ftropea
09-19-2002, 04:32 PM
This is a snippet of something I once posted over at TIQ. I'm putting it here because I know there are a couple of forum members into this type of research and I wanted to drop the idea into their heads. Have you ever considered this:
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I've come to the conclusion that Ginger is basically a robot. However, I'm not talking about "robots" in any traditional sense. In order to further explain, let us look at a new class of devices called Intelligent Assist Devices, or IADs. IADs are primarily used in the auto/manufacturing industries, providing powered mechanical "assistance" to an operator in order to accomplish semiautomatic and automatic tasks. These IADs are very responsive to user input and become an extension of the user's body. They "sense" the intentions of the human operators and then process and initiate controlled movements in the desired direction. (http://www.comoco-inc.com/iad.htm)
Human Motion --> Machine Senses --> Machine Processes --> Machine Actuates
And while all this is going on, the machine takes into account other information absorbed by its sensors.
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And recently, I found this article (9/1/02) which touches on the fact that Segway-HT is a type of IAD, and also discusses the significance of IADs in our world:
"IADs leverage the recent quantum leaps in microprocessor, sensor and control technologies, says supplier Paul Decker, president, Cobotics Inc., Evanston, Ill. Decker equates the control challenges of designing IADs with those of developing the fly- and drive-by-wire concepts and the Segway two-wheel personal transport device. "All those applications awaited low-cost compute power."
...
"Holland predicts that "we will see the day when there's more of these programmable tooling kind of robots than all of the traditional robots that exist in the world today. It is an enormous sea change that is coming, and it has a lot of potential because it greatly increases fixturing flexibility -- an advantage that wasn't possible before." Eventually, Holland predicts, "GM will source these kinds of devices from mainstream companies much like we buy conventional robot systems.""
http://www.industryweek.com/CurrentArticles/Asp/articles.asp?ArticleId=1313
Something for you to think about :)
Regards,
Frank A. Tropea
************
I've come to the conclusion that Ginger is basically a robot. However, I'm not talking about "robots" in any traditional sense. In order to further explain, let us look at a new class of devices called Intelligent Assist Devices, or IADs. IADs are primarily used in the auto/manufacturing industries, providing powered mechanical "assistance" to an operator in order to accomplish semiautomatic and automatic tasks. These IADs are very responsive to user input and become an extension of the user's body. They "sense" the intentions of the human operators and then process and initiate controlled movements in the desired direction. (http://www.comoco-inc.com/iad.htm)
Human Motion --> Machine Senses --> Machine Processes --> Machine Actuates
And while all this is going on, the machine takes into account other information absorbed by its sensors.
************
And recently, I found this article (9/1/02) which touches on the fact that Segway-HT is a type of IAD, and also discusses the significance of IADs in our world:
"IADs leverage the recent quantum leaps in microprocessor, sensor and control technologies, says supplier Paul Decker, president, Cobotics Inc., Evanston, Ill. Decker equates the control challenges of designing IADs with those of developing the fly- and drive-by-wire concepts and the Segway two-wheel personal transport device. "All those applications awaited low-cost compute power."
...
"Holland predicts that "we will see the day when there's more of these programmable tooling kind of robots than all of the traditional robots that exist in the world today. It is an enormous sea change that is coming, and it has a lot of potential because it greatly increases fixturing flexibility -- an advantage that wasn't possible before." Eventually, Holland predicts, "GM will source these kinds of devices from mainstream companies much like we buy conventional robot systems.""
http://www.industryweek.com/CurrentArticles/Asp/articles.asp?ArticleId=1313
Something for you to think about :)
Regards,
Frank A. Tropea