The word “robot” enters public culture through R.U.R.
Karel Čapek's play R.U.R. helped introduce the word “robot,” derived from a Czech term associated with forced labor, into international usage.
Robotics & Drone Timeline
A source-linked chronology from early automation to industrial robotics, unmanned flight, autonomous vehicles, modern humanoids and embodied AI.
Date precision is preserved
Approximate years, publication dates, demonstrations and commercial deployments are labeled as different event types. A fetch date is never substituted for an event date.
- Year
- Day
George Devol's programmed article-transfer patent
U.S. Patent 2,988,237 described a programmed apparatus for transferring articles, an important foundation for early industrial robotics.
- Year
Unimate begins industrial work at General Motors
The Unimate installation at a General Motors plant is recognized by the IEEE History Center as the first industrial robot deployment.
- Day
Sojourner operates on Mars
NASA's Mars Pathfinder delivered Sojourner, the first rover to operate on Mars.
- Year
iRobot launches Roomba
iRobot introduced the Roomba robotic vacuum, helping make domestic mobile robots familiar to a broad consumer audience.
- Day
DARPA holds its first Grand Challenge
DARPA's first Grand Challenge tested autonomous vehicles on an off-road course and catalyzed subsequent research and competition.
- Day
Amazon agrees to acquire Kiva Systems
Amazon announced an agreement to acquire Kiva Systems, whose mobile-robot approach became central to Amazon's fulfillment automation.
- Day
FAA Part 107 takes effect
The FAA's Part 107 framework took effect for many non-recreational small-UAS operations in the United States.
- Day
Ingenuity makes a powered flight on Mars
NASA's Ingenuity completed the first powered, controlled flight of an aircraft on another planet.
- Month
Boston Dynamics introduces the electric Atlas generation
Boston Dynamics introduced an all-electric Atlas generation as it shifted the platform toward industrial applications.
- Day
Figure introduces Figure 03
Figure introduced its third-generation humanoid with redesigned sensing, manipulation, charging and manufacturing features.
- Day
Figure reports Figure 03 at BMW Spartanburg
Figure published a demonstration of Figure 03 performing a parts-sequencing workflow at BMW Group Plant Spartanburg.