Unimate

thumb|Sketch of a Unimate robot thumb|Unimate pouring coffee for a human, 1967 Unimate was the first industrial robot, which worked on a General Motors assembly line at the Inland Fisher Guide Plant in Ewing Township, New Jersey, in 1961. There were in fact a family of robots.

== History == It was invented by George Devol in the 1950s using his original patent filed on December 10, 1954 and granted on June 13, 1961 (). The patent is titled "Programmed Article Transfer" (PAT) and begins: The present invention relates to the automatic operation of machinery, particularly the handling apparatus, and to automatic control apparatus suited for such machinery. Devol, together with Joseph Engelberger, his business associate, started the world's first robot manufacturing company, Unimation. Devol's background wasn't in academia, but in engineering and mechanics, and previously worked on optical sound recording for film and high-speed printing using magnetic sensing and recording. Engelberger's ultimate goal was to create mechanical workers to replace humans in factories.