WABOT-1: The first humanoid robot

Witness History

Scientists at Waseda University in Japan built the world's first humanoid robot in 1973. They called it the 'WABOT', the Waseda robot. It could see, walk and even talk. It was a huge leap forward in the history of artificial intelligence and robotics. Dr Hiromichi Fujisawa tells Ben Henderson how he was tasked with making the robot speak.

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(Photo: Leader of the project, Professor Ichiro Kato, with WABOT-1. Credit: Future Robotics Organization/Waseda University)