The First Robot Companies

The earliest robot manufacturing enterprises emerged in the mid-20th century, transforming industrial production across Europe and North America. Unimation, founded by George Devol and Joseph Engelberger in 1956 in Danbury, Connecticut, stands as the world's first robot company. Their Unimate robot, patented in 1961, became the first industrial robot deployed on assembly lines, measuring 4,000 pounds and capable of performing repetitive manufacturing tasks with precision.

Early Manufacturing Pioneers

• Unimation (1956, Connecticut, USA) - developed hydraulic-powered industrial robots
• Kawasaki Heavy Industries (1968, Japan) - licensed Unimation technology and began domestic production
• ABB Robotics (founded as ASEA in 1891, Sweden) - entered robotics manufacturing in the 1970s
• Fanuc (1956, Japan) - specialized in CNC machinery before shifting to robot production in 1968

The General Motors plant in Trenton, New Jersey, installed Unimate robots in 1961, marking the first major industrial deployment. By 1970, approximately 1,000 industrial robots operated in factories worldwide. Engelberger received the Leonardo da Vinci Medal in 1997 for pioneering industrial robotics. Japan rapidly became the dominant robotics manufacturer, producing 50% of the world's industrial robots by the early 1980s, fundamentally revolutionizing automotive and electronics manufacturing.

Reference:

Wikipedia reference

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