IMTS 2002 Manufacturing Conference, Sep. 9, 2002 From: Handbook of Industrial Automation, Edited by Richard L. Shell and Ernest L. Hall, Copyright ©2000 Marcel Dekker, Inc. New York 1 INTELLIGENT INDUSTRIAL ROBOTS Wanek Golnazarian 46 Mansfield Ave. Essex Jct., VT 05452 and Ernest L. Hall Center for Robotics Research, ML 72 University of Cincinnati Cincinnati, OH 45221 ABSTRACT An intelligent industrial robot is a remarkably useful combination of a manipulator, sensors and controls. The use of these machines in factory automation can improve productivity, increase product quality and improve competitiveness. Robots have been created to perform a wide variety of tasks spanning from educational robots in classrooms, to arc welding robots in the automobile industry, to teleoperated robot arms and mobile robots in space. This chapter focuses on the application of industrial robots within a manufacturing setting, and their contribution to further enhance their capabilities for flexibility in automation. In proper selection of a robot, one has to consider the various robot characteristics such as the way the robot links are connected and controlled at each joint. Next, a comprehensive review of the robot kinematics, dynamics and control strategies along with a treatment of the artificial neural network will describe the recent attempts to advance the development of intelligent control systems for industrial robots. 1. Introduction The Robot Industries Association (RIA) has defined an industrial robot as "a reprogrammable multi-functional manipulator designed to move material, parts, tools or specialized devices, through variable programmed motions for the performance of a