For Polio Victims To bring motion to his little daughter's polio-paralyzed hands, Dr. …

1950c – NERISSA Artificial Nerve – W. Grey Walter (British)

NERISSA.- A Nerve Excitation, Inhibition and Synaptic Analogue. This demonstrates particularly the relationship between the various parameters of nervous action such as finite propagation rate, excitation threshold, all-or-none conduction, strength-duration curves of excitability, refractory periods, Wedensky synaptic facilitation and inhibition, inhibitory escape and rebound, transmission of information by pulse interval modulation, and anomalies of " …

1940 – Project Pigeon (1948 – Project Orcon) – B.F. Skinner (American)

Painting (1986) by Anton van Dalenshowing B.F. Skinner with Project Pigeon. Project Orcon During World War II, Project Pigeon (later Project Orcon, for "organic control") was American behaviorist B. F. Skinner's attempt to develop a pigeon-guided missile. The control system involved a lens at the front of the missile projecting an image of the target to …

1956c – “Dog-Mobile” Dog-controlled Walking Truck (Concept) – Iben Browning (American)

Robots on your doorstep (a book about thinking machines) Nels Winkless, Iben Browning – 1978 – 178 pages Yogi is Smarter than the Average Bear …It is not widely remembered that Man has been the standard draft animal for most of "historical" times, quite apart from prehistory. Only very late in the game, during the …

1971 – 3-legged Walker – Grundmann & Seireg (American)

Shown above is the original three legged walking machine. Contrary to above caption, the 3-legged walker was developed in 1971. Van Derhei, Jack (ed.) / The Wisconsin engineer Volume 77, Number 2 (November 1972) Sanborn, Steve Everyone should walk,   pp. 8-9 During the 1971 Engineering Exposition people on this campus were exposed for the first time …