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Robotics & Automation · Recorded milestone

Programmable logic controller

Recorded year1969

Dick Morley's Modicon 084 replaces walls of relays on GM lines with a rugged, reprogrammable computer, the everyday brain of factory automation.

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Built on

Stored-program computerRecorded · 1948enables
Integrated circuitRecorded · 1958enables

Led to

Automated container terminalRecorded · 1993requires
Lights-out warehousesRecorded · 2018enables
Lights-out car factoryForecast · ~2032enables

Sources & evidence

Additional source

Dataset updated 2026-10-18. This individual record has not been separately re-reviewed.