Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!emory!utkcs2!stc06!abg From: abg@stc06.ornl.gov (BANGS A L) Newsgroups: comp.robotics Subject: Re: Robots in our Future? Message-ID: <1990Aug31.141831.5519@cs.utk.edu> Date: 31 Aug 90 14:18:31 GMT References: <1990Aug28.234809.15660@portia.Stanford.EDU> <1990Aug30.014817.8794@portia.Stanford.EDU> <29011@netnews.upenn.edu> Sender: news@cs.utk.edu (USENET News System) Reply-To: abg@stc06.ctd.ornl.gov (BANGS A L) Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab Lines: 18 In article <29011@netnews.upenn.edu> ulrich@grip.cis.upenn.edu (Nathan Ulrich) writes: >In article <1990Aug30.014817.8794@portia.Stanford.EDU> boehlke@sunrise.stanford.edu (Dan Boehlke) writes: >>I see the next breakthrough in robotics being the >>introduction of very high accuracy manipulators-- > >I strongly disagree. If you want "ultra-precision" position control, then >use hard automation or any of a variety of NC machines which are capable of >accuracy better than a millionth of an inch (much better, in some cases). My comment on high-precision manipulators is that you should not need them, at least in a "service" environment, if your sensors are sufficient. Service robotics--autonomous, mobile systems--is going to be the area with the most promise for robotics. Alex L. Bangs ---> bangsal@ornl.gov Of course, my opinions are Oak Ridge National Laboratory/CESAR my own darned business... Autonomous Systems Group