Unimate

Unimate is the brand name of the first widely used industrial robot, developed by Unimation, an American robotics company established by George Devol and Joseph Engelberger. The machine marked a turning point in manufacturing by bringing programmable automation from laboratories to the factory floor.

The Unimate arm was designed to perform repetitive, dangerous tasks in harsh production environments. It used hydraulic actuators to provide the lifting power and multi-axis motion needed to reach and manipulate parts, often in automo tive and other heavy industries. Early models were programmed using a teach-in method, where an operator guided the arm through movements to record a sequence that could be replayed.

In 1961, a Unimate robot was installed at a General Motors plant to remove hot die-cast parts from molding machines and transfer them to conveyors. This deployment demonstrated the robot’s ability to work alongside human workers, handle heavy loads, and operate continuously without fatigue, leading to wider adoption of robotics in manufacturing.

Impact and legacy: Unimate is widely regarded as the first commercially successful industrial robot and a catalyst for the modern automation era. Its successful deployment showed that programmable, automated manipulation could improve productivity, consistency, and safety on production lines. The Unimate line and its successors laid the groundwork for the development of more advanced robotic arms and the broader use of robotics across automotive, electronics, and consumer goods manufacturing.