Times have certainly changed, just look at what kids are playing with these days. While toy cars and dolls can still keep youngsters entertained, popular new generation toys include video games, remote control toys, and toy robots.
The origin of toy robots can be traced back to the development of robots. One of the first robots was an automaton invented by the Frenchman Jacques de Vaucanson in 1738. He made an automatic mechanical duck that could eat and digest grain, flap its wings, and excrete. In Japan, Hisashige Tanaka created a variety of extremely complex mechanical toys, some of which were capable of shooting arrows, serving tea, or even painting a Japanese character.
In the 1930s, the Westinghouse Electric Corporation built a humanoid robot. The robot, named Elektro, was displayed at the World’s Fair during 1939 and 1940. From 1948 to 1949, William Gray Walter of the Burden Neurological Institute in Bristol, England, developed the first electronic autonomous robots. Called Elmer and Elsie, these “turtle robots” could sense light and contact with external objects. They were also able to find their charging station when the battery died.
The first truly modern digitally operated, programmable, and teachable robot was invented by George Devol in 1954. His robot was called Unimate, which he sold to General Motors in 1960. In 1961, it was installed in a plant in Trenton, New Jersey to lift hot parts. metal from a die casting machine and stack them.
In 1985, the Tomy Kyogo Company created the Omnibot 2000, a toy robot that could be controlled with a handheld remote control or by programs stored on magnetic tape. In the late 1990s, Sony introduced AIBO, the robotic dog. AIBO was capable of autonomously navigating a room and playing ball using its suite of sensors. Other pet robots soon followed. Tiger Electronics created the Furby in 1998, a pet toy that could communicate with its owner. In 2001, Omron released the NeCoRo robotic cat as a competitor to AIBO. He had Mind and Consciousness (MaC) technology, which allowed him to generate feelings.
Toy robots have certainly come a long way since Jacques de Vaucanson’s mechanical duck more than two centuries ago. They’re a more common sight today, and we’ll no doubt continue to see more toy robots in the years to come.