The earliest ancestor of today's industrial-robot devices is the water clock.

A Greek physicist constructed a water clock about 250 BC.

Weight-driven, pendulum-controlled clocks were invented in the European Middle Ages.

The spring-driven clock was finally developed during the 18th century.

The Industrial Revolution stimulated the invention of elementary robot mechanisms.

Since the late 1960s, major developments in microelectronics and computer technology have led to significant advances in robotics.

In the automobile industry, the introduction of computer-controlled robot devices has automated assembly lines.

One-armed robots are capable of simulating the movement of the human arm.

The mechanical arms are programmed by physically moving them through the desired motions.

The different movements are recorded in the computer's memory so that they can be repeated precisely.