Robotics Pioneer, George C. Devol, Dies at 99
As reported in the New York Times, George C. Devol, inventor of the programmable robotic arm, died on August 11, 2011, at the age of 99 at his home in Wilton, Conn. Mechanically-inclined since childhood, Devol turned the stuff of science fiction into science fact by creating groundbreaking robotics advancements that would go on to revolutionize factory design.
With a background in electrical engineering and machine controls, Mr. Devol designed a mechanical arm that could be programmed to repeat simple tasks, such as grasping and lifting. The concept, named Universal Automation, later shortened to Unimation, received a patent in 1961. Soon after, Unimate, the first industrial robot, was born, and along with it, the concept of replacing expensive human labor with robotic machinery.
The first Unimate arm joined a General Motors assembly line in Ewing Township, NJ, in 1961, where it was used to lift and stack hot pieces of metal from a die-casting machine. The device was a success and orders from Chrysler 
and Ford soon came rolling in. As the Times reports, although they faced "resistance from labor unions, Unimates designed for welding, spray-painting, applying adhesives and other potentially hazardous jobs were in production by 1966." The Japanese, in particular, favored the technology, and used it in service industries like hospitals. Within a decade, this revolutionary mechanical device became a staple of assembly lines around the world.
In 2005, the Unimate was selected by Popular Mechanics as one of the top 50 inventions of the last 50 years. The Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History houses an early model of the first industrial robot, and in May of this year, Mr. Devol was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
Devol favored design solutions that are simple and practical: "We should take refuge in the fact that very crude systems can accomplish an awful lot. Elegant capabilities are nice, but often unnecessary." He is survived by two daughters, two sons, five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
