Record #00299Technology archive
First Industrial Robot Used on a Production Line
The Unimate robot began working on a General Motors production line in New Jersey in 1961, an installation recognized by the International Federation of Robotics as the first of its kind.
ARCHIVE VISUAL / 01
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Achievement date
1961
1961
- Achiever
- Unimate
- Location
- Ewing Township, New Jersey, USA (also described historically as GM's Trenton plant) · Former GM Inland Fisher Guide / Ternstedt factory · United States
- Record status
- VerifiedReport an issue
Overview
Archive NoteGeorge Devol and Joseph Engelberger pioneered Unimate's development and commercialization. A magnetic drum stored programmed sequences that controlled its hydraulically actuated arm. Prototype development in 1959 and the first production-line deployment in 1961 are distinct milestones.
In 1961 Unimate went into production-line use at GM's Inland Fisher Guide / Ternstedt facilities in New Jersey, transferring and stacking hot die-cast components to reduce dangerous manual handling. Guinness locates the installation in Ewing Township, while the International Federation of Robotics describes the plant as being in Trenton. The difference in location wording should not be taken to establish two separate installations without site-level evidence.
Record history
1 Milestones- First achievementUnimateEwing Township, New Jersey, USA (also described historically as GM's Trenton plant)First achievement
Sources
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