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George Charles Devol often called the father of robotics, invented the first industrial robot, the Unimate, in 1954.
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The first prototype, Unimate, was produced in 1961 and installed in GM's factory for die casting handling and spot welding.
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In 1963, the six-jointed Rancho Arm was created to assist handicapped.
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The tentacle arm, designed by Marvin Minsky in 1968 was able to lift a person and had 12 joints.
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Industrial robotic development continued to quickly evolve, and in 1969 the Standford Arm eventually led to commercial arm production.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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Two years later, in 1994, the Motorman ERC system was upgraded to support up to 21 axes.
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2010 brought a huge acceleration in demand due to the continued innovative development and improvement of industrial robots
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By 2014, there was a 29% increase in robot sales across the globe.
