WhereIsAtlas · Robotics

WABOT-1

The world's first full-scale humanoid robot — built in Japan in 1973, the grandparent of today's robots

Concluded — WABOT-1, completed in 1973 at Japan's Waseda University, was the world's first full-scale anthropomorphic robot. It was an early milestone in humanoid robotics — a grandparent of the modern robots made today by companies like Boston Dynamics and Unitree — but it is now retired and kept as a historic artifact.

WABOT-1 was completed in 1973 at Japan's Waseda University, in the laboratory that later became the Humanoid Robotics Institute. It is widely recognized as the world's first full-scale anthropomorphic robot — a human-like machine that could move on legs, grip objects with two hands and communicate in Japanese.

At a time when robots were mostly industrial arms, WABOT-1 was a bold attempt to build a machine in the image of a person. It walked, grasped and had a rudimentary ability to converse — an astonishing achievement for its era. It was the first in a celebrated series (WABOT and later WABIAN) that established Waseda as a global pioneer of humanoid robotics.

It is important to be precise about WABOT-1's legacy: it did not directly found any modern company. But it was an early ancestor of the humanoid-robot lineage that today includes Boston Dynamics (founded 1992 by Marc Raibert, building on his work at MIT) and the Chinese firm Unitree (founded 2016). WABOT-1 proved the idea was possible; the modern robots inherited that ambition.

Today WABOT-1 is retired, preserved as a historic artifact and referenced in the history of humanoid robotics.

Quick facts

Completed

1973, Waseda University, Japan

Role

World's first full-scale anthropomorphic robot

Capabilities

Walked, grasped with two hands, basic Japanese speech

Legacy

First in the WABOT/WABIAN series

Relation to today

An early ancestor of modern humanoids (Boston Dynamics, Unitree)

Status

Retired; a historic artifact

Sources

1. Humanoid Robotics Institute - history — Waseda University (2026-09-05)
2. WABOT-1 and Waseda humanoid robots — Waseda University (2026-09-05)

Related: boston dynamics · unitree · asimo