George Devol, creator of the first industrial robot arm dies at 99

He may not be a household name like Henry Ford, but it’s arguable that George Devol’s (above, right) work was even more influential in shaping the modern manufacturing landscape. In 1961, roughly seven years after first applying for the patent, his Unimate was put into service in a GE automobile plant. The world’s first programmable, robotic arm was used to lift hot cast metal components out of a mold and stack them — the assembly line has never be the same. Other companies soon followed suit, replacing expensive and fragile humans with mechanical labor. Devol died Thursday night in his home at the age of 99. If you’re interested in getting a peek at his game-changing invention, you can find one at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. [Image credit: The Estate of George C. Devol] George Devol, creator of the first industrial robot arm dies at 99 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Aug 2011 20:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

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