Demonstrate a general system that accepts as input: A CAD design of a polyhedral assembly and outputs: a workcell layout and control software for efficiently and reliably achieving the assembly in volume.

(See: HandEy 92, Wilson et al 95, Craig et al 95, ...)

Modular Toolkits

Low Cost, Reliable "Vocabulary" for Assembly. Identify Minimal Hardware Sets. Characterize Range of Operation (Completeness). Algorithms to Compile Motion Plans into Reconfigurable Hardware. Flex Feeders and Fixtures. National Center for Manufacturing Systems,

Accurate Mechanical Prediction Software

For Design and Layout of Factory Automation. "Simulation: Doomed to Succeed"? Easy to fool the eye, but not Mother Nature! Software cannot "prove" theory but can greatly reduce design cycle. Must be Accurate (Verified with Physical Experiments) and Computationally Efficient. Challenges: Time Delay, Motor Saturation, Friction, Chaotic Dynamics. See: HandEy 92, Mirtich and Canny 96, Craig 95.

Computational Models of Tolerance

For Sensors, Motors, and Shape. Eg. ``Given a surface of known equation and a file of NC tool movements, does the shape that the tool cuts match the mathematical shape to within a given tolerance?'' [Chazelle et al]. Examples: Lozano-Perez, Mason, Taylor 84, Donald 89, Latombe and Wilson 92, Requicha 94, Joskowicz and Sacks 96, Akella 96.

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Workshop on Algorithmic Foundations of Robotics