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Show LMotis Are On The Jolb Robots being popularized in works of science fiction are not a thing of the future. They are "alive" and working in many automotive plants. THE USE OF robots started out gradually, mainly doing basic welding jobs, but their development has been so rapid and sophisticated that they now are demonstrating capabilities of doing far more intricate work, reports the Automotive Information Council. In development stages, they are framing complete auto bodies, stamping and assembling as-sembling frames, feeuing materials to machinery, loading load-ing trucks, handling glass, doing foundry work, and a host of others. THEY CAN be programed to perform as many as 3,000 different functions, says one. manufacturer. They also-can be made to "see" and to select different pieces. Looking like an elephant's trunk, robots can duplicate the actions of humans, from the mobility of legs, to the movement of shoulders, elbows, el-bows, wrists and fi..toc.o. Some have several "trucks' for greater versatility THE PAINTING of vehicle bodies Hkely will be one of the largest employers of robots. Robots already can automatically automa-tically apply paint jobs to a half dozen different car body styles in any of dozens of colors offered. To teach the robot how each body style should be painted, an expert human painter guides the machine through the recommended recom-mended procedure. With microprocessors, memory discs and other elec-ixonic elec-ixonic systems, the robot is programmed for each body style and then can perform the various jobs around the clock. The electronic gear can be easily re-programmed for any desired changes. BUT THE future holds far more for robots. They are expected ex-pected be able to perform fairly intricate sub-assemblv jobs, such as assembling instrument in-strument panels. While robots will make steadv inroads, they won't inherit the world, said the Automotive Au-tomotive Information Council, because the need for humans always will be there because robots cannot think and humans are more versatile. ADDITIONALLY, robots are extremely expensive, and the auto makers are busy spending vast funds to design future autos to meet government-mandated regulations. The inroads of robots is the subject of an in-depth article in the current issue of "Automotive "Au-tomotive Industries" magazine. |