Booming use of the automation system in business, the need to handle material automatically, conveyors were first used in industry beginning in 1795, and were primarily used to move grains a short distance. As technology progressed, conveyors grew in sophistication and ability, gaining leather belts and eventually electric motors. Today, conveyors may still move grains, or they may move auto parts, boxes to be shipped, or luggage to be picked up at airports, among many other uses.