Joseph Engelberger
Encyclopedia
Joseph F. Engelberger is a physicist, engineer
and entrepreneur
who is referred to as the "Father of Robotics
". Licensing the original patent awarded to inventor George Devol
, Engelberger developed the first industrial robot
in the United States, the Unimate
, in the 1950s. Later he worked as entrepreneur and vocal advocate of robotic technology beyond the manufacturing plant in a variety of fields, including service industries, health care, and space exploration.
s for the robot technology. The first industrial robot was installed at the General Motors
Inland Fisher Guide Plant
in Ewing Township, New Jersey
in 1961. Over the next two decades, the Japanese took the lead by investing heavily in robots to replace people performing certain tasks. In Japan, Engelberger is widely hailed as a key player in the postwar ascendancy of Japanese manufacturing quality and efficiency.
In 1966, Engelberger and a Unimate robot appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
. In the segment, the robot poured a beer, sank a golf putt, and directed the band.
The Robotics Industries Association annually presents the Joseph F. Engelberger Awards to "persons who have contributed outstandingly to the furtherance of the science and practice of robotics." The 2000 World Automation Congress was dedicated to Engelberger, who delivered the keynote
address.
An early proponent of increased investment in robotic systems, Engelberger published articles and gave Congressional testimony on the value of using automation in space long before successes of the NASA
's Mars landers, Galileo, and other unmanned space science missions.
Engelberger's 1980 book, Robotics in Practice (ISBN 9780814475874), has been translated into six languages. This was followed by Robotics in Service (ISBN 9780262050425) in 1989.
Engelberger was elected to the National Academy of Engineering
in 1984. Additional honors include the Progress Award of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers
, the Leonardo da Vinci Award of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
, the 1982 American Machinist Award, the McKechnie Award from the University of Liverpool
, the Egleston Medal from Columbia University
, the 1997 Beckman Award for pioneering and original research in the field of automation, and the 1997 Japan Prize, the highest Japanese technology honor, for the establishment of the robot industry.
Engelberger received his B.S.
and M.S.
degrees from Columbia University
, in 1946 and 1949, respectively. Between 1946 and 1956, he was an engineer with Manning, Maxwell and Moore
. In 1957, he founded Consolidated Controls Corporation. In 1962 he founded Unimation Inc., and served as chief executive until it was acquired by Westinghouse in 1982. In 1984, he founded Transitions Research Corporation which became HelpMate Robotics Inc. HelpMate was acquired by Cardinal Health
in 1997. In his more recent work, Engelberger has focussed on mobile, sensate robots can work with human mentors in service activities. The HelpMate, a robotic hospital courier, is the most widely known and has been installed in over dozens of hospitals around the world. Engelberger has been active in the promotion and development of robots for use in elder care.
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
and entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
who is referred to as the "Father of Robotics
Robotics
Robotics is the branch of technology that deals with the design, construction, operation, structural disposition, manufacture and application of robots...
". Licensing the original patent awarded to inventor George Devol
George Devol
George Charles Devol, Jr. was an American inventor who was awarded the patent for Unimate, the first industrial robot. Devol's patent for the first digitally operated programmable robotic arm represented the foundation of the modern robotics industry.As an inventor he had over 40 patents and was...
, Engelberger developed the first industrial robot
Industrial robot
An industrial robot is defined by ISO as an automatically controlled, reprogrammable, multipurpose manipulator programmable in three or more axes...
in the United States, the Unimate
Unimate
Unimate was the first industrial robot,which worked on a General Motors assembly line at the Inland Fisher Guide Plant in Ewing Township, New Jersey, in 1961.It was created by George Devol in the 1950s using his original patents...
, in the 1950s. Later he worked as entrepreneur and vocal advocate of robotic technology beyond the manufacturing plant in a variety of fields, including service industries, health care, and space exploration.
Biography
In 1956, Engelberger founded Unimation Inc., which was the world's first robotics company. Two years earlier Devol had already secured the patentPatent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
s for the robot technology. The first industrial robot was installed at the General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
Inland Fisher Guide Plant
Inland Fisher Guide Plant (New Jersey)
The Inland Fisher Guide Plant was a General Motors facility located in the West Trenton section of Ewing Township, New Jersey that opened in 1938 as one of its most modern plants and was operated by the firm for 60 years...
in Ewing Township, New Jersey
Ewing Township, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the 2010 Census, there were 35,790 people, 13,171 households, and 7,980 families residing in the township. There were 13,926 housing units. The racial makeup of the township was 63.1% White, 27.6% African American, 0.3% Native American, 4.3% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 2.2%...
in 1961. Over the next two decades, the Japanese took the lead by investing heavily in robots to replace people performing certain tasks. In Japan, Engelberger is widely hailed as a key player in the postwar ascendancy of Japanese manufacturing quality and efficiency.
In 1966, Engelberger and a Unimate robot appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is a talk show hosted by Johnny Carson under the Tonight Show franchise from 1962 to 1992. It originally aired during late-night....
. In the segment, the robot poured a beer, sank a golf putt, and directed the band.
The Robotics Industries Association annually presents the Joseph F. Engelberger Awards to "persons who have contributed outstandingly to the furtherance of the science and practice of robotics." The 2000 World Automation Congress was dedicated to Engelberger, who delivered the keynote
Keynote
A keynote in literature, music, or public speaking establishes the principal underlying theme. In corporate or commercial settings, greater importance is attached to the delivery of a keynote speech or keynote address...
address.
An early proponent of increased investment in robotic systems, Engelberger published articles and gave Congressional testimony on the value of using automation in space long before successes of the NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
's Mars landers, Galileo, and other unmanned space science missions.
Engelberger's 1980 book, Robotics in Practice (ISBN 9780814475874), has been translated into six languages. This was followed by Robotics in Service (ISBN 9780262050425) in 1989.
Engelberger was elected to the National Academy of Engineering
National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering is a government-created non-profit institution in the United States, that was founded in 1964 under the same congressional act that led to the founding of the National Academy of Sciences...
in 1984. Additional honors include the Progress Award of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers
Society of Manufacturing Engineers
The Society of Manufacturing Engineers is a non-profit organization.-History of the Society:Founded in 1932 with 33 members, the organization was originally named The Society of Tool Engineers . A year later, it was renamed the American Society of Tool Engineers...
, the Leonardo da Vinci Award of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
American Society of Mechanical Engineers
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers is a professional body, specifically an engineering society, focused on mechanical engineering....
, the 1982 American Machinist Award, the McKechnie Award from the University of Liverpool
University of Liverpool
The University of Liverpool is a teaching and research university in the city of Liverpool, England. It is a member of the Russell Group of large research-intensive universities and the N8 Group for research collaboration. Founded in 1881 , it is also one of the six original "red brick" civic...
, the Egleston Medal from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, the 1997 Beckman Award for pioneering and original research in the field of automation, and the 1997 Japan Prize, the highest Japanese technology honor, for the establishment of the robot industry.
Engelberger received his B.S.
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
and M.S.
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
degrees from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, in 1946 and 1949, respectively. Between 1946 and 1956, he was an engineer with Manning, Maxwell and Moore
Manning, Maxwell and Moore
Manning, Maxwell and Moore was a Bridgeport, Connecticut railroad supply company created by Charles Arthur Moore....
. In 1957, he founded Consolidated Controls Corporation. In 1962 he founded Unimation Inc., and served as chief executive until it was acquired by Westinghouse in 1982. In 1984, he founded Transitions Research Corporation which became HelpMate Robotics Inc. HelpMate was acquired by Cardinal Health
Cardinal Health
Cardinal Health, Inc., is a Fortune 500 health care services company based in Dublin, Ohio. Cardinal Health specializes in health care supply chain services, providing pharmaceuticals and medical products to more than 40,000 locations each day. The company is also a manufacturer of medical and...
in 1997. In his more recent work, Engelberger has focussed on mobile, sensate robots can work with human mentors in service activities. The HelpMate, a robotic hospital courier, is the most widely known and has been installed in over dozens of hospitals around the world. Engelberger has been active in the promotion and development of robots for use in elder care.
External links
- Sounds like a Robot to me. Joseph Engelberger in his own words about the first industrial robot.
- Life Timeline - Resume