IEEE Robotics and Automation Society

Ad-Hoc Committee on New Publications

• Ken Goldberg, Chair• Srinivas Akella• Hideki Hashimoto • Bill Hamel• Katsushi Ikeuchi • Vijay Kumar

• Kok Meng Lee• Peter Luh• Kimon Valavanis• Dick Volz• Michael Yu Wang• Mengchu Zhou

Objectives

• Attract new members– academia– industry

• Better serve existing members• Expand forum for high quality

research

Background

• TRA Established in 1984• Most cited Robotics Journal• Member surveys in 1996 and 2000:

– 66% of respondents want another Transactions

• Fall 2001, PAB, President decide to explore options

New Publications Committee

• Volz appoints 12 members in Jan 2002

• Over 200 emails exchanged

Theory

Systems

AutomationRobotics

Scope of TRA:

Robotics v. Automation

• Computers, physical world, geometry

• Both engage EE, CS, IE, OR, and ME• “robota” coined in 1923• “automation” coined in 1948• RAS defines automation fairly

narrowly: -> 15-20% of submitted papers to TRA

IEEE Standard Dictionary (1996)

• Automation. the implementation of a process by automatic means.

• Automatic. Pertaining to a function, operation , process, or device that, under specified conditions, functions without intervention by a human operator .

Automation: New Applications Areas

• BioTechnology and Health

• Security and Maintenance

• High Precision Manufacturing

• Food Handling and Processing

• Service Industries

Automation:New Topics in Design/Mfg

• Automatic Identification Systems (bar codes, RF-ids)• Collaborative and Concurrent Design Systems• Disassembly and De-manufacturing• Green and Sustainable Manufacturing• Internet-Based Systems• Life-cycle Design • Re-manufacturing and Re-cycling • Modular / Reconfigurable robots and workcells• Virtual Reality Visualizations

Automation:Operational/Enterprise

Level• Data Mining • Facility Layout and Design• Economic Justification Models• Enterprise-Level Modeling and Analysis and Supply Chain

Management• Management of Flexible Automation• Manufacturing Information systems• Networking and Distribution• Production Planning, Scheduling, and Coordination• Risk Management• System Integration• Total Quality Management and Predictive Maintenance• Warehouse/Resource Planning and Simulation

Existing Topics

• Actuators and Mechanisms • Assembly Planning and Design for Assembly• Autonomous Guided Vehicles (AGVs)• CAD: Design Methodology and User Interfaces• CAE/CAM Software Systems and User Interfaces• Calibration, System Identification, and Parameter Estimation• Controllers • Equipment and Process Modeling• Flexible, Agile, Manufacturing• Friction and Wear Modeling• Hardware - Mechanical Engineering• Hardware - Electrical/Computer Engineering• High Precision Systems

Existing Topics (cont’d)• Human Computer Interfaces and Integration• Machine Vision, Image Processing• Manipulators: Kinematics, Dynamics, Design• Manufacturing processes (Machining and Cutting, optical fiber drawing,• servo-tracking-writing, welding, painting, etc.)• Manufacturing System Architecture, Design, and Performance Evaluation• Material handling (Feeding, Fixturing, Grasping, Palletization)• Process Planning and Scheduling• Programming Languages• Performance Metrics, Analysis, and Evaluation• Sensing and Monitoring• Simulation and Virtual Manufacturing• Tooling Design• Quality Control

Automation:Mathematical Methods and Algorithms• Algorithms and Computational Complexity• Computational Geometry • Control Theory • Discrete Event Dynamic Systems (Queueing Theory, Petri Nets,

Perturbation Analysis, Ordinal Optimization)• Geometric Task Planning• Motion and Path Planning in Known Environments• Optimization and Approximation Algorithms• Operations Research and Numerical Methods• Process Control• Simulation• Soft Computing Methods (Neural Nets, Fuzzy Sets, Genetic Algorithms)• Stochastic Modeling

Potential Advantages

• Elevate the status of Automation

• Introduce a host of new Applications and Methods

• Appeal to current and potential members from industry and academia

• Attract new Authors and Papers

Caveats

• Reduce fruitful communication/cross fertilization between Robotics and Automation?

• How to differentiate from existing journals?

Competitive Survey

• IEEE Transaction on Industrial Electronics

• IEEE Transactions on Components, Packaging and Manufacturing Technology: Part C - Manufacturing

• IEEE Transactions on Semiconductor Manufacturing

• ASME Journal of Dynamic Systems, Measurement, and Control

• ASME Transactions: Journal of Manufacturing Sciences

• IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technology

Competitive Survey (cont’d)

• SME Journal of Manufacturing Systems

• IIE Transactions: Design and Manufacturing

• International Journal of Robotics Research (Sage Press)

• International Journal of Production Research (the oldest journal in manufacturing area; 35 years in existence)(published by Taylor and Francis)

• Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Systems (new in 2002 from World Scientific)

• Computers and Industrial Engineering (Pergamon Press)

• International Journal of Computer-Integrated Manufacturing (Taylor and Francis)

Competitive Survey (cont’d)

• International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology (Springer Verlag)

• Integrated Computer-Aided Engineering (John Wiley)

• Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing (Chapman and Hall)

• Systems Automation: Research and Applications (Ablex Publishing)

• International Journal of Manufacturing Systems Design (World Scientific)

• International Journal of Environmentally Conscious Design and Manufacturing (ECM Press)

Action Items• Survey RAS Officers and TRA Editors• Survey Top Automation Experts from outside RAS• Survey Current RAS Members• Survey Potential RAS Members from industry• Refine Scope and Title of New Transactions• Develop Campaign for Attracting Papers in New Topic Areas• Incorporate new topics into ICRA and IROS• Identify and Invite New Editorial Board• Identify Criteria for Success• Obtain Approval from IEEE