The First Robot Was Built to Serve Tea - Apparently.
In 1928, the British engineer William George Grey Walter created a robot called Elmer, which was designed to serve tea. Elmer was a simple, mechanical device that could move around and pour tea from a pot into a cup. This early robot was not just a novelty, but also a precursor to more complex robotic systems. Walter's work on Elmer is still studied by robotics historians today, and it's considered one of the earliest examples of a robot designed to perform a practical task.