Which statement is true about the first U.S. robots?

• A. They were developed for Ford Motor Company
• B. They were developed for General Motors
• C. They were developed for NASA
• D. They were developed for Boeing

Answer: (B)

The first U.S. industrial robots arrived in a General Motors plant, marking a milestone in factory automation. The robot, called Unimate, was developed by Unimation and became the first commercial robot to be installed in manufacturing. GM was the launch customer, using Unimate to handle hot die-cast parts and perform repetitive, dangerous tasks on the production line. This pioneering deployment at GM is why the statement about General Motors is true: the earliest American robots emerged from GM’s manufacturing needs, not from Ford, NASA, or Boeing, which came into robotics later in different contexts.