Serviceroboter: Produkte, Szenarien, Visionen (Service robots: products, scenarios, visions)

Serviceroboter: Produkte, Szenarien, Visionen (Service robots: products, scenarios, visions)

Serviceroboter: Produkte, Szenarien, Visionen (Service robots: products, scenarios, visions)

Rolf Dieter Schraft and Gernot Schmierer

Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Automation, IPA

Springer-Verlag

April 1998

215 pages

ISBN 3-540-64330-3

Price 98 DM

(English version available October 1998)

http://www.ipa.fhg.de/srbuch

The term "service robot" has been coined to encompass applications of robotics outside the now well established domain of industrial robots for manufacturing. The term is perhaps designed to bring robotics back to its conceptual roots laid down by Isaac Asimov and popularise new application possibilities. The Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing (IPA) played a pioneering role in Germany in the 1970s and 1980s in supporting the development and promotion of applications of industrial robots. Since the early 1990s, IPA has sought to do the same for service robots.

The book Serviceroboter provides a spectrum of worldwide developments in service robots. The stated aim is to give an overview of developments in order to promote and encourage appreciation of future industrial opportunities in robotics. The book commences with two general chapters: the first summarising the steps necessary for realising a high-tech product and the second giving an overview of the basic functions of a mobile robot, though this in the title is equated with the basic function of a service robot. This is perhaps misleading: from the examples given in the subsequent chapters, it is clear that mobility is not a prerequisite function for classification as a service robot. In sub-chapters a comprehensive polymorphic range of service robots is presented according to 17 application categories ranging from agriculture, cleaning, to leisure, entertainment, and medical. The book does not claim completeness, but certainly does include the representative range of industrial prototypes and products drawn from a worldwide base (including examples from Portech Ltd, UK) which have been developed in recent years. It would have been helpful if the book had a list of references or at least an index of systems mentioned (if only to make reviewing easier), but this has been omitted in favour of a reference to a dynamic home page giving contact names and addresses for further information about some of the systems mentioned. The goal is to keep the information up-to-date.

The book is very well laid out with almost more illustrations and high quality photographs than text ­ helpful for those of us who only have time to flip through books anyway. The illustrations are very effective in conveying the ideas or visions of service robot applications and their realisation. It certainly provides anyone seeking an overview of application examples with just that. The book is promotional in format but, while there is no doubt that technology marketing is important in any domain and especially for those of us working in robotics, perhaps after looking at such a plethora of systems the obvious question may be raised as to why so few examples have become commercial successes (the distinction between prototypes and products is largely not made clear in the book). It is the authors' wish that the book encourage inventors and developers in their practical attempts to develop systems. As an industrialist trying very hard to establish the business case for one such service robot, my wish is that, with so many exciting opportunities presented, priority be now given to the affordability of the systems from the point of view of both the user and the investor! There are many robotic visions, but sooner or later the dreams must wake up to commercial reality.

Monica Schofield