Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gbm5v Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-25T05:39:14.393Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Introduction of the industrial robot in Britain

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2009

James Fleck
James Fleck
Affiliation:
Technology Policy Unit, University of Aston, Gosta Green, Birmingham B4 7ET (U.K.)
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

The technical, managerial, organisational, economic and labour factors found to be important in an empirical study of more than forty firms adopting or considering robots, are outlined. Specific problems, arising from the requirements for managing integrated mechanical, electronic and computational systems, and the novel choreographic approach to production embodied in robots, are posed by the introduction of this new technology. For their effective solution, these problems demand an increased level of competence and expertise, at all levels from the managerial to the technical. But robots are just one part of modern automation, and in the future programmable automation – the integration of computer technology, robotics and conventional automation – will increasingly become the competitive standard in manufacturing industry. The introduction of such new technological standards, though forced by competitive pressures, will, however, require extensive institutional, organisational, and disciplinary adaptation if their full potential is to be realised and the UK is to remain one of the leading industrial nations.

Type
Article
Information
Robotica , Volume 2 , Issue 3 , July 1984 , pp. 169 - 175
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1984

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1.Zermeno-Gonzalez, R., “The Development and Diffusion of Industrial Robots” Ph.D. Thesis (The University of Aston in Birmingham, 1980).Google Scholar
2.Zermeno, R., Moseley, R. and Braun, E., “The industrial use of robots” The Industrial Robot 141–147 (09, 1979).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
3.The Technology Policy Unit, Current Research Activities (The University of Aston in Birmingham, 1982).Google Scholar
4.Fleck, J., The Introduction of Industrial Robots (Frances Pinter, London, 1985).Google Scholar
5.Nabseth, L. and Ray, G.F. (eds.), The Diffusion of New Industrial Processes (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1974).Google Scholar
6.The Science Policy Research Unit, Success and Failure in Industrial Innovation: Report on Project Sappho (The University of Sussex, 1972).Google Scholar
7.Fleck, J., The Effective Utilisation of Robots: Management of Expertise and Knowhow, Proc. 6th British Robot Association Annual Conference, Birmingham (05 1983) pp. 61–70.Google Scholar
8.This differentiation is evident from a perusal of the proceedings of the International Symposia on Industrial Robots, for instance, and is also well illustrated in the book by Hartley, J.: Robots at Work: A practical Guide for Engineers and Managers (IFS, Bedford, 1983)Google Scholar
9.Rossol, L., Vision and Adaptive Robots in General Motors, Proc. 1st International Conference on Robot Vision and Sensory Controls (Stratford-upon-Avon, 1981) pp. 278–287.Google Scholar
10.Jolly, B.S., “New technology demands a new breed of engineer-manager” Electrical Review 207, No. 4, 27–28 (07 1980).Google Scholar
11.Gebhardt, A. and Hatzold, O., “Numerically Controlled Machine Tools in Nabseth and Ray” op. cit., ref. 5.Google Scholar
12.Patrick, H. and Rovovsky, H. (eds.), Asia's New Giant: How The Japanese Economy Works. (Brookings Institution, Washington, 1976).Google Scholar
13.Hobsbawm, E.J., Industry and Empire (Penguin Books, Harmondsworth, 1969).Google Scholar
14. British Robot Association, Annual Robot Surveys (1981, 1982, 1983 & 1984).Google Scholar
15.Fleck, J. and White, B., “National Policies and Patterns of Robot Diffusion” Proc. 14th International Symposium on Industrial Robots (Gothenburg, Sweden, 10 1984).Google Scholar