♪ YOU WONDER WHY
YOUR THROAT IS DRY ♪
♪ MORE AND MORE,
IT'S FEELIN' SORE ♪
♪ YOU GOTTA BELIEF
IN HERBAL RELIEF ♪
♪ YOU KNOW
WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR ♪
♪ RICOLA HERE, RICOLA THERE ♪
♪ RICOLA HERE, RICOLA THERE ♪
♪ RICOLA HERE, RICOLA THERE ♪
♪ RICOLA HERE, RICOLA THERE! ♪
♪ HERBAL RICOLA,
SOOTHING RICOLA ♪
♪ NATURAL RICOLA,
SORE THROAT TICKLE YOU ♪
♪ IT'S RICOLA ♪
♪ IT'S... ♪
RI-CO-LA!
>> WE NOW CONTINUE WITH OUR
TECHNOLOGICAL AND CULTURAL LOOK
AT THE HISTORY OF ROBOTS.
>> IF THE INDUSTRIAL ROBOT HAS 
A FAMILY TREE, ITS ROOTS ARE
FIRMLY PLANTED WITH THIS MAN.
GEORGE DEVOL IS KNOWN AS THE
GRANDFATHER OF ROBOTICS.
IT WAS HIS PATENT, FILED IN
1954, THAT WAS THE BLUEPRINT
FOR THE MACHINE THAT WOULD
REVOLUTIONIZE INDUSTRY. 
>> THIS IS THE KIND OF A JOB
THAT A MAN NORMALLY DOESN'T
LIKE TO DO.
IT'S REALLY TERRIBLY HOT 
IN THOSE FORGING OPERATIONS.
>> DEVOL, A PROLIFIC INVENTOR
ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR THE BAR
CODE AND THE ELECTRIC DOOR,
TEAMED WITH ENGINEER JOE
ENGELBERGER, NOW KNOWN AS THE
FATHER OF ROBOTICS.
JOE SAYS IT ALL BEGAN AT 
A COCKTAIL PARTY.
>> WE GOT TALKING IN A CORNER,
AND I THINK WE ALSO GOT
INTO OUR CUPS, AND, YOU KNOW,
TALKING ABOUT IT, I SAID,
"GEE, THAT SOUNDS LIKE A VERY
GOOD IDEA.
I THINK THE PATENT MAKES
SENSE TO ME.
WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH IT?"
AND HE SAID, "WELL, NO ONE IS
PAYING ANY ATTENTION TO ME." 
SO I SAID, "LET ME HAVE A CRACK
AT IT. 
LET ME SEE IF I CAN'T FIND 
THE FINANCING."
AND IN THE COLD, GRAY DAWN,
WITH A HANGOVER, IT STILL
LOOKED LIKE A PRETTY GOOD IDEA.
>> BOTH MEN BELIEVED IN THE
IDEA, BUT IT PROVED DIFFICULT
TO CONVINCE COMPANIES TO FUND
THEIR PROJECT.
>> WHEN WE BUILT THE FIRST
INDUSTRIAL ROBOT, TO GET 
THE FINANCING, I VISITED 46
DIFFERENT COMPANIES BEFORE I
COULD FIND SOMEONE WHO'D
BELIEVE IT WAS EVEN POSSIBLE 
TO DO SUCH A THING.
>> IT TOOK YEARS OF 
DEVELOPMENT AND FUND-RAISING,
BUT GEORGE DEVOL'S BLUEPRINT
LURCHED TO ROBOTIC LIFE 
IN 1961. 
THE NEW COMPANY WAS CALLED
UNIMATION.
THE ROBOT WAS NAMED UNIMATE.
>> AUTOMATION'S NEWEST
CONTRIBUTION TO MAN: 
THIS JACK-OF-ALL-TRADES ROBOT
IS CALLED UNIMATE, AND IT
HANDLES DULL, DIFFICULT,
OR DANGEROUS JOBS WITH 
EQUAL APLOMB.
>> THAT SAME YEAR, 
GENERAL MOTORS BOUGHT THE FIRST
UNIMATE AND PUT IT IN 
A NEW JERSEY PLANT TO TAKE
RED-HOT PARTS FROM A
DYE-CASTING MACHINE.
AUTOMATION WAS NOT NEW TO THE
AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY, BUT THIS
WAS SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
THE UNIMATE CREATED THE
DEFINITION OF AN INDUSTRIAL
ROBOT.
>> AN INDUSTRIAL ROBOT IS
SOMETHING THAT HAS AT LEAST
THREE DEGREES OF FREEDOM,
WHICH MEANS THREE AXES THAT CAN
MOVE INDEPENDENTLY. 
IT HAS TO BE REPROGRAMMABLE,
AND IT HAS TO BE ABLE TO
PERFORM DIFFERENT TASKS, AND
THAT'S THE UNIVERSALLY AGREED
DEFINITION TODAY.
>> THE ORIGINAL UNIMATE HAD 
AN AWFUL LOT OF THE MAJOR
QUALITIES THAT ALL INDUSTRIAL
ROBOTS HAVE TODAY. 
IT HAD TO HAVE A MEMOY. 
IT HAD TO REMEMBER UP TO A
HUNDRED DIFFERENT STEPS. 
THERE WAS A HUNDRED DIFFERENT
THINGS IN A ROW IT COULD DO.
>> HE HAS MUSCLE -- CAN PICK UP
TO 75 POUNDS -- AND CAN STAND
EXTREME HEAT, COLD, 
NOXIOUS ODORS, TOXIC GASSES, 
AND RADIATION.
HE NEVER COMPLAINS, ASKS FOR 
A PROMOTION, OR DEMANDS A 
PAY RAISE. 
HE DOESN'T BREAK, BEND, OR BURN
AND SHOULD MAKE SOME OTHER
UNIMATE A PERFECT HUSBAND...
OR MAYBE WIFE?
>> IT WAS A PRIMITIVE MACHINE
WEIGHING 2,000 POUNDS, 
POWERED BY HYDRAULICS, 
WITH MEMORY STORED ON A CLUNKY
MAGNETIC DRUM.
ITS NERVOUS SYSTEM WAS OPERATED
BY FEEDBACK, OR
SERVOMECHANISMS, WHICH MEASURE
WHERE THE ROBOT IS IN SPACE.
WHEN IT REACHES ITS
PREPROGRAMMED POINT, IT THEN
PERFORMS ITS NEXT MANEUVER.
>> ANOTHER INNOVATION WAS 
THE END EFFECTOR -- THE ROBOT'S
HAND.
THIS IS THE PART OF THE MACHINE
THAT INTERFACES WITH ITS
SURROUNDINGS. 
EACH IS DESIGNED TO DO 
A SPECIFIC JOB, AND IT ALLOWED
ROBOTS TO WELD, DRILL, SPRAY,
AND GRIP.
>> END EFFECTOR IS ANOTHER WORD
FOR TOOLING. 
NOW, THE TOOLING CAN GET PRETTY
SOPHISTICATED BECAUSE SOME OF
THE TOOLING HAS SENSORS BUILT
INTO THE CLAMP, LET'S SAY, THAT
WILL ALLOW IT TO EXERT JUST SO
MUCH PRESSURE ON SOMETHING.
>> HOWEVER, ASIDE FROM 
GENERAL MOTORS, BUYERS FOR
THE NEW ROBOTS WERE SCARCE.
>> IF THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND
SOMETHING, AND TO TRY TO GET 
A NORMAL BUSINESSMAN TO
UNDERSTAND THE ROBOT -- YOU
KNOW, HE THOUGHT YOU WERE
TALKING ABOUT SCIENCE FICTION 
OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
>> MANAGEMENT WAS SKEPTICAL,
WORKERS FEARFUL. 
CORPORATE EXECUTIVES BELIEVED
THE ROBOTS WOULDN'T WORK.
EMPLOYEES FEARED THEY WOULD
WORK TOO WELL AND REPLACE THEM.
BUT ROBOTS MOSTLY DID THE JOBS
PEOPLE DIDN'T WANT TO DO, AND,
IN FACT, ROBOTS CREATED JOBS.
HUMANS HAD TO DESIGN, BUILD,
OPERATE, AND REPAIR THEM.
>> SO THEY'RE ABLE TO USE 
THE KIND OF BRAINPOWER THAT
THEY HAVE, LIKE ONE OF THE
PEOPLE THAT WENT TO ONE OF OUR
CLASSES LEARNING HOW TO PROGRAM
ROBOTS -- CAME OUT OF IT AND
SAID, "GEE, NOW I CAN FINALLY
USE MY BRAINS FOR THIS COMPANY
I'VE BEEN WORKING FOR 20 YEARS,
INSTEAD OF JUST MY MUSCLES."
>> BY THE MID SIXTIES, EVEN
LABOR UNIONS ENDORSED ROBOTS,
RECOGNIZING THE INEVITABLE
INCREASE IN PRODUCTIVITY.
BUT THE ORIGINAL UNIMATE, 
WITH AN $18,000 PRICE TAG,
REMAINED A TOUGH SELL.
>> WHAT WE DID TO GET PEOPLE
STARTED, WE WOULD RENT THE
ROBOT.
YOU'D HIRE IT LIKE A PERSON.
AND WE WOULD SAY -- AT THAT
TIME,  I'D SAY IT'S $6.00 AN
HOUR, I THINK, FOR THE FIRST
SHIFT AND $3.00 AN HOUR
FOR THE SECOND SHIFT, 
SO YOUR LABOR GETS CHEAPER.
>> THE ROBOT HAD ONE ADVANTAGE
IMMEDIATELY, AND THAT IS,
THE ROBOT CAN WORK THREE SHIFTS
OR 24 HOURS A DAY.
>> GEORGE AND JOE SET OUT TO
CHANGE PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF
THE NEW MACHINES, SO THEY TOOK
THEIR ROBOTIC SHOW ON THE ROAD.
>> WOULD YOU WELCOME 
JOE ENGELBERGER?
JOE.
>> AND ULTIMATELY, THE SHOW
THAT WAS SO IMPORTANT TO US WAS
THE JOHNNY CARSON SHOW.
THAT'S WHERE THE IDEA WAS,
SUPPOSE WE TRY TO GIVE THE
IMPRESSION THAT THE ROBOT COULD
DO THE WHOLE SHOW?
SO YOU HAD THE THREE SCENES. 
ONE, IT COULD PLAY BETTER GOLF
THAN CARSON COULD.
>> IS THAT WILD?
>> TWO, IT COULD DO THE BEER
COMMERCIAL BETTER THAN ANYBODY.
>> JUST IN CASE YOU GET TIRED
AND CAN'T MAKE IT TO THE SHOW
SOMEDAY, WE CAN PROGRAM THE
MACHINE TO DO A COMMERCIAL.
>> AND THREE, IT COULD LEAD 
THE ORCHESTRA.
>> WHAT HE'S DOING NOW IS TO
PROGRAM WHAT HE'S GOING TO HAVE
THE MACHINE DO. 
HE'S PUTTING THIS INFORMATION
INTO THE MACHINE.
>> THAT GAVE ME A CHANCE TO
SHOW HOW THE ARM MOVED WITH 
A BATON.
>> TAKE IT ON THE DOWNBEAT.
[ORCHESTRA PLAYING]
