The synchronized action of robots is important in many applications, especially in the manufacturing processes. An algorithm to obtain a smooth synchronized movement of the multiple-robot system is presented for the case when only one processor is available to control all of the robots that incorporate stepper motors. The origin of this algorithm stems from the digital differential analyzer used in machine tool control.

This paper describes a new approach to obtaining a differential relationship of a robot manipulator via the Theoretical Kinematics method which may expedite computational efforts. The method involves a successive transformation of velocities from the end-effector to the base of the manipulator, link by link, using the relationship of moving coordinate systems. The equations obtained are written in the form suitable for programming on a digital computer. Furthermore, this paper also discusses the speed control model for general robot manipulators and together presents the Inverse Jacobian of cases of underdetermined and overdetermined of joint-controlled variables.

In this paper the joint trajectories of a manipulator, which avoids obstacles in the work space and follows given path, are planned considering the dynamics of the manipulator system. The planning problem has four types of constraints: collision-free conditions, structural joints movable ranges, joints velocity limits and actuators input limits. This problem is formulated using artificial potentials which give feasible joint movements under these constraints. An algorithm using the linear programming is given to solve the problem. This algorithm enables the successive adjustment of the weighting factors of artificial potentials and gives the desired joint trajectories. The algorithm is effectively applied to the planar movements of a manipulator with four links and four degrees of freedom.

The Jacobian of serial robot-arms is examined, and the matrix of cofactors of a singular Jacobian is presented as a means of explaining the physical nature of special configurations. Because the columns of both these matrices are screw coordinates, screw theory is central to proper understanding. ‘Realistic’ robot-arms are seen to behave in ways that can be explained not by particularizing from a general formulation but rather by carefully interpreting the relevant special screw systems from the outset. Higher singularities (with more than one freedom-loss) are then touched upon.

Robots have a considerable potential of application on the building site; they can adapt to varying tasks, move and interact with environment. The building process may be restructured in such way that a majority of tasks would be performed by 4 configurations of robots: an assembling robot for handling of large structure components, a general purpose robot for interior finishing works, an exterior wall, and a floor finishing robot for finishing of large vertical and horizontal surfaces, respectively. A preliminary feasibility study reveals that such robots may be justified economically, especially under conditions which reduce human productivity or require high quality of work.

Some principles of information processing in the right and left cerebral hemispheres are used to construct effective algorithms for the recognition of handwritten characters and for processing complex grey-level pictures, viz, photographs of human faces. These algorithms reduce to a considerable extent the exhaustive search for pixels being analysed. A quantitative estimate of the thus obtained gain is given.