Photograph of World’s First Robot: Fact Check

Story:

This is the Photograph of World’s First Robot

Other Versions

Picture of first robot in the world.

Fact Check:

A picture message popular online alleges to show a Photograph of World’s First Robot. It appears to show a metallic robot standing among a group of soldiers in an old, black and white picture. No, the claims are not true – the photograph is a Photoshop creation originating from a fictional story.

About the Original Photograph

The original photograph of the soldiers in fact shows members of the 10th Cavalry regiment, better known as the “Buffalo Soldiers” from 1894 in Montana. As you can see, the archive picture from Montana Historical Society does not have any robot creature. Montana Historical Society website mhs.mt.gov shared the photograph in an article describing Montana’s African American military history.

The 10th Cavalry Regiment fought Native American nations in all-out campaigns and brief skirmishes.

The robot creature photoshopped into the image is Boilerplate, a fictional robot which would have existed in the Victorian era and early 20th century. Oregon USA artist Paul Guinan created the fictional robot character in 2000 for comics. Paul Guinan described 19th-century robot soldier Boilerplate as History’s Mechanical Marvel. It appeared as an illustrated hardcover book blending historical and science fiction. Boilerplate robot became popular through his faux-historical website, and appeared in other media also.

World’s First Modern Robot

On the other hand, George C. Devol from Louisville, Kentucky created the first modern robot in the early 1950s. He invented and patented a reprogrammable manipulator called “Unimate” (Universal Automation). For about a decade, he tried to sell his product in the industry, but did not succeed. In the late 1960s, businessman/engineer Joseph Engleberger acquired the robot patent of Devol and modified it into an industrial robot, forming a company called Unimation to produce and market the robots.

So, Unimate was the first industrial robot, which worked on a General Motors assembly line in Ewing Township, New Jersey in 1961. Because of his efforts and successes, Engleberger is known as “the Father of Robotics” in the industry.

Hoax or Fact:

Hoax.