ROBOTS TAKE DETROIT

Abstract

More and more manufacturers are making newer and better robots for a growing variety of applicatons. In the United States automobile body spot welding accounts for most of the robot applications, followed by materials handling, arc welding and painting. Automatic assembly promises to become the most important robot application in the post 1985 period, and the industry is already developing the necessary more sophisticated hardware and software. Sales competition will continue to be intense as both the European and the Japanese robot makers battle U.S. firms for Detroit's attention.