Skip to main content

Unimate and Beyond: Exploring the Genesis of Industrial Robotics

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Advances in Service and Industrial Robotics (RAAD 2024)

Abstract

This paper delves into the detailed historical advancement of robotics, tracing the trajectory of technological development that led to automation across various fields. The historical overview extends from ancient times to the mid-1960s, with a specific focus on the core of industrial robotics. Significant achievements that have profoundly influenced the contemporary industrial landscape are highlighted, unraveling the story from the early origins of robotics to the introduction of the first industrial robot, Unimate. Within the industrial context, pivotal innovations from the early stages of industry are unveiled, emphasizing their far-reaching impact on automation. Adopting a panoramic historical research approach and incorporating a multi-perspective view, this paper provides a comprehensive account of the evolutionary history of robotics. Beyond documenting technological advancements, it addresses broader issues, including challenges, implications, and ethical considerations associated with robotics. By lifting the veil on the evolutionary path of innovation and automation, this paper throws light on the first impact of robotics on industry.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 219.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 299.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Freeth, T., Bitsakis, Y., Moussas, X., Seiradakis, J.H., Tselikas, A., Mangou, H., Zafeiropoulou, M., Hadland, R., et al.: Decoding the ancient Greek astronomical calculator known as the Antikythera mechanism. Nature 444(7119), 587–591 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. McKinnon, J.W.: Hero of Alexandria and Hydraulis. In: Sadie, S., Tyrrell, J. (eds.) The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (2nd ed.). Macmillan Publishers, London (2001)

    Google Scholar 

  3. Gasparetto, A.: Robots in history: legends and prototypes from ancient times to the industrial revolution. In: López-Cajún, C., Ceccarelli, M. (eds.) Explorations in the History of Machines and Mechanisms. History of Mechanism and Machine Science, vol. 32. Springer, Cham (2016)

    Google Scholar 

  4. Brett, G.: The automata in the Byzantine “Throne of Solomon.” Speculum 29(3), 477–487 (1954)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. The Father of Robotics: Al-Jazari. https://www.baytalfann.com/post/the-father-of-robotics-al-jazari. Last accessed 15 Jan 2024

  6. Johann Müller Regiomontanus. https://mathshistory.st-andrews.ac.uk/Biographies/Regiomontanus/. Last accessed 15 Jan 2024

  7. Stephens, E., Heffernan, T.: We have always been robots: the history of robots and art. In: Herath, D., Kroos, C., Stelarc (eds.) Robots and Art. Cognitive Science and Technology, pp. 29–45. Springer, Singapore (2016)

    Google Scholar 

  8. Yates, D.R., Vaessen, C., Roupret, M.: From Leonardo to da Vinci: the history of robot-assisted surgery in urology. BJU Int. 108(11), 1708–1713 (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  9. Howes, A.: Age of Invention: The Spanish Engine. https://www.ageofinvention.xyz/p/age-of-invention-the-spanish-engine. Last accessed 15 Jan 2024

  10. Chapman, S.: Blaise Pascal (1623–1662) Tercentenary of the calculating machine. Nature 150, 508–509 (1942)

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  11. Coullet, P., San Martin, J., Tirapegui, E.: Kepler in search of the Anaclastic. Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, 164 (2022)

    Google Scholar 

  12. Landes, D.S.: The Unbound Prometheus: Technological Change and Industrial Development in Western Europe from 1750 to the Present. Cambridge University Press (1969)

    Google Scholar 

  13. Hudson, J.: The history and development of robots. In: Robot Revolution: Understanding the Social and Economic Impact, pp. 19–32. Edward Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham (2019)

    Google Scholar 

  14. Lopez-Cajún, C., Ceccarelli, M. (eds.): Explorations in the History of Machines and Mechanisms, History of Mechanism and Machine Science, vol. 32. Springer, Cham (2016)

    Google Scholar 

  15. Čapek, K.: R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots). The University of Adelaide Library, Adelaide (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  16. Gasparetto, A., Scalera, L.: From the unimate to the delta robot: the early decades of industrial robotics. In: Zhang, B., Ceccarelli, M. (eds.) Explorations in the History and Heritage of Machines and Mechanisms. History of Mechanism and Machine Science, vol. 37, pp. 284–295. Springer, Cham (2019)

    Google Scholar 

  17. Bell, G.: Making life: a brief history of human-robot interaction. In: Consumption Markets & Culture, vol. 21, issue 1, pp. 22–41. Taylor & Francis, Oxfordshire (2018)

    Google Scholar 

  18. Oh, C.G., Park, J.: From mechanical metamorphosis to empathic interaction: a historical overview of robotic creatures. J. Hum. Robot Interact. 3(1), 4–19 (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  19. Zielinska, T.T.: History of service robots and new trends. In: Zhang, D., Wei, B. (eds.) Novel Design and Applications of Robotics Technologies, pp. 158–187. IGI Global, Hershey (2019)

    Google Scholar 

  20. Penaloza, C., Lucho, C., Cuellar, F.: Towards the design of robots inspired in ancient cultures as educational tools. In: Koh, J., Dunstan, B., Silvera-Tawil, D., Velonaki, M. (eds.) Cultural Robotics. CR 2015. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol. 9549. Springer, Cham (2016)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ovidiu-Aurelian Detesan .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2024 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this paper

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this paper

Detesan, OA., Moholea, I.F. (2024). Unimate and Beyond: Exploring the Genesis of Industrial Robotics. In: Pisla, D., Carbone, G., Condurache, D., Vaida, C. (eds) Advances in Service and Industrial Robotics. RAAD 2024. Mechanisms and Machine Science, vol 157. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-59257-7_27

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics