This book presents papers on applied research into the use of sensory robotics for the automated handling of limp materials in such areas as shoe and garment manufacture. In addition, trends and future needs in these areas and in sensing, planning and control are identified and discussed.

Inhalt
I. Shoes and Composites.- Sensory robotics related to shoe manufacture.- Automated application of soles to shoes.- Round table discussion Sensory robotics for shoes: Trends and future needs.- Robotic handling and lay-up of advanced composite materials an overview.- II. Garment manufacturing.- A challenge to develop fully automated garment manufacture.- Limp materials research at North Carolina State University.- Sensory robotics: Identifying sewing problems.- Progress towards automated garment manufacture.- Projects for the garment industry at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation (IPA), Stuttgart.- Analysis of a ply-separation gripper.- Round table discussion Sensory robotics in garment manufacture: Trends and future needs.- III. Sensing.- 2D vision techniques for the handling of limp materials.- 3D sensing for robot vision.- An expandable multimicroprocessor system for visual inspection.- Tactile sensors: Application assessment for robotic handling of limp materials.- Round table discussion Sensing: Trends and future research.- IV. Planning and Control.- Trajectory planning and obstacle avoidance.- Planning and sensing tradeoffs in robotics.- Analysis of a probabilistic framework for an intelligent workcell.- Adaptive control.- Fault tolerant microprocessor systems for industrial control.- Round table discussion Planning and control: Trends and future research.- V. Round-up.- Final round table discussion.- List of speakers.- List of participants.