Editing Robot (section)

=== Early robots ===
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 102-13018, Maschinenmensch "Robot".jpg|thumb|upright|W. H. Richards with "George", 1932]]

In 1928, one of the first humanoid robots, [[Eric (robot)|Eric]], was exhibited at the annual exhibition of the Model Engineers Society in London, where it delivered a speech. Invented by W. H. Richards, the robot's frame consisted of an aluminium [[body armour|body of armour]] with eleven [[electromagnet]]s and one motor powered by a twelve-volt power source. The robot could move its hands and head and could be controlled through remote control or voice control.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reffell.org.uk/the-reffell-family-history-website/people/ah-reffell-eric-robot-1928-the-uks-first-robot/|title=AH Reffell & Eric the Robot (1928) - the UK's Firs Robot|access-date=26 September 2023}}</ref> Both Eric and his "brother" George toured the world.<ref>{{cite news|title=1932 - George Robot - Capt. W.H. Richards (British)|website=cyberneticzoo.com|url=https://cyberneticzoo.com/robots/1932-–-george-robot-–-capt-w-h-richards-british/|access-date=26 September 2023}}</ref>

[[Westinghouse Electric Corporation]] built Televox in 1926; it was a cardboard cutout connected to various devices which users could turn on and off. In 1939, the humanoid robot known as [[Elektro]] was debuted at the [[1939 New York World's Fair]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.freetimes.com/stories/13/35/robot-dreams-the-strange-tale-of-a-mans-quest-to-rebuild-his-mechanical-childhood-friend |work=The Cleveland Free Times |title=Robot Dreams: The Strange Tale Of A Man's Quest To Rebuild His Mechanical Childhood Friend |access-date=25 September 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100115065601/http://www.freetimes.com/stories/13/35/robot-dreams-the-strange-tale-of-a-mans-quest-to-rebuild-his-mechanical-childhood-friend|archive-date=15 January 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Robots of Westinghouse: 1924-Today |first=Scott |last=Schaut |publisher=Mansfield Memorial Museum |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-9785844-1-2}}</ref> Seven feet tall (2.1 m) and weighing 265 pounds (120.2&nbsp;kg), it could walk by voice command, speak about 700 words (using a 78-rpm [[record player]]), smoke cigarettes, blow up balloons, and move its head and arms. The body consisted of a steel gear, cam and motor skeleton covered by an aluminum skin. In 1928, Japan's first robot, [[Gakutensoku]], was designed and constructed by biologist Makoto Nishimura.

The German [[V-1 flying bomb]] was equipped with systems for automatic guidance and range control, flying on a predetermined course (which could include a 90-degree turn) and entering a terminal dive after a predetermined distance. It was reported as being a 'robot' in contemporary descriptions.<ref>{{cite book|title=Secrets of the Flying Bomb Revealed: Special Sectional Drawing and How the Robot's Flight and Dive are Controlled Automatically|publisher=Illustrated London News|year=1944|url=https://www.germanpostalhistory.com/php/viewitem.php?itemid=51776}}</ref>