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The original name of ABB’s robot factory at Bryne was Trallfa, a company that pioneered development of a robot for spray painting in 1965 – 67. It has its origin in a company manufacturing wheelbarrows, sack trolleys and transport equipment, which was founded in Bryne in 1941 by Nils Underhaug.
Nils Underhaug, a young man from Nærbø, wanted to enter into the automobile repair trade. By the age of 17, he had already created his first automobile, a monster with four bicycle wheels and a 1 ½ horse power engine, which scared the horses in the neighborhood and aroused the surrounding farmers’ disapproval. But it worked! Little did he know then that he would later come to play an important part in the world of the automotive industry.
Nils completed his education and apprenticeship as an auto mechanic and worked for some years repairing automobiles. In 1941 Nils decided to start his own company. Equipped with a case of automobile tools and USD 2000 in the bank, plus an optimistic outlook on life, he started a trolley factory – Trallfa – on February 1, 1941.
Nils started out with only two employees. The factory grew steadily, and soon Trallfa could move into its first real factory building. Wheelbarrows became their specialty. New designs were created, prices lowered and the new wheelbarrows became a great success. The wheelbarrows were painted by hand, and despite the fact that several workers with modern equipment worked in shifts, painting became a bottleneck.
In 1962, Jæren Automation Association, with Nils Underhaug as chairman, employed Ole Molaug as manager. Molaug was a young mechanical engineer from a small place at the farthest end of a fjord in western Norway. After graduating from technical college, he returned to his father’s workshop to earn a living at the wood turning lathe. He early had the idea to use electronic devices on the shop floor, and wondered a lot about constructing a robot. He learned electronics through private
studies. Later he received a grant from the Research Council of Norway to continue his studies.
Molaug brought his robot idea up for Nils Underhaug and were challenged to come up with specific plans for a spray painting robot. Ole studied the spray painting methods at Trallfa and on July 1, 1964, he presented a paper outlining his idea accompanied by a simple sketch, estimating the cost to USD 1500 – 2000. Nils Underhaug gave Ole Molaug the go ahead.
Molaug took charge of the electronics and tool maker Sverre Bergene from Trallfa was entrusted with solving the mechanical and hydraulic challenges. They worked at night and into the small hours, while doing their ordinary work during the day. Even though colleagues began to gossip about “those expensive toys”, they never lost faith.
In the summer of 1966, the robot had progressed far enough to be introduced at the Trallfa stand of the local exhibition “Jærdagen”. There it executed profile drawings, and crowds gathered to see this strange contraption performing.
So far so good, but would it really work? The opportunity came in February, 1967, when the robot had a trial run at the conveyor in the factory’s paint shop. Nils Underhaug had the honor of pressing the button to start the robot. Start it did, and painted wheelbarrow boxes passing along the conveyor – one after the other. The results were excellent.

To make a long story short, Trallfa decided to go into production with its robot. In 1969 the first industrial spray painting robot were delivered to Sweden for bath tub enameling. The company established itself early as the leading supplier of robots for spray painting applications, as it still is today in ABB.

Also, Ccontributed greatly on the electronics side.

The above images from Tormod Henne, December 2009 book on the history of ABB robots.

Ole Molaug

Another early patent that looks surprisingly modern was granted for a robot called 'Improvements in or relating to Positioning or Manipulating Apparatus' invented by Cyril W. Kenward. The British patent was filed March 29, 1954 and was published August 21, 1957, and preceded George Devol's first robot patent by several months. It is an interesting parallel that Britain, birthplace of the machine tool industry, would also pioneer the idea of robotics.
Hydraulically powered, this dual arm, gantry mounted robot was years ahead of its time. The patent even speaks of robot self-replication. Featuring detachable grippers and gantry mounting, it could well be used as an illustration for a current research contract proposal. Another key feature of this design was complete internal porting of hydraulics and internal wiring, problems that went unaddressed in early hydraulic robots and often is not achieved in modern day hydraulic robots. Figure above shows the six-axes, hydraulically powered arm in cross section.

Text source: Robot Evolution: The Development of Anthrobotics By Mark E. Rosheim, 1994

Interesting that some comments made around this patent is that it was not successful.  It should be noted that the patent was only a British patent, and not filed in the US or other countries. When the "Versatran" and "Unimate" robots were to be imported into the UK in 1967, these clearly infringed the Kenward patent. It was reported at the time that this matter was resolved by a "cash payment". Further, the author of the article, Douglas Hall, adds "It did, however, illustrate how people in britain often have good ideas for inventions but then have to sit on the sidelines as noone is prepared to back them".

In 1958, the American Machine and Foundry (AMF) Thermatool Corporation (later known as AMF Corporation, later acquired by Prab Company of Michigan)  initiated an R&D project for a Versatile Transfer Machine, or VERSATRAN, a programmable cylindrical coordinate frame robotic arm designed by Harry Johnson and Veljko Milenkovic. AMF introduced Model 102, a continuous-path transfer device, and Model 212, a point-to-point transfer device, in 1962. 

AUTOMATIC HANDLING EQUIPMENT CALLED 'VERSATRAN'.

3243.02 | AUTOMATIC HANDLING EQUIPMENT CALLED 'VERSATRAN'. (1:02:10:00 – 1:05:52:00) 1967
Hatfield, Hertfordshire. Date found in the old record – 23/02/1967.

Various shots of the 'Versatran' – an artificial arm and a hand construction grab which is controlled from large panels. Developed in the USA by American Machine & Foundry Company. The grab is seen picking up a large bobbin and placing it in a box. The control panel can be programmed in advance so the grab can be operated in advance. Demonstration by Mr D C Hall.

It was only in 1967 that the Tokyo Machinery Trading Co. in  Japan imports and sells the first industrial robot, a Versatran from AMF, Inc.  Britain aquires its first Industrial Robot, a Versatran, in 1967, by Douglas Hall, as seen in the video clip above.  

RISE OF THE ROBOTS by George Sullivan 1971

A second industrial robot arrived upon the scene in 1963. Manufactured by a division of AMF Thermatool, Inc., this robot is called the Versatran ( from versatile transfer ). It is characterized by a sturdy horizontal arm coupled to a six-foot vertical steel column which is mounted on a rectangular base.
Although they [Unimate] are different in appearance, the Versatran robot and the Unimate have many similarities. Both can handle objects weighing over 150 pounds. Both are built to last for forty thousand working hours. They sell for about the same price, approximately $25,000 [1971].

Industrial Robots at Work
Industrial robots do work of every imaginable type. They spray-paint automobile engines and spot-weld auto bodies. They stack brick and pluck hot parts from presses and die-casting machines.
What the robot does depends on its program. With the Versatran robot, there are two types of program controls. One is called point-to-point control and is the type used for relatively simple jobs. The other, for more complex tasks, is called continuous-path program control.
When programming a point-to-point control operation, the arm movements and functions to be performed are first drawn on a piece of paper. Then this sequence of "orders" is translated into electronic signals. Short lengths of metal-tipped wires, known as "patch cords," are inserted into the holes of a small, black pegboard, called a "patchboard," to correspond to the written orders.
The programmed patchboard locks into the robot's console panel. The board's contacts connect with memory-storing and command devices known as "potentiometers." Once the potentiometers have been adjusted for the various arm positions in the cycle, the machine is ready to operate. The robot user may own several patchboards, each programmed for a different job.
Programming the Versatran robot for "continuous path" operation is a matter of "teaching" the machine the proper motions to follow. A switch in the console is set for "program." The operator then leads the robot arm through all the motions it will later assume on its own. Gripper commands are also acted out. These signals are automatically recorded on magnetic tapes within the control console. There are fifteen minutes of program time available on each of the two reels of tape the console contains.
The Unimate is programmed in similar fashion—by moving the robot arm through the desired sequence of operation. The sequence registers in the machine's memory unit. Once the robot arm has been "taught" a program, it will follow the prescribed set of operations over and over.
"There's no mystery to programming," says one user. "It doesn't even require a mechanical background, much less a knowledge of electronics."
The job the robot is programmed to do may involve several individual tasks.

See Harry Johnson and Veljko Milenkovic related US patents US3212649, US3241020 and US3298006.

See Milenkovic tribute and mention of Versatran development here.

VERSATRAN robot in the 1971 movie "Silent Running"

The "billiard's" playing robot is actually an AMF Versatran industrial robot.

Regarding "Silent Running", for a 1972 movie, the Versatran was still considered a state-of-the-art industrial robot.

Two interchangeable end-effectors are shown, a gripper for loading/depositing billiard balls, and a pneumatic "cue" to strike the ball (below). The standard two-fingered Versatran gripper picks up a B.A.S.E.(tm) 3-fingered gripped to deposit the balls. Another small continuity error in that when picking up the B.A.S.E.(tm) gripper, the 2 pneumatic lines are not attached, but then magically appear in the next shot (see above).  Also in the above image is the AMF Versatran name/logo, as well as the controller on the left. 

The control panel in the background is a real and actual point-to-point Versatran control panel,  used to program the various movie sequences. Although portrayed as "thinking for itself" , this robot would have to be choreographed and programmed via the point-to-point controller.

Mary Locke getting what robots like to give.

Patent Information:

MECHANISM FOR REMOTE MANIPULATION OF INDUSTRIAL OBJECTS Anthony J. Kaye et al
See full patent details here. 
Patent number: 3173555
Filing date: Sep 7, 1962
Issue date: Mar 16, 1965

This invention relates generally to mechanism for positioning or otherwise manipulating objects, tools and the like in industrial operations, including programmed industrial manipulators. In a preferred form, it comprises mechanism affording duplication of the human arm's manipulative skill in placing physical objects in an infinite number of attitudes •and positions in a three dimensional space and operated and controlled by memory or program devices with which the desired movements of the mechanism may be recorded and then subsequently employed to cause the mechanism to repeat the record movements.
Mechanisms have been devised in the past which simulate certain movements of the human arm and hand, commonly known as remotely controlled handling equipment, programmed manipulators and the like, operating to duplicate the manipulative skill of the human arm in its ability to grasp, rotate, locate, and otherwise manipulate objects and to do this under the constant control of a remotely located person or suitably designed mechanical, electrical or similar memory or programming medium.
It is an object of this invention to apply a new principle to such art of manipulating objects in space, namely the use of one or more mechanical members acting as tension or compression vectors to guide or restrain the lateral movements of an object carrying member, thus enabling the latter member to position an object in space.
Another object is of embody this new principle in a flexible member or arm, guided and restrained by one or more adjustable such vector members, or "tendons," to precisely move one end of the flexible member and an object carried thereby from point to point in space limited only by the size and range of the equipment.
It is a further object of this invention to apply this new principle to a flexible arm which carries a gripping hand and for which a plurality of hand types are provided with the gripping hands being readily interchangeable.
Another object is the provision of such a mechanism operated by 'a single motor unit for achieving three dimensional positioning, as in the assembly of the multiple parts of a product.
Another object is to provide an object handling unit employing this new principle and including mechanisms by which the desired movements of the equipment can be retained and through which the equipment can subsequently automatically, accurately and continually repeat the desired movements.
Other objects and advantages, will become more apparent in the following specification and claims taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which describe and illustrate certain embodiments of the invention.

Source: Popular Mechanics,  Dec 1957.

Although I've seen dates suggesting the Planobot was around since 1955, The first dates I've seen in publications start in 1956.  The patent itself was filed 13 Mar 1957.

"Planobot is for automationeers. It's a transfer device (Planet Corp., 1820 Sunset St., Lansing, Mich.) with five basic motions: Grasping device on horizontal arm (1) opens and closes, (2) rotates 360 deg.; arm will (3) extend or retract, (4) raise or lower and (5) rotate 270 deg. in a horizontal plane." – Factory – Volume 115 – Page 78 by George Worthington – 1957

In 1957 the "Planobot" debuted at St. Erik's International Trade Fair, Stockholm, Sweden. It was referred to as an "Universal Transfer Device".

In 1980 the Planet Corporation re-entered the robot market with the "Armax" industrial robot (robot arm_with maximum capability) and created Armax Robotics. The Armax IR carried a 150 lb. weight in either point-to-point or continuous path modes and used walk-through programming.

 

Joe B. Brown and Robert E. Place