1991/2002 – Floorbotics Robotic Vacuum Cleaners – G. T. Duncan Ashworth (Australian)

The FloorBot is a robotic floor cleaner for the home. It's designed to automatically clean the floor while you relax, get a little exercise, or just head off for work. Press the start button and the FloorBot cleans in logical laps while sensing and navigating any obstacles in the area. When the FloorBot has finished …

1954 – Programmed Article Transfer Patent – George C. Devol Jr. (American)

Programmed Article Transfer by George C. Devol Jr. See full patent details here. Patent number: 2988237 Filing date: Dec 10, 1954 Issue date: Jun 13, 1961 Joseph Engelberger on the left, George Devol Jr on the right – c1960 [Image credit: The Estate of George C. Devol] In the patent, Devol wrote, "the present invention makes available …