The first programmable robot was built by 12th-century Muslim inventor Ismail al-Jazari, which featured mechanized drummers that could play the beat to different songs (Subscriber Exclusive)
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Al-Jazari's most iconic invention is his elephant clock, which continues to delight today. Modern reproductions of the water-driven device can be found at several places in the world, including the Ibn Battuta Mall in Dubai; the Institute for the History of Arab-Islamic Science in Frankfurt, Germany; and the Museum of Horology, Le Locle, Switzerland.
For all their ingenuity, such devices were playthings for the rich. With his courtier hat on, al-Jazari understood the need to dazzle his rich patrons, who would, in turn, dazzle visiting dignitaries with their resident genius’s latest wonder. As a craftsman from a modest background, he also knew the needs of the everyday and devised useful gadgets that would lighten the burden of everyday toil.
He is remembered principally for this book, but his realized inventions would play a key role in civic life for many years to come. Among them was a water supply system using gears and hydraulic energy, which was used in the mosques and hospitals of Diyarbakir and Damascus. In some cases, systems modeled on his design remained in use until recent times.