Describes a project to develop an intelligent robot system to mechanize the finishing of dies and moulds. Examines the concept of the finishing of surfaces and the distinction between grinding and polishing.

Reports on a survey of nearly 700 companies to find out who uses industrial robots in the UK. Outlines how the data was gathered and the investigation into which factors determined robot use: was it size, ownership, region, industry or a combination of these.

Examines one of the main problems of mobile robot navigation: determining exactly where the robot is at all times. Describes the most important algorithm in localization: the extended Kalman filter. Looks at the simplest type of navigation using a system of fixed beacons in conjunction with a...

Examines the experience of Thorn Automation in the field of magnetometery in both defence and commercial markets. The cornerstone of their capability has come from using high performance fluxgate sensors. Looks at the different kinds of magnetometer available and describes their applications for...

Describes research into the use of external sensors for robot systems to allow them to react intelligently to unforeseen events in the production process and irregularities in products. Examines the use of active vision systems with robot controllers and the integration of the two systems....

A report on the 1992 Finish Robotics conference in Helsinki. Areas covered include medical robotics, advanced flexible robotic systems for small batch manufacturing, automated laboratory systems and waste disposal systems.

Looks at the use of robotic cameras in television news studios and the problems of navigating them accurately around their environment. Explains how the robots recognize coded targets around the studio which they compare with a preprogrammed map. Discusses the choice between laser scanners and...

Examines research work to investigate the potential of using robot manipulators for underwater ultrasonic testing of welds in joints of complex geometry. Describes experiments carried out into non‐contact ultrasonic immersion testing using a six‐axis robot and an ultrasonic inspection system...

Examines the development of a new high speed rotating arc welding system. Describes the rotation mechanism and looks at the characteristics and phenomena of this welding method. Discusses the principles and performance of the arc sensor. Concludes that a six‐axis vertical multiple joints arc...

Describes a real‐time quality control monitoring system for arc welding which has been developed to both control the manufacturing process by monitoring critical parameters and to provide process performance information to management and engineering personal. Describes the monitoring system...