Model released. American robotics pioneer Joe Engelberger, chairman of Transitions Research Corporation (TRC), photographed in a workshop with a Helpmate robot. In 1961, Engelberger & George Devol installed the world's first industrial robot, designed to oversee a die- casting process. Their company, Unimation, was bought by Westinghouse in 1983. Engelberger's new venture, TRC, will target commercial & domestic markets. Helpmate is used as a courier to deliver mail, meals & patient records around hospitals, navigating by an infra-red camera, sound sensors & a pre-programmed map of its location.