Editing Humanoid robot (section)

== History ==
The concept of a humanoid robot originated in many different cultures around the world. Some of the earliest accounts of the idea of humanoid [[Automaton|automata]] date to the 4th century [[BCE]] in [[Ancient Greece|Greek]] mythologies and various religious and philosophical texts from China. Physical prototypes of humanoid automata were later created in the [[Middle East]], [[Italy]], [[Japan]], [[France]] and [[South Korea]].

=== Greece ===
The Greek god of blacksmiths, [[Hephaestus]], created several different humanoid automata in various myths. In Homer's ''Iliad,'' Hephaestus created golden handmaidens and imbued them with human-like voices to serve as speaking tools or instruments.<ref name=":7">{{Cite book|last=Gera|first=Deborah Levine|title=Ancient Greek ideas on speech, language, and civilization|date=2003|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=0-19-925616-0|location=Oxford|oclc=52486031}}</ref> Another Greek myth details how Hephaestus crafted a giant bronze [[automaton]] named Talos to protect the island of Crete from invaders.<ref name=":8">{{Cite web|last=University|first=Stanford|date=2019-02-28|title=Ancient myths reveal early fantasies about artificial life|url=https://news.stanford.edu/2019/02/28/ancient-myths-reveal-early-fantasies-artificial-life/|access-date=2021-11-03|website=Stanford News|language=en}}</ref>

=== China ===
In the 3rd century BCE, a [[Taoism|Taoist]] philosophical text called the ''[[Liezi]]'', written by Chinese philosopher [[Lie Yukou]], detailed the idea of a humanoid automaton. The text includes mention of an engineer named Yan Shi who created a life-size, human-like robot for the fifth king of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty, [[King Mu of Zhou|King Mu]].<ref name=":9">{{Cite book|last=Needham|first=Joseph|title=Science and Civilisation in China: Volume 2, History of Scientific Thought|date=1991|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-05800-1}}</ref> The robot was primarily constructed of leather and wood. It was capable of walking, singing, and moving all parts of its body.<ref name=":9" />

=== Middle East ===
In the 13th century, a Muslim engineer named [[Ismail al-Jazari]] designed various humanoid automata. He created a waitress robot that would dispense drinks from a liquid reservoir and appear out of an automatic door to serve them.<ref>{{Cite web|last=@NatGeoUK|date=2020-08-01|title=Medieval robots? They were just one of this Muslim inventor's creations|url=https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/history-and-civilisation/2020/08/medieval-robots-they-were-just-one-of-this-muslim-inventors|access-date=2021-11-03|website=National Geographic|language=en-gb}}</ref> Another automaton he created was used for hand washing to refill a basin with water after being drained.<ref name="Rosheim22">{{Cite book|last=Rosheim|first=Mark E.|url=https://archive.org/details/robotevolutionde0000rosh/page/9|title=Robot Evolution: The Development of Anthrobotics|publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons|Wiley]]-[[Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers|IEEE]]|year=1994|isbn=0-471-02622-0|pages=[https://archive.org/details/robotevolutionde0000rosh/page/9 9–10]}}</ref>

=== Italy ===
[[File:Leonardo-Robot3.jpg|thumb|Model of [[Leonardo da Vinci|Leonardo]]'s robot with inner workings]]
In the 1400s, [[Leonardo da Vinci]] conceptualized a complex mechanical robot clad in a suit of armor, capable of sitting, standing, and independently moving its arms.<ref name=":11">{{cite journal |last1=Moran |first1=Michael E. |title=The da Vinci Robot |journal=Journal of Endourology |date=December 2006 |volume=20 |issue=12 |pages=986–990 |doi=10.1089/end.2006.20.986 |pmid=17206888 }}</ref> The entire robot was operated by a system of pulleys and cables.

=== Japan ===
From the 17th to 19th centuries, the Japanese built humanoid automata called [[Karakuri puppet|''karakuri'' puppets]]. These puppets resembled dolls and were used for entertainment in theatre, homes, and religious festivals.<ref name=":12">{{Cite book|last=Law|first=Jane Marie|title=Puppets of nostalgia : the life, death, and rebirth of the Japanese Awaji ningyō tradition|date=1997|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=0-691-02894-X|location=Princeton, N.J.|oclc=35223048}}</ref> ''Karakuri'' puppets that were used for theater plays were called ''butai karakuri''.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Brown|first=Steven T. |title=Tokyo cyberpunk : posthumanism in Japanese visual culture|date=2010|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=978-0-230-10360-3 |location=New York|oclc=468854451}}</ref> Small ''karakuri puppets'' found in homes, called ''zashiki kurakuri'', were placed on tables to dance, beat drums, or serve drinks.<ref name=":1" /> The puppets used in religious festivals were known as ''Dashi karakuri'', and they served to reenact myths and legends.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Limits of the human|date=2008|publisher=University of Minnesota Press|author=Frenchy Lunning|isbn=978-0-8166-6968-4|location=Minneapolis|oclc=320843109}}</ref>

=== France ===
In the 18th century, French inventor [[Jacques de Vaucanson]] created a significant humanoid automaton called ''[[Vaucanson Flute Player|The Flute Player]]''. This wooden, human-sized robot was capable of playing various melodies with the flute. It consisted of a system of bellows, pipes, weights, and other mechanical components to simulate to the muscles necessary to play the flute.<ref name=":13">{{Cite web|date=2002-02-16|title=Living Dolls: A Magical History Of The Quest For Mechanical Life by Gaby Wood|url=http://www.theguardian.com/books/2002/feb/16/extract.gabywood|access-date=2021-11-03|website=the Guardian|language=en}}</ref>

=== South Korea ===
[[KAIST]]'s research team developed Hubo, South Korea's first humanoid robot, and Professor Oh Jun-ho, who led the team, founded [[Rainbow Robotics]] in 2011.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2 February 2025 |title=삼성전자, 로봇 개발 기업 '레인보우 로보틱스' 자회사 편입 |url=https://www.chosun.com/economy/tech_it/2025/01/01/MNAVQNLG75FHBKYDOLW357OYCA/ |work=[[The Chosun Ilbo]] |language=Korean}}</ref> In 2025, South Korean government formed the [[K-Humanoid Alliance]], an alliance of the companies, researchers, and talents.<ref>{{Cite news |date=10 April 2025 |title="2030년 최강국 목표"...K-휴머노이드 연합 출범 |url=https://biz.chosun.com/policy/policy_sub/2025/04/10/YB4GUQIKBFCX3H4IKHIJPV62AQ/ |work=[[Chosun Biz]]}}</ref>