Al-Jazari's Programmable Automata
The world's first programmable drum machine.
Explore this event on the interactive timeline →In his "Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices," the Islamic polymath Al-Jazari described a musical boat featuring four mechanical musicians. The drummer robots were controlled by a rotating cylinder with removable pegs (cams) that bumped levers to strike the drums.
Verified Facts
- By changing the positions of the pegs on the rotating cylinder, the rhythm and drum pattern could be reprogrammed without rebuilding the machine—making it one of the earliest examples of "software" programming.
- Al-Jazari also invented the camshaft, the crankshaft, and the segmental gear, all of which became foundational to modern mechanical engineering.
- He served as the chief engineer at the Artuqid Palace in modern-day Turkey.