The First Industrial Robot at GM: Unimate and the Birth of Automation

In this Breakthrough Days episode, we tell the true early story of Unimate — the first industrial robot installed in a factory — and how General Motors helped prove that automation could succeed under real production pressure.

Developed during the 1950s by American inventor George Devol (often called the “grandfather of robotics”), Unimate entered GM operations in Trenton, New Jersey in 1959 to assist in foundry processes. Using a hydraulic arm and magnetic drum memory (about 30 inches) capable of storing up to 200 commands, Unimate delivered repeatable industrial motion without any artificial intelligence.

By 1961, the year its patent was granted, produced units were already being installed in automotive factories. In 1962, Unimation Corp was founded to manufacture the robots—often considered the world’s first robotics company. Unimate later expanded through licensing, including early manufacturing by Nokia (1966) and a major partnership with Kawasaki Heavy Industries (1969). That same year, GM rebuilt and adapted the Lordstown, Ohio plant, using Unimate units for welding and reaching a production speed reported at around 110 cars per hour.

This is the story of the machine that didn’t think — but helped change manufacturing forever.

Series: Breakthrough Days
Channel: Engines of Change