Automata of Al-Jazari
1136–1206 CE
Al-Jazari, a 12th-century Muslim engineer, designed and built programmable automata — mechanical robots — 800 years before the Industrial Revolution. His designs included a programmable musical band, a hand-washing automaton with a flush mechanism, and a water-powered clock with moving figures. His 'Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices' describes 100 machines.