All About the History of Robots and what they do

Two Questions I am always asked whether it is on training courses or installing robots are 1. Where did the word “Robot” originate? and 2. What year was the first Robot used ?

The Word “Robot ” is drawn from an old Church Slavonic word, robota, for “servitude,” “forced labour” or “drudgery.” The word, which also has cognates in German, Russian, Polish and Czech, was a product of the central European system of serfdom by which a tenant’s rent was paid for in forced labour or service.

In 1961 the first industrial robot, Unimate, created by American inventor George Devol , was in operation on a General Motors assembly line at the Inland Fisher Guide Plant in Ewing Township, New Jersey. The 4000 pound robotic arm transported die castings from an assembly line and welded these parts on Car bodies, a dangerous task for workers, who could be poisoned by exhaust fumes or lose a limb if they were not careful.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unimate

In 2020 nearly 60 years after the first Unimation Robot was launched, Industrial Robots have changed in their appearance but they are still doing the same thing as when they were first designed in 1954. They are primarily utilized for two main reasons. Firstly to save Labour and secondly to increase production faster to make money. Anything else they achieve is a bonus…

Today in the “Modern” world of Industrial Robotics, a Robot can be utilized for many applications. Here at PCRobotics, we are always trying to discover new ways to use industrial robots as well as utilizing the tried and tested everyday jobs that we have associated robots with. Below is some examples where robots are used every day without us even knowing and our lives would be very different without them.

  • Palletizing
  • Resistance Welding
  • MIG / MAG Welding
  • Rivetting
  • Machine Tending
  • Plasma Spraying
  • HVOF Spraying
  • Press Tending
  • Wet Concrete handling
  • Hay Bailing/Palletizing
  • Non Explosive Spraying
  • Gluing
  • Hemming
  • Many Many More