1923 – The Electric Dog – Hugo Gernsback * (American)

(Source: Practical Electrics Sep. 1923 ed Hugo Gernsback) This electric dog follows a magnetic walking cane in any direction like an obedient servant. Simply hold the cane in front of the dog's nose, whereupon the dog starts running and will follow the cane straight ahead or to the right or left as desired. See pdf …

1983 – VOR, OMNIVOR, OMNIVAC 1 – Tom Lonergan & Carl Frederick (American)

The VOR (Volitionally Operant Robot) is the robot of the future. Its sophisticated capabilities reflect state-of-the-art advances in robotics and artificial intelligence. Microelectronics technology has endowed the VOR with powers of sensory perception as well as locomotion and memory. It is able to comprehend and synthesize speech as well as view the world through camera …

1980-82 – ROBART-I Sentry Robot – H. R. Everett (American)

Text and some images sourced from here – http://www.spawar.navy.mil/robots/land/robart/robart.html This link also contains other links to ROBART information, not covered here. ROBART-I was Bart Everett‘s thesis project at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA.  and one of the very first behavior-based autonomous robots ever built. The navigation scheme provided a layered hierarchy of behaviors …

1976 – “Mike” “Microtron” -Tod Loofbourrow (American)

Interface Age article pdf here BOOK REVIEW from early KIM magazine   TITLE: How to build a computer controlled robot   AUTHOR: Tod Loofbourrow   PUBLISHER: Hayden Book Co.  #5681-8    $7.95 If youre looking for a book which presents a nuts and bolts approach to robot construction–you'll want to look at this book!  The author starts …