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The beginning of an Industrial Robot
George Charles Devol often called the father of robotics, invented the first industrial robot, the Unimate, in 1954. -
The Unimate
The first prototype, Unimate, was produced in 1961 and installed in GM's factory for die casting handling and spot welding. -
Rancho Arm
In 1963, the six-jointed Rancho Arm was created to assist handicapped. -
Tentacle arm
The tentacle arm, designed by Marvin Minsky in 1968 was able to lift a person and had 12 joints. -
Industrial Robot Development
Industrial robotic development continued to quickly evolve, and in 1969 the Standford Arm eventually led to commercial arm production. -
Industrial Robots taking off
By the middle of the 1970s, industrial robots had boomed and were expected to grow at rates around 30% per year. The industrial robotics industry officially took off and never looked back. -
Stanford Arm
The Stanford Arm was one of the first electronically powered, computer-controlled arms. By 1974, it reached a level of sophistication where it could assemble a Model T water pump. -
Silver Arm
The Stanford Arm was followed by the Silver Arm in 1974. The Silver Arm was created by MIT's David Silver to perform precise assembly using touch and pressure sensors and a microcomputer -
Investments
In the 1980s, automotive companies showered robotic companies with investments. The enthusiasm and funding were not always matched with understanding. General Motors Corporation spent more than $40 billion on new technology in the 1980s, but a lack of understanding led to costly robot fiascos. -
Motorman ERC control system
Yaskawa America Inc. introduced the Motorman ERC control system in 1988. This has the power to control up to 12 axes, which was the highest number possible at the time. -
Upgrade of The motorman ERC system
Two years later, in 1994, the Motorman ERC system was upgraded to support up to 21 axes. -
Development and Improvement
2010 brought a huge acceleration in demand due to the continued innovative development and improvement of industrial robots -
Increase
By 2014, there was a 29% increase in robot sales across the globe.
