HISTORY OF AUTOMATION AND ROBOTICS LICENSE
In October of the same year, the technical license agreement was formally made with Unimation. In June 1968, Kawasaki Aircraft opened the doors to the “Office for Promoting Domestic Production of Industrial Robot (IR)” in its Mechanical Division. Although electrical manufacturers had the upper hand in terms of machine control, explanations about the technical capabilities Kawasaki Aircraft accumulated over the years combined with the passion management showed won Engelberger over and Kawasaki Aircraft was chosen by Unimation to become their technical partner in Japan. They predicted that there would be a growing demand for the robotics field to address issues of productivity improvement and labor shortage during Japan’s period of rapid economic growth and regarded the move into the robotics field as a key strategy. However, in 1967, once management at Kawasaki Aircraft at the time became aware that Unimation was looking for a technical partner to produce its industrial robots in Japan, they immediately visited Unimation in the United States and aggressively began negotiations.
Kawasaki Aircraft, predecessor of Kawasaki Heavy Industries, was not included in that list at first. The automotive and the electronics industries are investing considerably in automation. Unimate was based on Devols 1954 patent specification on Programmed Article Transfer that introduced the concept of Universal Automation or Unimation. The International Federation of Robotics revealed record breaking sales of 240,000 industrial robots in 2015. Unimation initially short-listed seven companies, most of which were electrical manufacturers. Industrial robots were initially applied to hot, heavy and hazardous jobs, and are now used in a wide range of applications. Unimation was looking for a technical partner capable of precisely manufacturing its industrial robots in Japan in order to enter the Japanese market. It is an established fact that robots have redefined the automotive industry, flipped its coin over and made the biggest mark, but it took decades for manufacturers to adapt to this change. This event confirmed Japan’s marketability to Unimation, which had been looking to the Asian market for its business expansion. Applied Robotics incorporates in Troy, NY, with a focus on the integration and design of robotic automation equipment. Industrial robots have revolutionized the modern automotive industry since 1960’s. The question-and-answer session following his lecture lasted over two hours. The current Robotics and Autonomous Systems Group has a long history and many agents that have assisted it in becoming one. Engelberger was invited to Tokyo where he gave a lecture and introduced the usefulness of industrial robots in front of approximately 700 executives interested in robot applications. The introduction of industrial robots in Japan began in 1966 when Engelberger visited Japan.