Proposed use of a robot arm for laser scanning and reverse engineering

The method of obtaining spatial data of 3D objects by a camera scan of laser stripes is well established. Once such data has been obtained then a facsimile of the object can be produced by machining: reverse engineering. This works well for relatively simple shapes. The proposal is to use a robot arm for both scanning and machining. This would increase the usefulness of robot arms as well as tackling the problem of difficult shapes where several scans may be needed and where the machining is complex. It is shown that the mechanical elements of such a system exist. The problem is one of what control elements to use and it is here where a discussion within the conference could be of interest generally and be of benefit to the authors. Copyright (C) 2001 IFAC.