Al-Jazari's Programmable Robot
1206 CE
In 1206 CE, the engineer Al-Jazari described and built a programmable humanoid robot band — four musicians on a boat whose movements were controlled by a rotating drum with pegs that triggered levers. It is the earliest known programmable automaton, predating modern robotics by 800 years. Al-Jazari also invented the crankshaft, the camshaft, and the combination lock.