Unimation had the first 2-arm robot, a research project for Ford. I was in charge of programming the Nova (Data-General) computer (by toggle swithes first, and

Unimation had the first 2-arm robot, a research project for Ford. I was in charge of programming the Nova (Data-General) computer (by toggle swithes first, and then by paper tape). We were assembling a transmission control unit. It changed gears based on rotation speed by sliding a calibrated spool valve against a spring. The spool valve was a TIGHT fIt. It controlled oil flow to shift the transmission. You couldn't insert it by hand without it jamming. The robot was so precise it could insert it easily. The robot was made of aluminum and had to be run until it reached operating temperature because otherwise the joint lengths were not right. Everything had to be perfect. Assembling involved picking up the control unit, placing a small cover, driving two screws, turning the controller over, inserting a spring, inserting the spool valve, placing a second cover, inserting two screws, and put the finished assembly away. Repeat. We made hundreds of these. The robot was FAST. REALLY FAST. In a fit of misplaced confidence we invited Ford senior executives to a demo (I HATE THAT WORD). They had invested a LOT of money so I guess they should see what they bought. On the day of the demo, during warmup, the robot managed to mangle its fingers on a fixture. Our machinist made a new set from raw materials while we smiled and chatted with the Ford executives and warmed up the machine. Demo time. We lined up near the robot, with the Unimation chief engineer and the project engineer, and the 3 Ford senior execs in front, Ming and I behind and out of the way. Push the button.... The robot picks up the control unit, places the small cover, throws the screws at the Ford people, turns the controller over, throws the spring at the Ford people, picks up the spool valve (a solid steel piece) and... We hit emergency stop (the big red button). I nearly died trying to keep from laughing watching Ford execs dodging flying parts. We recalibrated the robot and re-ran the demo, which worked fine.