The first industrial robots were installed in 1961, when a computer filled an entire room.

Judged as of 2014-12-16. True: historical sources show that the first industrial robot was installed in 1961 (the Unimate at General Motors), and that computers of that period typically occupied a whole room. Mostly true: the first installation date is within about a year of 1961 (for example, 1959 for a prototype, against 1961 for production use), or the computer description is a slight exaggeration. Mostly false: the first industrial robot installation was several years away from 1961. False: the date is clearly wrong (more than about 3 years out) and the description does not hold.

Set before the research began.

1. E1 International Federation of Robotics International Federation of Robotics (IFR)

   “The world's first industrial was robot used on a production line at the GM Ternstedt plant in Trenton, NJ, which made door and window handles, gearshift knobs, light fixtures and other hardware for automotive interiors.”

2. E2 In 1961, the First Robot Arm Punched In IEEE Spectrum · 30 August 2022

   “On a fateful day in 1961, the Unimate pictured at top took its place on the assembly line of General Motors’ Ternstedt plant, in Trenton, N.J.”

3. E3 In 1961, the First Robot Arm Punched In IEEE Spectrum · 30 August 2022

   “Its debut was not particularly glamorous or impressive, but it earned the Unimate a place in history as the first successful application of an industrial robot.”

IEEE Spectrum states that in 1961 a Unimate was put on the assembly line at General Motors' Ternstedt plant in Trenton, N.J. [E2]. It calls this the first successful application of an industrial robot [E3]. The IFR also names the GM Ternstedt plant as the site of the world's first industrial robot on a production line, though its quote gives no date [E1]. This supports the 1961 date in the claim. None of the evidence covers the second part, that computers of the time filled a whole room, so only the main date can be confirmed.