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George Devol

George Charles Devol Jr. (February 20, 1912 – August 11, 2011) was an American inventor, best known for creating Unimate, the first industrial robot.[1][2] Devol's invention earned him the title "Grandfather of Robotics". The National Inventors Hall of Fame says, "Devol's patent for the first digitally operated programmable robotic arm represents the foundation of the modern robotics industry."[3]

George Devol
George Devol in 1982
Born(1912-02-20)February 20, 1912
DiedAugust 11, 2011(2011-08-11) (aged 99)
Occupation(s)Inventor, entrepreneur
SpouseEvelyn Jahelka

Early life

George Devol was born in an upper middle-class family in Louisville, Kentucky. He attended Riordan Prep school.[1]

United Cinephone

 
Phantom Doorman automatic door

Foregoing higher education, Devol went into business in 1932, forming United Cinephone to produce variable area recording directly onto film for the new sound motion pictures ("talkies"). However, he later learned that companies like RCA and Western Electric were working in the same area, and discontinued the product.[1]

During that time, Devol developed and patented industrial lighting and invented the automatic opening door.[4]

World War II

In 1939, Devol applied for a patent for proximity controls for use in laundry press machines, based on a radio frequency field.[5] This control would automatically open and close laundry presses when workers approached the machines. After World War II began, the patent office told Devol that his patent application would be placed on hold for the duration of the conflict.[6]

Around that time, Devol sold his interest in United Cinephone and approached Sperry Gyroscope to pitch his ideas on radar technology. He was retained by Sperry as manager of the Special Projects Department, which developed radar devices and microwave test equipment.[1]

Later in the war, he approached Auto-Ordnance Company regarding products that company could produce aside from their primary product line, which were Thompson submachine guns. Devol told them that the field of radar counter-measures was about to emerge as an urgently needed defense technology.

In 1943, he organized General Electronics Industries in Greenwich, Connecticut,[1] as a subsidiary of the Auto Ordnance Corporation. General Electronics produced counter-radar devices until the end of the war. General Electronics was one of the largest producers of radar and radar counter-measure equipment for the U.S. Navy, U.S. Army Air Force and other government agencies. The company's radar counter-measure systems were on Allied planes on D-Day.[6]

Over a difference of opinion regarding the future of certain projects, Devol resigned from Auto Ordinance and joined RCA. After a short stint as eastern sales manager of electronics products, which he felt "wasn't his ball of wax", Devol left RCA to develop ideas that eventually led to the patent application for the first industrial robot. In 1946, he applied for a patent on a magnetic recording system for controlling machines and a digital playback device for machines.[6]

Devol was part of the team that developed the first commercial use of microwave oven technology, the Speedy Weeny,[7] which automatically cooked and dispensed hotdogs in places such as Grand Central Terminal.

In the early 1950s, Devol licensed his digital magnetic recording device to Remington Rand of Norwalk, Connecticut, and became manager of their magnetics department. There he worked with a team to develop his magnetic recording system for business data applications. He also worked on developing the first high-speed printing systems. While the magnetic recording system proved too slow for business data, Devol's invention was re-purposed as a machine control that would eventually become the "brains" of the Unimate robot.[6]

The first industrial robot: Unimate

 
The first static magnetic recorder that used a saw blade to record information

In the 1940s, Devol was focusing on manipulators and his magnetic recording patents, but he took note of the introduction of automation into factories. In 1954, he applied for his seminal robotics patent. U.S. Patent 2,988,237, issued in 1954 for Programmed Article Transfer,[1] introduced the concept of universal automation, or Unimation. His wife Evelyn suggested the word "Unimate" to define the product, much the same as George Eastman had coined Kodak.[8]

 
U.S. Patent 2,988,237, issued in 1961 to Devol.

Devol wrote that his invention "makes available for the first time a more or less general purpose machine that has universal application to a vast diversity of applications where cyclic digital control is desired."[6]

After applying for this seminal patent — which had not a single prior citation — Devol searched for a company willing to give him financial backing to develop his programmable articles transfer system. He talked with many major corporations in the United States during his search. Through family connections, Devol obtained an audience with a partner in the firm Manning, Maxwell and Moore in Stratford, Connecticut. Joseph F. Engelberger, chief of engineering in the company's aircraft products division was very interested, and Devol agreed to license his patent and some future patents in the field to the company.[9] But the company was sold that year and its aircraft division was slated to be closed. Engelberger sought a backer to buy out the aircraft division and found one in Consolidated Diesel Electronic (Condec), which agreed to finance the continued development of the robot under a new division, Unimation Incorporated, with Engelberger as its president.[10]

The first Unimate prototypes were controlled by vacuum tubes used as digital switches though later versions used transistors. Most off-the-shelf components available in the late 1950s, such as digital encoders, were inadequate for the Unimate. With Devol's guidance, a team of skilled engineers at Unimation designed and machined practically every part in the first Unimates. Devol also invented a variety of new technologies, including a unique rotating drum memory system with data parity controls.

In 1960, Devol personally sold the first Unimate robot, which was shipped in 1961 to General Motors.[11] GM first used the machine for die casting handling and spot welding.[12] The first Unimate robot was installed at GM's Inland Fisher Guide Plant in Ewing Township, New Jersey, in 1961 to lift hot pieces of metal from a die-casting machine and stack them.[13] Soon companies such as Chrysler, Ford, and Fiat saw the necessity for large Unimate purchases.

The company spent about $5 million to develop the first Unimate.[citation needed] In 1966, after many years of market surveys and field tests, full-scale production began in Connecticut. Unimation's first production robot was a materials handling robot and was soon followed by robots for welding and other applications.

In 1975, Unimation showed its first profit. In 1978, the PUMA (Programmable Universal Machine for Assembly) robot was developed by Unimation from Vicarm (Victor Scheinman) and with support from General Motors.

In 2005, Popular Mechanics magazine selected Devol's Unimate as one of the Top 50 Inventions of the Past 50 Years.[14]

Additional work

Devol also obtained patents on visual sensors for robots,[15] coaxial connectors,[16] non-refillable containers,[17] and magnetostrictive manipulators or "micro robotics",[18] another field he created.

Death

Devol died on August 11, 2011, aged 99, at his home in Wilton, Connecticut. He was survived by two daughters, two sons, five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. His funeral service was held in a Methodist church and he was laid to rest in Wilton.[21][22]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "George Devol: A Life Devoted to Invention, and Robots". IEEE Spectrum.
  2. ^ "Father of robotics' who helped to revolutionise carmaking". Financial Times.
  3. ^ a b "George Devol Listing at NIHF".
  4. ^ "Patent 2,243,310, Electronic Control for Doors and Other Machines: George C. Devol, Jr". uspto.gov. 1937-10-05.
  5. ^ https://georgedevol.com/patents/2395780_-_1939_-_Capacity_Controlled_Textile_Press.pdf[bare URL PDF]
  6. ^ a b c d e "The Father Of Modern Robotics: George Devol". Lifehacker. 2015-12-21.
  7. ^ Pearce, Jeremy (2011-08-15). "George C. Devol, Inventor of Robot Arm, Dies at 99". The New York Times.
  8. ^ vidyaonline.org - robot[dead link]
  9. ^ Handbook of Design, Manufacturing and Automation by Richard C. Dorf and Andrew Kusiak (Wiley-IEEE) Page 260 ISBN 978-0-471-55218-5
  10. ^ Robotics Research Group - The first robot: "Unimate" 2008-03-08 at the Wayback Machine, University of Texas. Accessed August 14, 2011.
  11. ^ ""Unimate." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2008. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 08 October 2008". Britannica.com. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
  12. ^ . Used-Robots.com. Archived from the original on 2012-03-21. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
  13. ^ Mickle, Paul. "1961: A peep into the automated future", The Trentonian. Accessed August 11, 2011. "Without any fanfare, the world's first working robot joined the assembly line at the General Motors plant in Ewing Township in the spring of 1961.... It was an automated die-casting mold that dropped red-hot door handles and other such car parts into pools of cooling liquid on a line that moved them along to workers for trimming and buffing. Its most distinct feature was a grip on a steel armature that eliminated the need for a man to touch car parts just made from molten steel."
  14. ^ "The Top 50 Inventions of the Past 50 Years". Popular Mechanics. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
  15. ^ https://georgedevol.com/patents/3618742_-_1970_-_Automatic_Object_Adjustment.pdf[bare URL PDF]
  16. ^ https://georgedevol.com/patents/2449983_-_1943_-_Coaxial_Line_Coupling.pdf[bare URL PDF]
  17. ^ https://georgedevol.com/patents/3704813_-_1969_-_Valve_System_for_Non-Refillable_Containers.pdf[bare URL PDF]
  18. ^ https://georgedevol.com/patents/3233749_-_1963_-_Mircomanipulators.pdf[bare URL PDF]
  19. ^ "SME Honorary Members" (PDF). Society of Manufacturing Engineers. June 20, 2011. Retrieved August 21, 2011.[permanent dead link]
  20. ^ . pearcedesign.com. Archived from the original on 2012-03-21. Retrieved 2011-03-18.
  21. ^ Pearce, Jeremy. "George C. Devol, Inventor of Robot Arm, Dies at 99", The New York Times, August 15, 2011. Accessed August 14, 2011.
  22. ^ MacEachern, Frank. Robotics pioneer George Devol, a former Greenwich resident, dies at 99. CTPost August 16, 2011

george, devol, george, charles, devol, february, 1912, august, 2011, american, inventor, best, known, creating, unimate, first, industrial, robot, devol, invention, earned, title, grandfather, robotics, national, inventors, hall, fame, says, devol, patent, fir. George Charles Devol Jr February 20 1912 August 11 2011 was an American inventor best known for creating Unimate the first industrial robot 1 2 Devol s invention earned him the title Grandfather of Robotics The National Inventors Hall of Fame says Devol s patent for the first digitally operated programmable robotic arm represents the foundation of the modern robotics industry 3 George DevolGeorge Devol in 1982Born 1912 02 20 February 20 1912Louisville KentuckyDiedAugust 11 2011 2011 08 11 aged 99 Wilton ConnecticutOccupation s Inventor entrepreneurSpouseEvelyn Jahelka Contents 1 Early life 2 United Cinephone 3 World War II 4 The first industrial robot Unimate 5 Additional work 6 Death 7 ReferencesEarly life EditGeorge Devol was born in an upper middle class family in Louisville Kentucky He attended Riordan Prep school 1 United Cinephone Edit Phantom Doorman automatic door Foregoing higher education Devol went into business in 1932 forming United Cinephone to produce variable area recording directly onto film for the new sound motion pictures talkies However he later learned that companies like RCA and Western Electric were working in the same area and discontinued the product 1 During that time Devol developed and patented industrial lighting and invented the automatic opening door 4 World War II EditIn 1939 Devol applied for a patent for proximity controls for use in laundry press machines based on a radio frequency field 5 This control would automatically open and close laundry presses when workers approached the machines After World War II began the patent office told Devol that his patent application would be placed on hold for the duration of the conflict 6 Around that time Devol sold his interest in United Cinephone and approached Sperry Gyroscope to pitch his ideas on radar technology He was retained by Sperry as manager of the Special Projects Department which developed radar devices and microwave test equipment 1 Later in the war he approached Auto Ordnance Company regarding products that company could produce aside from their primary product line which were Thompson submachine guns Devol told them that the field of radar counter measures was about to emerge as an urgently needed defense technology In 1943 he organized General Electronics Industries in Greenwich Connecticut 1 as a subsidiary of the Auto Ordnance Corporation General Electronics produced counter radar devices until the end of the war General Electronics was one of the largest producers of radar and radar counter measure equipment for the U S Navy U S Army Air Force and other government agencies The company s radar counter measure systems were on Allied planes on D Day 6 Over a difference of opinion regarding the future of certain projects Devol resigned from Auto Ordinance and joined RCA After a short stint as eastern sales manager of electronics products which he felt wasn t his ball of wax Devol left RCA to develop ideas that eventually led to the patent application for the first industrial robot In 1946 he applied for a patent on a magnetic recording system for controlling machines and a digital playback device for machines 6 Devol was part of the team that developed the first commercial use of microwave oven technology the Speedy Weeny 7 which automatically cooked and dispensed hotdogs in places such as Grand Central Terminal In the early 1950s Devol licensed his digital magnetic recording device to Remington Rand of Norwalk Connecticut and became manager of their magnetics department There he worked with a team to develop his magnetic recording system for business data applications He also worked on developing the first high speed printing systems While the magnetic recording system proved too slow for business data Devol s invention was re purposed as a machine control that would eventually become the brains of the Unimate robot 6 The first industrial robot Unimate EditMain article Unimate The first static magnetic recorder that used a saw blade to record information In the 1940s Devol was focusing on manipulators and his magnetic recording patents but he took note of the introduction of automation into factories In 1954 he applied for his seminal robotics patent U S Patent 2 988 237 issued in 1954 for Programmed Article Transfer 1 introduced the concept of universal automation or Unimation His wife Evelyn suggested the word Unimate to define the product much the same as George Eastman had coined Kodak 8 U S Patent 2 988 237 issued in 1961 to Devol Devol wrote that his invention makes available for the first time a more or less general purpose machine that has universal application to a vast diversity of applications where cyclic digital control is desired 6 After applying for this seminal patent which had not a single prior citation Devol searched for a company willing to give him financial backing to develop his programmable articles transfer system He talked with many major corporations in the United States during his search Through family connections Devol obtained an audience with a partner in the firm Manning Maxwell and Moore in Stratford Connecticut Joseph F Engelberger chief of engineering in the company s aircraft products division was very interested and Devol agreed to license his patent and some future patents in the field to the company 9 But the company was sold that year and its aircraft division was slated to be closed Engelberger sought a backer to buy out the aircraft division and found one in Consolidated Diesel Electronic Condec which agreed to finance the continued development of the robot under a new division Unimation Incorporated with Engelberger as its president 10 The first Unimate prototypes were controlled by vacuum tubes used as digital switches though later versions used transistors Most off the shelf components available in the late 1950s such as digital encoders were inadequate for the Unimate With Devol s guidance a team of skilled engineers at Unimation designed and machined practically every part in the first Unimates Devol also invented a variety of new technologies including a unique rotating drum memory system with data parity controls In 1960 Devol personally sold the first Unimate robot which was shipped in 1961 to General Motors 11 GM first used the machine for die casting handling and spot welding 12 The first Unimate robot was installed at GM s Inland Fisher Guide Plant in Ewing Township New Jersey in 1961 to lift hot pieces of metal from a die casting machine and stack them 13 Soon companies such as Chrysler Ford and Fiat saw the necessity for large Unimate purchases The company spent about 5 million to develop the first Unimate citation needed In 1966 after many years of market surveys and field tests full scale production began in Connecticut Unimation s first production robot was a materials handling robot and was soon followed by robots for welding and other applications In 1975 Unimation showed its first profit In 1978 the PUMA Programmable Universal Machine for Assembly robot was developed by Unimation from Vicarm Victor Scheinman and with support from General Motors In 2005 Popular Mechanics magazine selected Devol s Unimate as one of the Top 50 Inventions of the Past 50 Years 14 Additional work EditDevol also obtained patents on visual sensors for robots 15 coaxial connectors 16 non refillable containers 17 and magnetostrictive manipulators or micro robotics 18 another field he created Elected to honorary member of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers 1985 19 Inducted into the National Inventor s Hall of Fame 2011 3 Member of the Automation Hall of Fame 20 Henry Ford and Smithsonian Museum collections both include Unimate robots Devol s archives are with the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn MichiganDeath EditDevol died on August 11 2011 aged 99 at his home in Wilton Connecticut He was survived by two daughters two sons five grandchildren and five great grandchildren His funeral service was held in a Methodist church and he was laid to rest in Wilton 21 22 References Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to George Devol a b c d e f George Devol A Life Devoted to Invention and Robots IEEE Spectrum Father of robotics who helped to revolutionise carmaking Financial Times a b George Devol Listing at NIHF Patent 2 243 310 Electronic Control for Doors and Other Machines George C Devol Jr uspto gov 1937 10 05 https georgedevol com patents 2395780 1939 Capacity Controlled Textile Press pdf bare URL PDF a b c d e The Father Of Modern Robotics George Devol Lifehacker 2015 12 21 Pearce Jeremy 2011 08 15 George C Devol Inventor of Robot Arm Dies at 99 The New York Times vidyaonline org robot dead link Handbook of Design Manufacturing and Automation by Richard C Dorf and Andrew Kusiak Wiley IEEE Page 260 ISBN 978 0 471 55218 5 Robotics Research Group The first robot Unimate Archived 2008 03 08 at the Wayback Machine University of Texas Accessed August 14 2011 Unimate Encyclopaedia Britannica 2008 Encyclopaedia Britannica Online 08 October 2008 Britannica com Retrieved 2012 03 15 The History and Benefits of Industrial Robots Used Robots com Archived from the original on 2012 03 21 Retrieved 2012 03 15 Mickle Paul 1961 A peep into the automated future The Trentonian Accessed August 11 2011 Without any fanfare the world s first working robot joined the assembly line at the General Motors plant in Ewing Township in the spring of 1961 It was an automated die casting mold that dropped red hot door handles and other such car parts into pools of cooling liquid on a line that moved them along to workers for trimming and buffing Its most distinct feature was a grip on a steel armature that eliminated the need for a man to touch car parts just made from molten steel The Top 50 Inventions of the Past 50 Years Popular Mechanics Retrieved 2012 03 15 https georgedevol com patents 3618742 1970 Automatic Object Adjustment pdf bare URL PDF https georgedevol com patents 2449983 1943 Coaxial Line Coupling pdf bare URL PDF https georgedevol com patents 3704813 1969 Valve System for Non Refillable Containers pdf bare URL PDF https georgedevol com patents 3233749 1963 Mircomanipulators pdf bare URL PDF SME Honorary Members PDF Society of Manufacturing Engineers June 20 2011 Retrieved August 21 2011 permanent dead link Automation Hall of Fame pearcedesign com Archived from the original on 2012 03 21 Retrieved 2011 03 18 Pearce Jeremy George C Devol Inventor of Robot Arm Dies at 99 The New York Times August 15 2011 Accessed August 14 2011 MacEachern Frank Robotics pioneer George Devol a former Greenwich resident dies at 99 CTPost August 16 2011 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title George Devol amp oldid 1112808584, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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