bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comment
Authors: Blanning T. C. W.
Published: March 2009

The Austrian History Yearbook has published many articles illuminating the religious and intellectual history of Central Europe, but few if any have been as helpful as David Sorkin's “Reform Catholicism and Religious Enlightenment.” Not the least of his many services has been the provision of a critical bibliography that will be the essential starting point for anyone entering this fascinating but problematic world for the first time. Not only does he appear to have read everything of importance and much that is peripheral, he has also given us a balanced and judicious appraisal of the secondary literature. As the author of the standard work on Jewry in the period,1 he also brings to an old problem a new perspective and new expertise. Few scholars have sufficient range to allow them to write with authority in the same paragraph about Anglican latitudinarianism, North German Protestantism, the Haskalah, and Reform Catholicism, identifying what they had in common and what distinguished them from each other.
Franklin's Free Will; or, Optimism in Cracow, 1798
Authors: Frick David A.
Published: March 2009

On January 7, 1796, two days after Austrian rule came to Cracow in the wake of the Third Partition of Poland, Jan May resumed printing his recently established newspaper, the Cracow Gazette (Gazeta Kra-kowska), with a lead article brimming with enthusiasm for the new order: “Finally, the wishes of all have been fulfilled. The City of Cracow, destined for the rule of His Majesty, the Most Illustrious Roman Emperor, has, as of today, after the withdrawal of the Prussian armies, with the greatest satisfaction, seen within its walls the army of the desired Monarch.” Some of May's readers may indeed have been pleased to see Prussian troops leave. There may also have been a few aristocrats—if we credit accounts of a “Jacobin” fear—who were happy to see the Austrians come to Cracow. Probably many were relieved at having some sort of order after years of unrest. But many were also unhappy to find themselves under Austrian rule in those early days of the partitions. If readers recalled May's quite recent Jacobin leanings and his role as chief printer to the Kościuszko Uprising, they may have read his front-page effusions as a sudden servilism, a strategic response to political necessity, a bleak contextual joke in the form of excess flattery, or some combination of all these things.
A Central European Diaspora under the Shadow of World War II: The Galician Ukrainians in North America
Authors: Himka John-Paul
Published: March 2009

Sixty years after its conclusion, World War II still fills the world's memory. Massive demonstrations in China last winter recalled Japanese atrocities during the war, while just over a month ago the world marked the sixtieth anniversary of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Monuments and museums continue to be erected to commemorate the Holocaust. And films on the war, as the recent success of Downfall demonstrates, continue to attract viewers. Some of the things that happened during World War II seem to us to be unforgettable.
From Apalachicola to Wilkes-Barre: Austria(-Hungary) and Its Consulates in the United States of America, 1820–1917
Authors: Agstner Rudolf
Published: March 2009

Little is known today of the relations between the Habsburg monarchy and the United States, or even about the millions of Habsburg subjects who emigrated to America and participated in virtually every stage of its westward expansion. We are particularly ignorant of the extensive consular system that the imperial government maintained for nearly a century before the dissolution of Austria-Hungary at the end of the Great War.1 Given the largely administrative nature of consular relations, it is not surprising that scholars have not delved deeply into the archival records. Nonetheless, in addition to a substantial cache of colorful anecdotes and less riveting administrative minutiae, the records of the Habsburg consular system in the United States offer a fresh vantage point for examining the interests and concerns of the monarchy's ruling elite and the structural challenges that limited its effectiveness during the four-decade career of Austria-Hungary.
Unwanted Navy: Habsburg Naval Armaments under Maria Theresa
Authors: Szabo Franz A. J.
Published: March 2009

The Habsburg monarchy was never a major sea power, and for most of its four centuries of existence it had no substantial navy at all. Especially before the nineteenth century the history of Habsburg naval armaments, therefore, is of little interest to the military specialist and more significant as a footnote to the domestic political history of the monarchy. At no time was this more the case than during the reign of Maria Theresa (1740–1780). From a military point of view the naval projects of this period could furnish, at best, the plot of an opera buffa, but from an administrative and economic point of view they highlight some of the most fundamental problems of enlightened absolutism in Austria.
Comments
Authors: Edelmayer Friedrich , Vocelka Karl
Published: March 2009

The above study deals with a small segment of the life and political thought of Albert Schäffle. In it Gentry expresses views that might have been more valid had he taken into account the whole spectrum of Schaäffle's ever-changing world of ideas, for Schäffle's life took a truly varicolored course.
Austrian Social Democratic Foreign Policy and the Bosnian Crisis of 1908
Authors: Roebke-Berens Ruth D.
Published: March 2009

During the first decades after it came into existence the Austrian Social Democratic Party dedicated itself to preserving the multinational Austro-Hungarian empire as a state in which it could pursue socialist goals. The party leaders primarily concerned themselves with practical problems of party and trade-union organization, with devising a nationality program to resolve domestic tensions, and with winning the battle for universal suffrage. Before 1908 domestic issues clearly took precedence over international affairs.
The Development of Czech Nationalism
Authors: HavráNek Jan
Published: March 2009

The Czechs have always been the Slavic nation living farthest to the west. With a population of 6,500,000 in 1910, they were the third strongest ethnic group in the monarchy, although they formed only 12.7 percent of its total population. At that time the Czechs, as well as the Magyars, Croats, and Slovenes, with a few minor exceptions, lived only within the Habsburg empire. In the largely agricultural countryside between the Czech and German populations there was a clearly demarcated line which changed only rarely. Strong nationalists on both sides of this boundary, however, paid much attention to even the slightest changes in it. The dividing line between the Czechs and the Slovaks, which was the same as the frontier between the Czech lands and Hungary, was also stable. It cannot be said that this line actually amounted to a language barrier, since dialects which were nearly the same were spoken on both sides of the Morava River. The gradual transition between Czech and Polish dialects in Silesia, together with the strong westward Polish migration, however, made the nationality frontier between the Czechs and Poles relatively unstable.
Comments
Authors: Plaschka Richard
Published: March 2009

In commenting on the papers presented in this session on the Czechs and the Poles, I would like to discuss Professor S. Harrison Thomson's approach to the interpretation of Czech history and Professor Piotr Wandycz's concept of divide et impera. In addition, although the main emphasis of this conference is on the nations within the monarchy, I believe that some remarks about the relationship of the individual to the empire might also prove useful.
Comments
Authors: Morley Charles
Published: March 2009

I feel greatly honored to have been selected by the committee that has planned this conference to discuss the papers of two such distinguished scholars as Professors Wandycz and Wereszycki. Most of you have already had an opportunity to read their essays, and I am certain you will agree with me that both deserve only the highest praise. In their comprehensive treatment of the subject and in their judicious interpretation of the facts, the papers reflect the superior scholarship of their authors. While praising these two excellent accounts makes my assignment to discuss them a very pleasant one, the task is, at the same time, rather difficult. Since the authors have said so much so well, what else is there to say? Fortunately, the subject is vast and complex, and a commentator can always find many facets of the subject which have not been covered in any limited treatment of the topic.
The Slovaks in the Habsburg Empire: A Struggle for Existence
Authors: Beneš Václav L.
Published: March 2009

The example of the Slovaks, next to the Ruthenians the weakest and least privileged people of the Danubian monarchy, is eminently fitted to the examination of Austria's ability to deal with the main problem of its modern political life, namely, that of the coexistence and possible reconciliation of its nationalities. One of the first to point out this fundamental issue for the continued existence of Austria with unusual clarity was František Palacký in his 1848 letter to the Vorparlament of the Frankfurt National Assembly. Far from being an expression of unreserved faith in the future of the monarchy, his memorable words on the necessity of the Habsburg state1 were dictated by political realism and foresight. Emphasizing the dangers of German nationalism and Russian imperialism, which he perhaps intentionally exaggerated,2 the Czech leader was fully aware of the political weakness of the small Slav nations who were only gradually establishing their national identity. It was for their sake that he gave a final expression to the policy of Austro-Slavism, seeking the salvation of the Austrian Slavs in the preservation of the monarchy. He endeavored, however, to give it a new raison d'être based on the creation of a common defensive system for its individual nationalities in which all were to be given “complete equality of rights and respect.” While sincere, Palacký's support of Austria was neither unconditional nor devoid of a strong element of doubt. The nationalist policies of the Austrian Germans and the rebellious Magyars, whose chauvinism was only thinly covered by a veneer of liberalism, caused him to moderate his opinion in regard to the ability of the Austrian rulers to change the empire into a federal and democratic state. Thus, at the end of his Frankfurt message Palacký expressed only the hope that the Habsburg monarchy would not miss the opportunity to change into a state based on principles of justice, which alone could save it from disintegration.
The Slovaks: an Integrating or a Disintegrating Force?
Authors: Holotík Ľudovít
Published: March 2009

Because of the various factors in the Austro-Hungarian monarchy which retarded the development of Slovak culture and science, Slovak historians have, on the whole, only during the past few decades begun to examine historical problems from a broad perspective. Consequently, it is by no mere accident that the problem to which part of the attention of this conference is being devoted—the Slovak political movement as a disintegrating force in the Habsburg monarchy—is relatively new to Slovak historiography. Until now it has not been examined from a broad perspective, if only because of the many different historical, political, social, and economic ingredients which were involved in turning nationalism into a significant disintegrating force. Slovak writers have, however, made various studies of the nationality problem—a problem which has ever since the eighteenth century been the most sensitive issue in Slovak history. Certain of these studies have thrown light on both the integrating and disintegrating: forces of the monarchy—two forces which are realy interdependent.
The Rumanians and the Habsburg Monarchy
Authors: Fischer-Galati Stephen
Published: March 2009

The endless and frequently meaningless disputes involving the contribution of one or another nationality group to the maintenance or dissolution of the Habsburg monarchy have obscured the essential question: was the multinational empire viable? Different answers have been provided, usually on the basis of the historian's individual national prejudices, whether Hungarian, Yugoslav, Polish, Ruthenian, Italian, or Rumanian. The ranks of the disputants have been swelled by “volunteers” of non-East European origin ever ready to champion, on sentimental or ideological rather than historical grounds, whatever causes may have been appealing at a given time.
Comments
Authors: Campbell John C.
Published: March 2009

The nationalities grouped together for discussion at this session—whether they be called “non-historic” or less assertive or weak—played a less crucial role in deciding the fate of the empire than the Poles, Czechs, or Yugoslavs. That is the impression confirmed by the papers presented here on three of them: the Ukrainians, poor, politically backward, relatively unorganized, and divided between the Austrian and Hungarian halves of the monarchy; the Slovaks, very much on the defensive, struggling to maintain their existence as a nationality against assimilation; and the Rumanians, trying to assert themselves politically and socially but against heavy odds.
Karl Renner and the Politics of Accommodation: Moderation versus Revenge
Authors: Loewenberg Peter
Published: March 2009

Karl Renner's political life encompasses the history of Austria's empire and her two twentieth-century republics, making him the foremost leader of Austrian democratic politics. Renner was also the most innovative theoretician on the nationalities question which plagued the Habsburg monarchy and the twentieth-century world. He was chancellor of Austria's first republic, leader of the right-wing Social Democrats, and president of the post-World War II Second Republic. A study of his life and politics offers a perspective on the origins of the moderate, adaptive, political personality and on the tension between ideology and accommodation to the point where it is difficult to determine what core of principle remained.
Silent War and Bitter Peace: The Revolution of 1918 in Austria
Authors: Boyer John W.
Published: March 2009

My Subject Today is the Austrian Revolution of 1918 and its aftermath, a staple subject in the general history of the empire and the republic, but one that has not seen vigorous historiographical discussion for a number of years. In a recent review of new historiography on the French Revolution, Jeremy Popkin has argued that recent neoliberal and even neo-Jacobin scholarship about that momentous event has confirmed the position of the revolution in the “genealogy of modern liberalism and democracy.” The endless fascination engendered by the French Revolution is owing to its protean nature, one that assayed the possibilities of reconciling liberty and equality and one that still inspires those who would search for a “usable liberal past.”1After all, it was not only a watershed of liberal ideas, if not always liberal institutions and civic practices, but it was also a testing ground for the possibility of giving practical meaning to new categories of human rights.
Making and Defending a Polish Town: “Lwów” (Lemberg), 1848-1914
Authors: Binder Harald
Published: March 2009

Many east central European towns and cities bear several names, reflecting the ethnic and religious diversity once characteristic of the region. The town chosen in 1772 by the Habsburgs as capital of their newly acquired province of Galicia serves as an example. In the second half of the nineteenth century Ruthenian national populists referred to the city as “Ľviv”; Russophiles designated the city “Ľvov.” For Poles and Polonized Jews the town was “Lwów,” and for Germans as well as German- and Yiddish-speaking Jews the city was “Lemberg.” The ethnic and linguistic reality was, in fact, much less clear than these divisions would suggest. For much of the period of Habsburg rule, language barriers remained permeable. The city's inhabitants were multilingual, often employing different languages depending on the type of communication in which they were engaged. By the
Post-Austrian Lemberg: War Commemoration, Interethnic Relations, and ban Identity in Lľviv, 1918-1939
Authors: Wendland Anna Veronika
Published: March 2009

East and east centralEuropean cities are a neglected field of research in urban history. While a certain number of publications exist on select urban phenomena such as urban Jewry, only recently have attempts been made to focus research on entire cities. Studies published in the last decade have tried to discover the unknown urban world of multiethnic societies in countries such as Russia, Poland, Ukraine, and the Baltic states. Researchers must cope with specific problems. General city histories are very rare, with the exception of several “city biographies” dating from the 1920s and 1930s. Archival sources are rather poorly documented in inventories, and holdings (especially on the territory of the former Soviet Union) suffered wartime losses and are often scattered. Multilingual skills and knowledge of “exotic” languages such as Ukrainian, Lithuanian, or Yiddish are mandatory. And finally, the usual approaches do not lead to satisfactory results. “Traditional” urban history deals with Western European and North American urban societies that were shaped by a special set of social, economic, and juridical circumstances, in which longstanding city autonomy, rapid modernization since the eighteenth century, a powerful city bourgeoisie, and highly developed and differentiated public spheres played important roles. When one applies the standards of Western city development to the multinational Central and Eastern European cities during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the latter appear to be underdeveloped and lacking in many of the institutional preconditions that make a mere urban agglomeration a city. Such considerations may even be applied to a city such as Lemberg (L'viv in Ukrainian, Lwow in Polish), which belonged to Austria-Hungary until 1918, and was always regarded as a stronghold of “Vienneseness” and “Europeaness” in the “East.”
Gender and Anti-Semitism: Christian Social Women and the Jewish Response in Turn-of-the-Century Vienna
Authors: Rose Alison
Published: March 2009

The known anti-Semitic leader Prince Lichtenstein once said in a meeting of Christian women that anti-Semitism would never have achieved such success without the assistance of women, and this is unfortunately very true. Dr. Lueger proved himself a good judge of character when he called for the help of his “Amazons,” who overall did such powerful work for him. For better or worse, wherever women engage themselves in great numbers in the service of a party, they are desirable and highly regarded.
Colonizing the Hungarian and German Border Areas during the Czechoslovak Land Reform. 1918-1938
Authors: Miller Daniel E.
Published: March 2009

With the creation of the Czechoslovak First Republic in October 1918, politicians began debating the fate of the great estates the new country had inherited from the Habsburg monarchy, and within six months, the National Assembly enacted a sweeping land reform. With some of the land, the state sponsored colonies—new or expanded agricultural settlements. The announced purpose of the colonization program was to relieve land hunger, which was a genuine concern. Equally important in the minds of many who administered the program and participated in it, however, was altering the ethnic composition of the border areas, where most of the colonies were located.
The use of statistics in L2 acquisition research
Authors: Loewen Shawn , Gass Susan
Published: March 2009

Second language acquisition (SLA) as a discipline has not had a long history and, as any new discipline, has seen growing pains over the years. This research timeline traces the development of the increased and more sophisticated use of statistics in SLA research and the increasing demands for rigor in their use. Use of statistical procedures has been increasing in the SLA literature, but the tools themselves have not developed from within the field; rather the increased use stems from greater statistical sophistication on the part of users. In other words, SLA is not an innovator but an increasingly knowledgeable borrower and adapter of statistical procedures.
Robotic milking: a review
Authors: Frost A.R.
Published: March 2009

Attaching the milking machine to the cow is the last remaining major repetitive task that the worker in a modern milking parlour has to perform. Several groups of research workers are developing robotic systems for this purpose. The task for the robot of locating the cow's teats and attaching the machine is complicated by morphological differences between cows and the need to allow the cow freedom to move during the operation. This paper reviews the progress that has been made.
R & D at the Laboratory for Control Systems and Automation of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
Authors: Cho Hyung S.
Published: March 2009

This paper describes the research activities at the Laboratory for Control Systems and Automation (LCA) which is a section of the Production Department of Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). LCA's research activities are focused on providing fundamental technologies to cope with the current trends in manufacturing automation. The R & D activities at the laboratory cover diverse areas. The research activities at the laboratory are classified into three sections—robotics and automation, fluid servo control, and manufacturing process control. Detailed explanations are given here on robotics and its application to automation. As a laboratory belonging to a nation's leading educational institution, LCA also conducts active educational activities. Such educational programs are also introduced in detail.
An evaluation of mechanically co-ordinated legged locomotion (The Iron Mule Train revisited)
Authors: Todd D.J.
Published: March 2009

An eight-legged walking machine with purely mechanical control of leg motion has been built, based on an old design by Space-General Corporation. The paper describes its mechanical design, and experiments with it on a variety of surfaces.
The application of logic programming to the generation of plans for robots
Authors: Davis R. H. , Comacho M.
Published: March 2009

The previous paper by the same authors (Robotica 2, Part 2, pp. 93–103 1984) was concerned with the application of logic programming to the generation of paths for robots. This paper is dealing with the PIGS system for robot problem-solving in generating plans for robots. The system avoids the overhead of generating a new set of facts for each state considered. A computer-type control is adopted not only to generate a simple sequence of actions to be performed by the robot, but also to enable the robot to follow an accurately defined path. A suitable plan of action of a robot problem-solving system is generated. The system is written in the PROLOG language and acts as a robot plan generator that is integrated with a path finding procedure in order to avoid collisions whilst plans are being implemented.
English as a command language for robot control (HIROB)
Authors: Bock Peter
Published: March 2009

To facilitate expedient communication with robots, a very-high level hierarchical robot command language (HIROB) has been designed and implemented. HIROB uses the full and comprehensive syntax of the English imperative, allowing users to control a robot without the need of learning an esoteric programming language. A Parser/Scanner/Recognizer (PSR) performs a lexical analysis of a HIROB command stream, and identifies which portions of the command stream already exist as fully defined procedures in the files of the Procedure Management System (PMS). Those portions which do not exist must be defined using either existing HIROB procedures (English phrases), or by using the primitive commands of the low-level robot command language (LOROB). This process is fully recursive, so that HIROB procedures may consist of defined or undefined HIROB procedures, as well as LOROB commands, with the understanding that a high-level command cannot be executed until all of its hierarchical sub-commands have been fully defined. A user-friendly editor has been incorporated into the PMS to allow convenient creation, modification, and testing of HIROB commands.
Employment in the age of robots
Authors: Bell D. A.
Published: March 2009

The author makes the point that progress is slow, though inexorable, and one can discern an upward drift of unemployment, even in good times. After analysing the various views concerning this phenomenon, the author points to two major problems, viz. the transitional one of the redundant heavy manual worker and the long-term one of employment for the unskilled. He then considers these problems from the point of view of automation and robotics with particular reference to the reaction of the human society to the qualitative changes in the manufacturing industries.
The effect of information technology on manufacturing
Authors: Aleksander I.
Published: March 2009

The major thrust of technological development is the reduction of the demands made by I.T. equipment on its users. The economic pressures which underpin such developments are based on 2 principles: the continuing fall of the cost of processing power (but particularly storage) and the market edge of simple as opposed to complex systems.

The techniques which can no longer be disregarded include voice and vision communication which frees the users' hands from the prison of the keyboard: also the logical power of IT equipment will not only extend excellence of rigorous reasoning, but also the type of person to person reasoning which takes the human factor into account.
Testing the efficiency and motion economy of two-finger robotic grippers
Authors: Schafer H. Steven , Malstrom Eric M.
Published: March 2009

The aim of the research work described in this paper was to study the versatility and effectiveness of commercially available all-purpose robot grippers. In particular, the authors analyzed the capabilities of a two-finger, parallel-action gripper. Another aspect considered in this investigation was the relationship between motion economy and a variety of factors, viz. programming method, gripping configuration, speed of the robot's movement and the weight of the workpiece being handled, all from a standpoint of gripping effectiveness. The potential value of this research work is threefold, involving a knowledge of robot systems limitations, alternate gripping approaches and the development of an extendable gripping analysis method. Further research work is anticipated for a variety of different grippers and robotic arms.
Application of a robot in a working cell
Authors: Hockham J. F. , O'Connor B. M.
Published: March 2009

This paper summarises the results of work carried out in planning the application of a robot in a working cell including a small number of metal cutting machines. The viewpoint assumed is that of a first-time user of robots, and includes the procedure for selecting a robot. Because the analysis calls for robot information not readily available to the user, or which is application specific, a significant conclusion is the necessity to establish a structured programme of collaboration between robot user and robot manufacturer, which becomes an essential part of the analytical and design process.
A small parameter method to improve optimum control via the linearization technique
Authors: Jumarie Guy
Published: March 2009

A method that has been proposed for the design of a control system of a muti-link arm is the optimum approach applied to the system linearized around its nominal trajectory, i.e. the dynamic trajectory that the manipulator should follow. This method works, in as much as the initial deviation from the reference trajectory is small enough. When such is not the case, it is necessary to take into account the quadratic term in the approximation, and the paper proposes a small parameter technique to solve the corresponding optimum control problem which otherwise involves cumbersome calculations.
The application of logic programming to the generation of paths for robots
Authors: Davis R. H. , Camacho M.
Published: March 2009

This paper outlines a heuristic approach for the development of a control strategy for finding a safe path for a polyhedral object moving amongst known polyhedral objects. This is achieved by the algorithm A* for finding a minimum cost path in a graph; the algorithm is implemented on a computer under the UNIX operating system, using the NU7 version of PROLOG.
Teaching a miniature robotic manipulator to play chess
Authors: Hoffman John D. , Malstrom Eric M.
Published: March 2009

This paper describes a project that addressed teaching a miniature robotic manipulator to play chess. This task was accomplished by interfacing a Microbot Minimover 5 robot and its Radio Shack TRS-80 control computer to a set of chessboard contacts and a Fidelity Electronics Chess Challenger 7 microcomputer. An extensive control program and interface circuitry were designed to enable each of the major components of the system to electronically communicate with one another.
Minimum distances for robot task simulation
Authors: Red W. Edward
Published: March 2009

Minimum distance algorithms allow users of robot simulation programs to maneuver manipulation arms around and between workspace obstacles. Additionally, they can be used to generate configuration maps for path planning of the manipulator “point” through a more abstract configuration space. This paper summarizes an algorithm for determining minimum distances between two polyhedral elements. Examples of configuration space maps and Cartesian stepping techniques demonstrate algorithmic utility for robot path planning. A number of accelerating strategies which depend on a heirarchical spatial representation of manipulator and workspace elements maintain reasonable CPU times for the simulation user.
Operation sequencing in a FMS
Authors: Carrie A. S. , Petsopoulos A. C.
Published: March 2009

In simulation studies of an FMS serious congestion problems were observed. Since they had not occurred in earlier FM systems built by the same manufacturer comprising similar machines and control software, it was concluded that they must be caused by the nature of the operation sequences and times of the parts to be produced. This paper reports the results of experiments to assess the dependence of the system's performance on the sequence in which jobs are launched, the relative times of successive operations, machine groupings and product mix. The principal performance measures were the production achieved within a certain time period and the ratio for each part of its processing time to its time in the system. The results are presented, and, contrary to expectation, in most cases there were no statistically significant effects. The possible reasons for and implications of the results are discussed.
Distributed manufacturing systems
Authors: Weston R. H. , Sumpter C. M. , Gascoigne J. D.
Published: March 2009

In the context of computer-integrated manufacture (CIM), the paper describes the need for flexible “intelligent” machinery and the need for integrated and distributed software. Methodologies in obtaining appropriate solutions are discussed and related to two major SERC sponsored research programmes at Loughborough University, which concern (i) the design of a family of mechanical and control system modules to allow robots to be configured with user defined kinematic and dynamic properties, and (ii) the design of distributed hardware and software structures, based on internationally accepted communication protocols, to allow FAS's to be produced.

In batch manufacture today's increased demand for product variety, requiring reduced lead times and work in progress, the need arises for computer-integrated manufacture (CIM). Similarly, in many conventional continuous flow manufacturing processes dramatic improvements in plant efficiency can be achieved by linking shop floor computer systems with computers performing management and design functions.

Considerable research and development work has centred on flexible manufacturing systems (FMSs)3−1 which conventionally relate to metal cutting environments. Similarly the labour intensive nature of assembly operations has led to considerable interest in the design of flexible assembly systems.3.4 The principles embodied in FMS and FAS are translatable, being applicable to most manufacturing environments.

To achieve flexible integrated manufacturing two major requirements can be identified, viz.
(i) the need for flexible “intelligent” machinery, and
(ii) the need for integrated but distributed software systems.
This paper will consider future trends in (i) and (ii).
Automation and Maintenance Training
Authors: Senker Peter
Published: March 2009

The effective use of robots, FMS systems and other complex modern production equipment demands the deployment of multi-skilled maintenance people. Although this need has been well known for several years, several factors conspire to prevent sufficient appropriate maintenance training schemes being established. Such factors include demarcation problems, deficiencies in management industrial relations competence, and excessive reliance on ‘poaching’ trained people rather than on training. Reasons are adduced why reliance on equipment suppliers for maintenance is likely to prove insufficient.
Visual detection of differential movement: applications to robotics
Authors: Bowman M. E. , Forrest A. K.
Published: March 2009

A method has been developed for accurately determining the differential movement of known objects from multiple camera views. The method has been applied to a robot System to find the repeatability and accuracy of the robot in both rotational and translational terms and also for tracking an object using visual feedback.
World representation and path planning for a mobile robot
Authors: Palma-Villalon E. , Dauchez P.
Published: March 2009

This paper is related to the problem of navigation of a mobile robot amidst obstacles. In order to easily take into account any modification of the environment, we propose a very simple representation of the obstacles, based on the use of rectangles, as well as a matrix description of the spatial relationships between the obstacles. We also present a path planner based on aA*algorithm, the features of which are specifically designed for our world of rectangles. The cost function takes into account both the length of the path and the number of turns. Some experimental results and implementation details are also given in this paper.
Distance calculation for imminent collision indication in a robot System simulation
Authors: Hurteau G. , Stewart N. F.
Published: March 2009

Minimum distance algorithms may be used in robotic simulation programs to provide the user with the distances of approach of the manipulator to obstacles in the work environment; this is important for task planning using graphical simulation of configuration maps, and for the implementation of automatic detection of (imminent) collision in robot task development Systems that are based on a graphical simulation facility. In this paper we present algorithms that may be used for the calculation of distances between objects, not necessarily convex, that are made up of unions of convex polyhedra and cylindrically shaped objects (where the cross-section of the cylinder may be ellipsoidal, rather than circular).
Fitting of crimp contacts to connectors using industrial robots supported by vibrating tools
Authors: Warnecke H. J. , Frankenhauser B. , Gweon D. G. , Cho H. S.
Published: March 2009

When fitting contacts to connectors, the flexibility of the wires and the irregularity of the contact shapes have proved to be the greatest obstacles in developing automation. Within the framework of the present project, two methods for fitting irregular and flexible parts have been developed, both using industrial robots supported by vibrating tools. For theoretical analysis the irregular, flexible part is mathematically idealized. The tests are carried out with these idealized parts and crimp contacts. These tests proved that the vibration method is suitable for fitting irregular, flexible parts.
Robot programming languages: the statement of a problem
Authors: Van Aken L. , Van Brussel H.
Published: March 2009

The programming of robots forms a popular research topic. Different approaches for developing ideal robot programming system have already been proposed. They all attempt to raise the level of abstraction of the robot programming system. They differ, however, to a great extent in the stage of maturity they have reached to become eligible for industrial application. “Explicit robot programming languages”, in which every robot action has to be specified explicitly, can be said to be ready for industrial application. Therefore a detailed analysis is made of the requirements that are put on the class of “explicit robot programming languages”. Their basic composing elements are recognized and discussed in detail.
On the elimination of branching in the synthesis of spatial single-loop mechanisms with lower pairs
Authors: Sandor George N. , Xu Yongxian , Weng Tzu-Chen
Published: March 2009

A single-loop spatial mechanism kinematically becomes an open robot, if we separate the grounded joint of the input link which may then be considered as the end effector of the robot. Any position of the end-effector within the workspace of such an open robot can be reached via a number of different configurations of the links. These configurations are called “branches” of the open robot for that particular position of the end effector.

If the open robot is now stretched to a limiting position by a force exerted on the end effector, all the possible branches of the mechanism approach each other. When they become coincident, they form the “limiting configuration”. Any two related branches are at opposite sides of the limiting configuration. From the relationship between the links in th elimiting configuration and in related branches, conditions for aviodance of branching of the original closed-loop mechanism can be obtained. This is necessary in order to assure that a set of consistent relative displacements are specified for the open robot to move displacements are specified for the open robot to move toward the desired end-effector position without jumping from one branch to another. As for the closed-loop mechanism, open robot branching aviodance ensures that a desired sequence of positions of a particular floating link in the loop will be generated without changing the branch of the link configuration.

In this paper, the above approach is applied to RSSR, RRSC, RRSRR, RRRRRRR and RPCRRR spatial closed-loop motion-generator mechanisms and the corresponding conditions for aviodance of branching in the synthesis of the mechanisms are derived.
Pictorial knowledge representation using pictorial semantic networks
Authors: Lee Edward T.
Published: March 2009

Classifications of pictures and pictorial knowledge are presented. Pictorial knowledge is divided into three classes – angular pictorial knowledge, side pictorial knowledge, and angular and side pictorial knowledge. A block diagram of these three pictorial knowledge classes and a pictorial knowledge transformation module is also presented with illustrative examples. Pictorial semantic networks which in terms of pictorial nodes, property nodes, “is a” links, “has property” links, and “if and only if” links are introduced. Transitivity, generalization, specialization, inheritance hierarchy, and knowledge transformation properties are stated and illustrated by examples. Triangular, quadrangular, and polygonal knowledge representation using pictorial semantic networks are presented. The concepts of deducible property nodes are also presented with illustrative examples. Additional facts can be established from pictorial semantic networks. Thus, pictorial semantic networks are a useful way to represent pictorial knowledge in domains that use well-established taxonomies to simplify problem solving in pictorial information systems. Pictorial semantic networks offer what appears to be a fertile field for future study. The results may have useful applications in knowledge representation, expert systems, artificial intelligence, knowledge - based systems, pictorial information systems and related areas.
A generic tool management system architecture for flexible manufacturing systems (FMS)
Authors: Ranky Paul G.
Published: March 2009

Considering the fact that Flexible Manufacturing Systems (FMS) should be able to accommodate a variety of different parts in random order, tool management at cell level and tool transportation, tool data management, tooling data collection, tool maintenance, and manual and/or robotized tool assembly at FMS system level are very important. Tooling information in FMS is used by several subsystems, including: production planning, process control, dynamic scheduling, part programming, tool preset and maintenance, robotized and/or manual tool assembly, stock control and materials storage.

The paper summarizes the major tasks to be solved when designing tool management systems for FMS, as well as gives a solution for describing the data structure of a tool data base integrated with a generic tool description method, and shows a sample transaction of the way the FMS real-time control system can access and use this data base.
Design and simulation of control systems of an inverted pendulum
Authors: Feng Qing , Yamafuji Kazuo
Published: March 2009

This is a preliminary study to provide useful information for the design of the control of a monocycle which is one of the intelligent movable robots. In this paper, the two-degree-of-freedom monocycle is modeled by an inverted pendulum with a controlling arm pivoted at its upper end. The controlling arm is rotated to give the pendulum restoring moment.

The feedback control systems for the model have been designed using two methods – the pole assignment and the optimal control, respectively. Simulations of the control systems designed with the above methods are carried out on a personal computer. Although the pendulum can be stabilized with either of these methods, it is found that the optimal control method is superior to the pole assignment one, because in the former the control system can be designed to be suitably corresponding to the design demands based on a definite criterion.
Planning collision-free movements of a robot: A systems theory approach
Authors: Jacak W. , Lysakowska B. , Sierocki I.
Published: March 2009

In the paper we present system-theoretic descriptions of the robot's kinematics models, in a discrete and discretized workspace. For those descriptions, the problem of planning collision-free trajectories of motion is stated and represented as a classical problem of optimizing the behaviour of dynamical system.
Structure design and kinematics of a robot manipulator
Authors: Wang Kesheng , Lien Terje K.
Published: March 2009

In this paper we show that a robot manipulator with 6 degrees of freedom can be separated into two parts: arm with the first three joints for major positioning and wrist with the last three joints for major orienting. We propose 5 arms and 2 wrists as basic construction for commercially robot manipulators. This kind of simplification can lead to a general algorithm of inverse kinematics for the corresponding configuration of different combinations of arm and wrist. The approaches for numerical solution and closed form solution presented in this paper are very efficient and easy for calculating the inverse kinematics of robot manipulator.
Intelligent adaptive control of a mobile robot: The automaton with an internal and external parameter approach
Authors: Kazimierczak Jan , Łysakowska Barbara
Published: March 2009

In the paper a formal model is presented of the discrete control of a bile robot moving over a plane. The model synthesis has been directed in such a way as to justify the use as a controller of the automaton with internal and external parameters. It has been shown that, while controlled in discrete time the mobile robot performance can be expressed by a one-sidely optimized tree of a two-person extensive game. The tree, after transforming into the form of the state diagram of an automaton, serves as a basis for the synthesis of the automaton with internal and external parameters playing the role of a controller. A method is presented of synthesizing an automaton of this type, being a hardware realization of the mobile robot controller.
Planning of quasi-minimum time trajectories for robot manipulators (Generation of a bang-bang control)
Authors: Yamamoto M. , Mohri A.
Published: March 2009

A method for planning minimum time joint trajectories for robot manipulators is discussed. The minimum time trajectory planning problem for manipulators is one of the minimum time control problems of non-linear systems. The optimal input torque/force is of a bang-bang type, except for the singular control derived from the Maximum Principle. An algorithm for generating a bang-bang control is proposed. In the algorithm, the switching time vector is updated to decrease the final state error. The proposed algorithm is applied to a simple manipulator with two links, and the solution by this algorithm is compared with the sub-optimal solution obtained by another approximate method.
Developing robot programming languages using an existing language as a base—A viewpoint
Authors: Rock S. T.
Published: March 2009

The development of robot languages has followed a pattern similar to that of conventional programming languages, where robot languages have been based on an existing programming language. This paper first identifies the use of an existing base as one way of developing robot programming languages, and discusses the areas of difficulty in this approach. Then, on-line and off-line programming of robots is discussed and the requirements of robot programming languages that are different to those of non-specialised programming languages are presented. A discussion and evaluation of some programming languages in terms of their appropriateness for use as the base for an intelligent robot programming language is presented. This leads to the conclusion that no current language forms an adequate base for intelligent robot programming languages. What is needed as a base is a language for use in the artificial intelligence domain, that incorporates real-time facilities.
R&D Profile Section: The Robotics and Intelligent Systems Program (RISP) at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Authors: Weisbin C. R. , Hamel W. R. , Kuban D. P. , Meacham S. A. , Pin F. G.
Published: March 2009

This paper describes the Robotics and Intelligent Systems Program (RISP) at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). RISP is a focal point at ORNL for studies in robotics, teleoperations, and related aspects of intelligent machines, such as artificial intelligence, neural networks, and parallel computing. RISP research is intended to minimize human error through automation of repetitive, dull, and routine tasks; to minimize human risk by allowing effective remote operation in hazardous environments; to optimize cooperation of humans and machines; and to cope effectively with emergency situations where fast response is essential.
A Graph-Searching Approach to Trajectory Planning of Robots
Authors: Jacak Witold , Dulęba Ignacy , Rogalinski Paweł
Published: March 2009

A new method of optimal cost trajectory planning based on a graph searching algorithm is presented. Various heuristic functions which play the key role in the construction of effective algorithms for solving such problems are proposed. Some numerical examples are given based on the kinematic and dynamic models of a IRb-6 ASEA robot. This method rooted in AI has less computational complexity than a dynamical programming method applying to the same optimal-cost trajectory planning problem.