Hard times, tough choices, new opportunities

Citation

Loughlin, C. (2002), "Hard times, tough choices, new opportunities", Industrial Robot, Vol. 29 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/ir.2002.04929aaa.001

Hard times, tough choices, new opportunities

Hard times, tough choices, new opportunities

As I write we are facing uncertain times on the world stage. The twin towers of the World Trade Centre are reduced to rubble; any hopes of finding survivors are fading fast, and everyone is holding their breath to see how events unfold in Afghanistan.

At such times, coming as they do on the back of widespread fears of a global recession, it is difficult to look forward with the optimism that we have come to almost take for granted. In this issue we include a review of the recent JARA report on future strategies for the robot industry in Japan (see pages 32 to 34). The conclusions; that very significant changes in direction are required; probably apply equally well to other countries as they do to Japan.

Change is always a cause for concern, but like death and taxes, it is inevitable, and as much a part of the developing world now as it has always been.

Industrial robots are now very impressive pieces of machinery. They work with great accuracy and at very high speed. The mean time between failures (MTBF) has risen from the 200 hours quoted for the first Unimates, to 20,000 hours or higher. The scope for making improvements in these three areas of speed, accuracy and reliability must be reducing as the law of diminishing returns comes in to play.

If this is the case then should we all just pat ourselves on the back and take up basket weaving instead?

The answer of course is that although we have done OK so far it is only because we have set ourselves low targets. We have climbed the foothills and this has now afforded us a better view of distant horizons. The world of robotics can extend well beyond the factory floor and it is up to us to now climb higher and see further still.

“Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, Or what's a heaven for?”, Robert Browning (1855).

Jack Hollingum

It is with great sadness that I report the death of Jack Hollingum at the age of 76 following a succession of heart problems. Jack was one of the founding editors of Industrial Robot as well as our sister journals Assembly Automation and Sensor Review. Over the years he has written countless articles and has remained a regular contributor right up to having a stroke in April 2001.

He started his engineering career with the aircraft manufacturer Vickers Armstrong Weybridge, before turning his hand to engineering journalism and working formany prestigious publications including Metalworking Production and The Engineer. He was also the author of several books spanning topics as diverse as smart cards and machine vision.

Engineers are people who aim to make things better, and an engineering journalist aims to give them the knowledge and information to make this possible by reporting on up-and-coming research and working systems. The secret is to make articles interesting and informative and of practical benefit to those who read them. Giving other engineers ideas that they can use in their own systems, and warning them of problems and how they can be overcome.

Jack was a master of the art, and managed to ask incisive questions with great courtesy and charm. He also had a boundless enthusiasm for all things technical and led the way in the adoption of the new technology that we now all take for granted.

Prolific as he was as an engineering journalist, Jack was also a devout Christian and devoted a lot of his time and energy to the ecumenical Church. This work included two years as the full time Industrial Secretary of the Student Christian Movement. He was a devoted family man and leaves a wife and three sons.

I will greatly miss his contributions to the journal and the support of a colleague and much admired friend.

Forthcoming theme

Contributions are now being sought for the following issue:

Vol. 29 No. 4Semiconductor Industry + LCD manufacture + High PrecisionCopy date: 25 February 2002Covering applications and recent developments in the use of robots within the semiconductor industry, including LCD manufacture. Also printed circuit board assembly of awkward components.

Vol. 29 No. 5Painting + ActuatorsCopy date: 21 April 2002Covering spray painting robots and cleaning robots. Also ‘soft’ actuation mechanisms that are able to contact their surroundings without damage. This issue will also cover full arm force feedback and contact sensing.

Vol. 26 No. 6Automotive IndustryCopy date: 22 June 2002This issue will feature articles on robot applications within the automotive industry and associated component suppliers. Concentrating on assembly.

If you are interested in submitting a paper for publication in any of the above themed issues, please contact the Editor, Clive Loughlin.E-mail: cliveloughlin1@cs.com.