However, in spite of the simplicity of this prototype design, there is one crucial shortcoming of the system – and that relates how the container would ultimately run out of the water, and had to be manually filled again. Furthermore, we have decided to include CONCEPTIONS in this list, as opposed to actual physical designs of the automatons. *Please note – Automaton pertains to “a self-operating machine”, and as such could include mechanisms that are not humanoid. So, without further ado, let us take a gander at five such incredible automaton conceptions from history that preceded modern-day robots. However beyond just legends and myths, there were actual robotic designs that were contrived and conceptualized (before 19th century) by many an ingenious inventor and thinker.
Other ancient literary works and mythological anecdotes also allude to similar robotic mechanisms – like the famed Talos, a bronze-made guardian crafted by Hephaestus himself and the ‘ bhuta vahana yanta‘ or mechanical robots of King Ajatasatru of Magadha (Eastern India), who guarded the Buddhist relics. For example, according to a Chinese legend (as mentioned in the 4th century BC Daoist text Lie Zi), one Yan Shi successfully created an automaton that resembled a human form.
Contrary to our popular notions, the core concepts (and literary mentions) of automatons or ‘robots’ are almost 2,500 years old.
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