Robot

The Great Enlightenment

The Great Enlightenment refers to the period of time that saw large advancements in the field of robotics, specifically with the creation of the first artificial intelligence.

Prior to World War I, robots were crude and simple machines and were not self-aware. During and after the Great War, large advancements in the field of robotics was achieved. Because of a productiong boom throughout the war, General Robotics President Thomas Holt and others began working on articial intelligence, machines that were capable of understanding commands and problem solving.

This eventually led German scientist Rudolph Lorenz to the creation of the first self-aware robot, nicknamed Electronica. Electronica was able to have limited conversations and understood basic logic, and lacked much mobility. Her creation marked the beginning of The Great Enlightemnet.

The Golden Age of Robotics

The Golden Age of Robotics refers to the period of time leading up to and during the World War II. An explosion of breakthroughs in robotic tech took place in this time as appliance and weapon manufacturers saw an opportunity to expand into the world of robotics. This is also the time that John Sterling founded Sterling Robotics.

The Silver Age of Robotics

The Silver Age of Robotics refers to the period of time after World War II where robot rights were first being codified by businesses and governments.

During World War II and in the following years, an arms race between the East and West led to the development and spread of advanced new kinds of robots. Artificial intelligence had improved and robots were appearing more frequently in the lives of average people. Due to this, and the fact that many people had begun to grow attached to them, robot advocacy groups began appearing, who pushed for recognition of robots as autonomous beings.

One proponent of android rights was John Sterling, CEO and founder of Sterling Robotics. Him and other leaders in the technology space would eventually draft the Android Ethics Code, a set of codes designed to protect artificially intelligent beings from inhumane treatment. While imperfect, it began a precedent of robot rights and many countries adopted it.

The Dark Age of Robotics

The Dark Age of Robotics refers to the period of time near the Vietnam war when anti-robot sentiment began breaking out amongst the public. After the passing of the Android Ethics Code, many became uncomfortable with the parallels of owning an unpaid robotic labor force as property, with slavery. Tension grew as robotic labor began taking many jobs of the working class, especially in Dupont, the center of American robot manufacturing. Riots broke out, and combined with coverage of robots used in the Vietnam War, led to a negative public perception of robots.