Were you aware that Jacques de Vaucanson created the worlds first robot in the 1700s?
Jacques de Vaucanson (1709–1782) was a French engineer and inventor who is credited with creating the world’s first true robots, as well as for creating the first completely automated loom (programmed with punch cards — an early digital computer of sorts) that was later perfected as the Jacquard Loom to revolutionize the textile industry. His mechanical masterpiece was ‘The Digesting Duck’, which had over 400 moving parts and could flap its wings, drink water, digest grain, and defecate. At the time, mechanical creatures were somewhat a fad in Europe, but most could be classified as toys, and de Vaucanson’s creations were recognized as being revolutionary in their mechanical life-like sophistication. (Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_de_Vaucanson ) Thanks, Highlander, for making me aware of him.
