Examines Robofish, a prototype high speed, vision guided robot with an end‐effector that is able to grasp slippery fish and accurately place them within a deheading machine. Describes the vision system, the two fingered gripper and the robot which has two rotating arms. Outlines the software...

Examines research work into the design and development of low‐to‐medium volume production systems. Outlines the aim to design a production unit capable of manufacturing a family of products, with a minimum amount of manual intervention. Investigates the use of flexible fixturing strategies...

Examines the external development, bottlenecks and development tendencies in robotic assembly. Looks at current market trends and the way in which technological developments can play a role by enabling companies to optimize price, quality and delivery times through rationalization and automation...

An overview of the analysis which should be undertaken with regard to safety where robotic systems are used. Looks at accidents associated with these systems and the legislation covering their operation in the workplace. Outlines general guidelines for robotic system design, implementation and...

Considers the use of robotics in the workplace as a means of protecting workers from exposure to hazardous substances, environments and physical agents. Gives examples of robots being used to handle radioactive material and working in the high dust exposure atmosphere of a plastics factory....

Outlines research work on the control of flexible single‐link robot arms in which the link is modelled as a beam and the end‐point position is controlled by measuring that position and using that measurement as a basis for applying a torque to the link joint. A position sensor device [PSD]...

Examines the use of a precision robot for automatic testing of complex geometries with free‐form surfaces. Each of its three rotation and bending axes have directly driven DC motors and high accuracy optical angle sensors. The distance between the ultrasonic probes and the workpiece can be...

Report from a steel mill in France where two robots have been installed to write reference codes on large coils of steel. The working conditions for this task were very unpleasant and human operators could only work for two or three hours at a time because of the intense heat that the coils...

A look at co‐operation in United States industry, with firms combining resources to develop, produce and market a product in an attempt to stay competitive whilst cutting the cost of developing new manufacturing technology. Outlines the formation of the National Centre for Manufacturing...

Describes a new controller for industrial robots. It has new computer software that allows functions to be improved without interfering with the overall program structure and improved man‐machine communication for different application areas. The controller uses state of the art electronics,...