It’s counterintuitive, but the word “android” is actually older than the word “robot.” The first use of “robot” was in a Communist Czech play in 1921, but “android” is far older, and the term came into regular use in the 1770s to refer to the creations of Jacquet-Droz.

Jacquet-Droz was a genius clock and watchmaker who created unusual novelty devices that mimicked human behavior. As they tended to look like dolls, the term “android” was used to refer to them. Many of his doll-like androids still exist, but not all. An example of one of his remaining ones is the Writer, who could actually use a quill pen to write up to 40 words on a tiny piece of paper.