The two companies in the Topstore consortium now have half the Swiss market for automated warehousing systems and the group is making major moves in the UK market. Anna Kochan examines the way the operation works.

Reviews the 16th International Symposium on Automation and Robotics in Construction held in Madrid, Spain, in September 1999; outlines robotic projects relating to construction activities.

The article summarises the results of two projects undertaken within the framework of the European Union Brite‐Euram programme. Describes the problem of automating railway carriage production. Explains the solutions that have been developed for the welding and cutting processes that are...

Reports from the Hanover Factory Automation show. Reviews new robots and automation systems. Highlights applications using vision. Identifies trend for off‐line programming software from robot makers.

Reports on new automation technology for the tyre industry. Describes a laser process for the in‐press cleaning of tyre moulds. Outlines the potential for massive savings compared to conventional systems.

Reports on new automation technology for the automotive industry. Describes a robotic extrusion process for making hollow profile seals. Outlines the potential for eliminating manual operations and increasing productivity.

Describes the Eureka program that promotes multinational industrial R&D in Europe, and provides examples of recent Eureka projects in the area of robotics and automation.

Reports on a European project to develop a robotic system for maintaining live power lines, outlines the stereoscopic vision and voice control systems that enable a robot to perform the tasks through teleoperation, and summarises the results that have been achieved so far.