The concept of a robot has evolved over centuries, but the term "robot" was first coined by the Czech playwright Karel Čapek in his 1920 play "R.U.R." (Rossum's Universal Robots). However, the idea of automated mechanical beings dates back even further.
One of the earliest known examples of what could be considered a robot is the mechanical bird created by the ancient Greek inventor Archytas of Tarentum around 400 BCE. This bird was powered by steam and could fly for a short distance.
In the modern era, many individuals contributed to the development of robots, including Nikola Tesla, who designed remote-controlled boats and other automatons in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and Leonardo da Vinci, whose sketches included designs for humanoid automatons.
However, the credit for inventing the first programmable mechanical robot often goes to George Devol and Joseph Engelberger. In 1954, George Devol patented the first digitally operated programmable robotic arm, which he called the "Unimate." Joseph Engelberger, along with Devol, founded the first robot company, Unimation, in 1956. Their work laid the foundation for the industrial robotics industry as we know it today.

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