Reviews the Essen Schweissen und Schneiden cutting and welding trade show, assesses the latest developments in remote laser welding technology, identifies mounting trend for electric servo guns to replace pneumatic welding guns, reports on growing interest in aluminium welding and outlines the...

Purpose – Aims to review the CLAWAR 2004 conference on climbing and walking robots. Design/methodology/approach – Selects key papers from the conference and presents a brief outline of the research undertaken and the conclusions reached. Findings – The CLAWAR conference covered every...

Purpose – Aims to provide a summary of global robot statistics as presented in World Robotics 2004 , a new publication prepared jointly by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the International Federation of Robotics (IFR). Also aims to highlight the trends displayed...

Purpose – Aims to summarise the programme of UV Europe, a conference on unmanned vehicles that took place in Paris in June 2005. Design/methodology/approach – Selects key conference presentations and summarises their contents, indicating the main themes. Findings – Finds very strong...

Purpose – Aims to review the Clawar 2005 conference on climbing and walking robots. Design/methodology/approach – Selects key papers from the conference and presents a brief outline of the research undertaken and the conclusions reached. Findings – Speakers told of the latest developments...

Describes the work undertaken by Oxford University’s robotics group, founded in 1985 by Professor Mike Brady. States that these university scientists have their feet firmly on the ground and illustrates this by giving details of a number of industrially‐sponsored projects with which they are...

A robotic solution is helping French railways (SNCF) to maintain the armatures of its electric traction engines. During its working life of 20–25 years, a normal SNCF traction engine covers a distance of 6–7 million kilometres. While in service the engine undergoes regular inspection and...

The operators said it wouldn't last three months. But, one year later, the robot installed by Swiss company Sandherr Packaging is as fast and efficient as it was in the beginning.

All the key topics currently occupying the robotics world, from parallel robots to off‐line programming, were discussed at a recent conference in Paris. Organised by the International Institute of Robotics and Artificial Intelligence at Marseille, the conference presented the...

Visitors to the Hanover Industrie Messe in April would have noticed that robot design is going through a phase of significant evolution. Among the many new ranges of robot that the major European manufacturers announced, it was evident clearly that robots are now designed not only to fulfil the...