Ispectrum Magazine Ispectrum Magazine #15 | Page 5

PART 1: SYSTEM START-UP What is a Robot? The Oxford English defines a Robot as: Dictionary “A machine capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically, especially one programmable by a com-puter”. If we are to apply the credence of “a machine carrying out a complex series of actions automatically”, constituting a robot, then it can be argued that the first robot ever devised - according to information currently available - was a mechanical bird-like feature constructed out of wood in circa 400BC by Archytas - regarded by some to be the Father of Mechanical Engineering.1 Amongst other additions to this new race, this ethos was then consolidated in 1495 with the first ever faux-humanoid robot, built and devised by none other than Leonardo Da Vinci. 4