Gakutensoku was the first Japanese robot, displayed at Kyoto’s Great Exhibition in 1928.
The machine was designed by biologist and philosopher Makoto Nishimura, who had worked in Japan and abroad. Its name means “learning from the laws of nature.” Gakutensoku had a large seated body and used pneumatic mechanisms to move its head, hands and facial features.
One of its celebrated demonstrations involved holding a pen and writing, while another mechanism allowed it to change facial expression. A feather-shaped signal attached to its head could trigger movement in response to light, giving the machine an early appearance of reacting to its surroundings.
Gakutensoku was an automaton rather than a modern autonomous robot. It had no computer, and its demonstrations depended on mechanical and pneumatic control. It is sometimes confused with Japan’s older karakuri dolls, but Gakutensoku was a large scientific exhibition machine created in the early 20th century.