2600 BCE
Lever, ramp and sledge
Egyptian and Mesopotamian builders exploit levers, ramps and rollers to move colossal stones. Source — Wikipedia:
Chronological Storyline (11 Milestones)
250 BCE
Archimedes’ pulleys & screw
Archimedes formalises the law of the lever and devises compound pulleys and the water-raising screw. Source — Wikipedia:
100 BCE
Antikythera geared mechanism
A Greek bronze device uses dozens of precision gears to predict astronomical events. Source — Wikipedia:
1085 CE
Su Song’s geared clock tower
Su Song’s Chinese astronomical tower uses an escapement and complex gear-trains to drive automata. Source — Wikipedia:
1206 CE
Al-Jazari’s automata & gears
Al-Jazari’s Book of Ingenious Devices documents gears, valves and programmable automata. Source — Wikipedia:
1647 CE
Pascal’s law of hydraulics
Blaise Pascal shows pressure transmits equally through fluids — the basis of hydraulic force multiplication. Source — Wikipedia:
1795 CE
Bramah’s hydraulic press
Joseph Bramah’s hydraulic press turns small forces into enormous ones, industrialising hydraulics. Source — Wikipedia:
1829 CE
Pneumatic power tools
Compressed-air systems begin powering tools and brakes, exploiting pneumatics for clean force transfer. Source — Wikipedia:
1868 CE
Westinghouse air brake
George Westinghouse’s pneumatic brake lets a driver stop a whole train safely and simultaneously. Source — Wikipedia:
1961 CE
Unimate: first industrial robot
The Unimate hydraulic arm joins a General Motors line — the first industrial robot and modern actuator system. Source — Wikipedia:
2013 CE
Soft robotics & advanced actuators
Compliant pneumatic and electroactive actuators give robots gentle, lifelike mechanical advantage. Source — Wikipedia: