ROBOTIC SYSTEM-DESIGN - A HIERARCHICAL SIMULATION-BASED APPROACH

The use of robotics has enjoyed increasing popularity among manufactur ers. To be competitive, every area of manufacturing must be coordinate d in a highly integrated but flexible environment. Robotics offers a t echnology with which the integration of related activities as well as the flexibility to adapt to product changes can be achieved A hierarch ical design approach for developing and implementing robotic systems i n proposed. This model seeks to provide a hierarchical structure under which robotic systems (existing or new) can be rapidly developed and implemented. This hierarchical approach is be based on geometrically a ccurate simulation models that allow the designer to simultaneously de velop logical systems designs and physical layout designs.