The First Robot Was Built in 1739 - Apparently.
In 1739, German inventor and clockmaker Johann Friedrich Struvel created the first recorded robot, called the "Mechanical Duck." This automaton was a lifelike, mechanical duck that could swim, dive, and even quack. The Mechanical Duck was powered by a series of pulleys and levers, and its movements were controlled by a system of weights and counterweights.
This early robot was designed to entertain and demonstrate the capabilities of clockwork machinery, and it predated the modern concept of robotics by over a century.