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WE'VE BEEN REALLY, REALLY GOOD THIS YEAR.
JUST ASK OUR KIDS.
>> I'M ROGER MUDD.
WELCOME BACK TO THE HISTORY
CHANNEL'S PRESENTATION
OF "ROBOTS."
THE BUSINESS OF ROBOTICS
RECENTLY PASSED A MILESTONE
WHEN 1997 INDUSTRY REVENUES
WERE MORE THAN A BILLION
DOLLARS FOR THE FIRST TIME.
ROBOTS ARE COMMONLY USED FOR
ALL TYPES OF JOBS.
IN CALIFORNIA, ONE SERVICE
STATION IS EXPERIMENTING WITH
A ROBOT THAT OPENS THE GAS CAP
AND THEN FILLS THE TANK.
ANOTHER ROBOT WAS DESIGNED TO
FIND AND DISPOSE OF UNEXPLODED
LAND MINES -- DEFINITELY NOT
A JOB FOR HUMANS.
MEANWHILE, RESEARCHERS AROUND
THE WORLD CONTINUE WORKING ON
THE NEXT GENERATION OF ROBOTS.
WE CONTINUE WITH "ROBOTS."
>> TOBOR, THE MOST AMAZING,
THE MOST FANTASTIC CREATION
OF MAN'S MIND.
>> OH, HE LOOKS ALIVE!
>> THROUGHOUT THE 1950s, 1960s,
AND 1970s, POPULAR CULTURE
TENACIOUSLY HELD ON TO THE
VISION OF THE INTELLIGENT
ROBOT.
BUT FANTASY STILL FAR
OUTSTRIPPED REALITY.
MECHANICAL MEN BUILT DURING
THIS PERIOD, LIKE SWISS
ENGINEER PETER STEUR'S ROBOT,
WERE LITTLE MORE THAN
SOPHISTICATED AUTOMATONS --
CLOSE COUSINS OF ELEKTRO
AND SPARKO FROM EARLIER
DECADES.
>> HOWEVER, RESEARCHERS WERE
PURSUING THE DREAM OF
A HUMANLIKE ROBOT, ONE ARM
AT A TIME.
IN THE 1950s, HIGHLY DEXTEROUS