50 years of robotic innovation

Celebrating 50 Years of ABB Robotic Innovation

 

50 years of innovation

SafeMove

At our robotics factory in Sweden in 2017 we undertook a project to increase capacity and flexibility while at the same time improving the safety and ergonomics of our colleagues. Four IRB 6700 and two IRB 8700 robots were equipped with sensors and SafeMove, ABB’s safety software that makes industrial robots collaborative, to achieve a safe working environment for humans and industrial robots without extra protective measures or fences.

A golden robot

​On 13 March 2002 we became the first company in the world to sell 100,000 robots. While our robots were bright orange at the time this special 100,000th robot was sprayed gold to mark the milestone. It was bought by Harley-Davidson Motor Company in the US for arc welding.​

What were you doing in the year 2000?​

At Geku Automation they installed their very first ABB robot which is still going strong today. ​
Do you have an ABB Robot older than this one?

New concept to launch an arc-welding robot - IRB 2000 in 1986

Another milestone for robotic development was arc welding capability. This image from our archives marked the launch of our IRB 2000 arc-welding robot which grabbed industry-wide attention when it hatched out of an egg at a show in Brussels in 1986. As well as design improvements to aid its motion the IRB 2000 used AC (alternating current) drive motors. Smaller than DC (direct current) motors and easier to maintain, they also lasted longer suiting the demands of the auto manufacturers of the time.

Launching the IRB 60 in 1975

Rewind back to 1975 and ABB launched the IRB 60, the first electrical robot controlled by a microprocessor, capable of holding a heavy spot-welding gun. At the time, hydraulic robots existed which were stronger but less accurate and were used for spot welding. With the more accurate microprocessor controlled and electrical robot IRB 60, the flange could be narrower and save a lot of material.

The big 5-0

We’re celebrating reaching the big 5-0!​
From ABB's SCARA, Collaborative, Delta, Paint, and Articulated robots to our full range of AMRs we are the only company with a comprehensive and integrated offering of robots, AMRs, and machine automation solutions.

Opening of refitted headquarters at Auburn Hills

We first began operations in Michigan in 1993 and opened our manufacturing facility in 2015, becoming the first global industrial robotics company to manufacture robots in the U.S. This week we marked a special milestone with the opening of our refitted state-of-the-art robotics headquarters at Auburn Hills, Michigan.
AI-enabled 3D Visual SLAM navigation

Today AI-enabled 3D Visual SLAM navigation technology means robots can 'see' the environments they're operating in, in real-time, allowing them to intelligently and independently respond to people and objects in their path. ​
How big and how small are our robots?

ABB’s smallest industrial robot is the IRB 1010. At around the same height as a Shiba Inu dog at 40cm it's designed that way to meet the trend towards the manufacture of miniaturized electronics and wearables. Conversely at 3m high our largest robot the IRB 8700 is as tall as a male African elephant and ABB’s 8th generation of heavy payload, high performance industrial robot with handling capacity to meet the heaviest demands.
Björn Weichbrodt with the IRB 6

We're kick-starting our celebrations with some core robotnostalgia, and Björn Weichbrodt, with the IRB 6, the first fully electric industrial robot, unique for it’s human-like configuration and microprocessor controller. The advancement of electrically-driven robots opened up new applications which hydraulic robots couldn’t do.

The history of PixelPaint

Back in 1986 we acquired Trallfa, the maker of the world's first paint robot in 1967. Trallfa, a small agricultural engineering company was having difficulty recruiting labor to paint its wheelbarrows and turned to automation for a solution. Soon after acquiring them we started development on an electric drive painting robot, culminating in the release of ABB’s first electric drive paint robot in 1988.

 

How we shape the future of robotics

ABB identifies new frontiers for robotics and AI in 2024
The world's most remote robot in the Amazon rainforest
Shaping a sustainable future

 

ABB robots where you wouldn't expect them

An IRB 2600 at work in a sneaker store in Berlin
ABB robots on the cover of the TIME Magazine
ABB's robot YuMi takes center stage in Pisa, conducts Andrea Bocelli and Lucca Symphony Orchestra
An ABB robot handling your luggage at a hotel in New York
YuMi serving ice-cream
An ABB robot as a dance partner on stage

 

Our history in videos

Our robot heritage
Where it all began
The Father of the first electrical robot
The evolution of ABB’s first electrical robot
A short history of ABB robots
How collaborative robot YuMi changed the industrial landscape