George Devol
| George Charles Devol, Jr | |
|---|---|
George Devol in 1982
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| Born |
February 20, 1912 Louisville, Kentucky |
| Died | August 11, 2011 (aged 99) Wilton, Connecticut |
| Occupation | Inventor, entrepreneur |
| Spouse(s) | Evelyn Ruth Devol (Jahelka) |
George Charles Devol, Jr. (February 20, 1912 – August 11, 2011) 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 president of Devol Research. Devol has resided in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and Wilton, Connecticut operating a robot consulting business.
Born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1912, Devol was interested from boyhood in all things electrical and mechanical such as boats, airplanes, and engines.
He got some practical experience at Riordan Prep, where, in addition to studying traditional subjects, he helped construct some buildings and run the school's electric light plant. Although he wasn't very scholarly he read everything he could about mechanical devices, trying to discover what, besides building radios, could be done with vacuum tubes when applied as control devices.
Choosing to forego higher education, in 1932 Devol went into business, 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 decided to discontinue the product.
At that time, Devol asked himself "what else can we do with all these photocells and vacuum tubes?"
Devol decided that United Cinephone needed inventions in order to sell its photoelectric switches. One of Devol's first inventions was the automatic door. United Cinephone licensed Devol's invention to Yale & Towne who manufactured the "Phantom Doorman" photoelectric door. This was the first automatic opening door, now ubiquitous in grocery stores and elsewhere. United Cinephone also manufactured many of its own products using photoelectric cells and vacuum tube control systems. Among these was a very early bar code system that was used for sorting packages at the Railway Express Agency, years before others would separately come up with similar technology.
United Cinephone also manufactured Orthoplane lighting, another product Devol patented, for garment factories. United Cinephone also invented the first optical registration controls for color offset printing presses and packaging machinery. The company also manufactured phonograph arms and amplifiers. In fact, Devol installed amplifiers at the Cotton Club and enjoyed watching Count Basie, Fred Waring and others, occasionally taking in the after-hours jam sessions.
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