Industrial robots appeared in the 1950s. 1954, American company G.C. Devo applied for a patent for a robot with memory and repetitive operation function. 1958, a robot prototype was developed according to this patent. 1960, the United States used the word "industrial robot". 1962 or so, two industrial robot products, Forsyte Lan and Unimet, were produced. In the mid-1960s, Japan, Britain and other countries successively introduced industrial robots and carried out corresponding research work. The application of industrial robots can improve productivity, improve working conditions and replace people from dangerous and harsh working environment. Therefore, the demand for industrial robots is increasing day by day, and the development of automatic control and microcomputer has created favorable conditions for improving the performance and reducing the cost of industrial robots.

Japanese industrial robots are developed through digestion, absorption and innovation on the basis of introducing American industrial robots. In 1980s, Japan's industrial robots developed rapidly, and its output and application became the first in the world, and it was called the robot kingdom by the world. At present, Japanese industrial robots account for about 60% of the world's industrial robots.