#x2018;The robot story#x2019; is a personal documentary statement of the evolution of the industrial robot and the enabling technologies which dominate the subject of robotics. In the early 1960s the available supporting technology in electronics and computing was not sufficiently well developed to expect a successful industrial robot to take its place in the manufacturing scene. It was not until the mid 1970s that the robot started to make an important contribution to quality and productivity, but in a relatively limited range of product manufacture.The domestic developments in microelectronics and computing played their part in strengthening the subject of robotics, particularly in the implementation of sensor-guided applications. In the late 1970s and early 1980s there was a surge of interest in robotics, both from industry and from research laboratories. Funding initiatives saturated the available effort, and the promise of the new technology started to fall short of expectations. The consequence was the inevitable retreat of those who invested and the decline of applications resulting in a substantial shakeout in the marketplace.We are now recovering from this position, with the major research laboratories producing good results but manufacturing industry being ultra cautious in investing heavily again. The suppliers of the technology have to earn the confidence of the users for a renewal of interest in manufacturing industry and for advanced applications; the return must justify the cost which it might well do in such hostile environments as underwater and space.
展开▼
