Chart: Why Industrial Robot Sales are Sky High

The Chart of the Week is a weekly Visual Capitalist feature on Fridays. Industrial robots have come a long way since George Devol invented "Unimate" in 1961. After pitching his idea to Joseph Engelberger at a cocktail party, the two soon saw their new creation become the first mass-produced robotic arm to be used in factory automation. Today, this robot class is raising the bar of global manufacturing to new heights, striking a seamless mix of strength, speed, and precision. As a result, demand for industrial robots keeps growing at a robust 14% per year, setting the stage for 3.1 million industrial robots in operation globally by 2020.