Joseph F. Engelberger
| Joseph Engelberger | |
|---|---|
Engelberger in c. 1987
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| Born |
Joseph Frederick Engelberger July 26, 1925 Brooklyn, New York City, US |
| Died | December 1, 2015 (aged 90) Newtown, Connecticut, US |
| Alma mater |
Columbia University (B.S., 1946; M.S., 1949) |
| Occupation | Engineer, entrepreneur |
| Known for | Robotics |
| Awards | Japan Prize (1997) |
Joseph Frederick Engelberger (July 26, 1925 – December 1, 2015) was an American physicist, engineer and entrepreneur. 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. He has been called "the father of robotics" for his contributions to the field. Although Engelberger did much for the development of robotics, the honor of being called "the father of robotics" rightly belongs to George Devol, and should be qualified as "the father of industrial robotics".
Joseph Frederick Engelberger was born on July 26, 1925, in Brooklyn, New York. He grew up in Connecticut during the Great Depression, but later returned to New York City for his college education.
Engelberger received his B.S. in physics in 1946, and M.S. in Electric Engineering in 1949 from Columbia University. He worked as an engineer with Manning, Maxwell and Moore, where he met inventor George Devol at a Westport cocktail party in 1956, two years after Devol had designed and patented a rudimentary industrial robotic arm. However, Manning, Maxwell and Moore was sold and Engelberger's division was closed that year.
Finding himself jobless but with a business partner and an idea, Engelberger co-founded Unimation with Devol, creating the world's first robotics company. In 1957, he also founded Consolidated Controls Corporation. As president of Unimation, Engelberger collaborated with Devol to engineer and produce an industrial robot under the brand name Unimate. The first Unimate robotic arm was installed at a General Motors Plant in Ewing Township, New Jersey, in 1961.
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