Joseph F. Engelberger

Widely hailed as the father of industrial robotics, Joseph F. Engelberger possesses a rare vision of robots' potential to help humanity and has worked tirelessly to make that vision a reality. In 1961, Mr. Engelberger founded the groundbreaking industrial robot company, Unimation Inc. in Danbury, Connecticut, where he served as president and director until its 1983 sale to Westinghouse Electric Company. He next founded HelpMate Robotics Inc., also in Danbury, which developed the first successful service robot. Retired from the position of chairman in 1999,

Mr. Engelberger is working on a robot that would assist elderly and infirm individuals. A member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, Mr. Engelberger has received the Japan Prize, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers-Leonardo da Vinci Award and Columbia University's Egleston Medal. He has authored numerous articles and books, including Robotics in
Practice and Robotics in Service.