Guest Editor's Introduction: CAD-Based Robot Vision

R ecently the world has seen increased activity and interest in robotics and factory automation. Computer-aided design (CAD), computer-aided manufacturing (CAM), computer vision, and robotics are considered integral to the factories of the future. CAD/CAM had a $5.6 billion market in 1986, which is expected to double by the year 1990. Sales of industrial robots in 1986 were $0.5 billion and are expected to reach $5.8 billion by 1995. A summary of the Society ofManufacturing Engineers' Delphi forecast' about robots is given in the accompanying table. It is estimated that more than half of the increase in US productivity (defined as the output of the goods or services produced per unit of labor input) results from technical changes, scientific advances, industrial improvements, and improved management and training of labor.2 Competition through increased productivity, product quality, and new product innovation has topped many corporate agendas recently.3 Advances in both CAD and CAM technologies have been a driving force in manufacturing engineering to provide higher quality products and reduce production cycles by increasing the efficiency and productivity of design and production. Future significant improvements in productivity call for robot systems that are dextrous, intelligent, and adaptable.4 The key to realizing this step hinges upon how well we integrate CAD models into the development of intelligent robot systems for visual recognition, inspection, manipulation, and assembly. Like the integration of design and manufacturing through CAD/CAM, we need to bridge the technology gap between CAD and robot vision to achieve the integration of computers, sensors, and manipulators in the factories of the future.