Unimate was the first industrial robot, installed at a General Motors factory in 1961.
George Devol invented the programmable robotic arm and patented the idea in 1954. He later worked with Joseph Engelberger, who founded Unimation and commercialized the machine. The name Unimate came from “Universal Automation.”
General Motors installed the robot at its Inland Fisher Guide plant in Ewing Township, New Jersey. It handled hot die-cast parts and transported them between machines, keeping workers away from dangerous heat and fumes. Unimate was not a humanoid robot; it was a large programmable manipulator fixed to the factory floor.
Industrial robots later became common in welding, painting, assembly, and material handling. A frequent mix-up is calling Unimate the first robot of any kind. Earlier mechanical automatons existed, but Unimate is specifically recognized as the first industrial robot used in factory production.