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1 – 10 of 317Motoman Europe has opened new facilities at its UK operation in Banbury. During the ceremony news was given of the company’s market share in both the UK and all of Europe. Details…
Abstract
Motoman Europe has opened new facilities at its UK operation in Banbury. During the ceremony news was given of the company’s market share in both the UK and all of Europe. Details were also released of technical developments including synchronous multi‐robot control, large gantry systems, off‐the‐shelf welding packages, a new torch for fast welding of aluminium and press brake tending software. A partnership in warehousing automation was announced with details on recent UK applications, including one at Premier International Foods blending Typhoo Tea. Soon Motoman will be able to supply robot painting systems in Europe following the acquisition of a painting robot manufacturer in Japan.
The purpose of this paper is to examine the advantages of two‐arm robots in the industrial environment.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the advantages of two‐arm robots in the industrial environment.
Design/methodology/approach
The innovative thinking behind Motoman's dual arm humanoid robot is presented. Then, its technical design and its industrial applications are studied. The general advantages of co‐ordinating multiple robot arms are given.
Findings
Motoman has designed a two‐arm robot of human size to take over industrial tasks still performed manually, providing an alternative to the practice of outsourcing such operations to low‐cost labour countries. However, its variance from traditional robot design means that its applications are not immediately apparent, and sales so far have been mostly in Japan. The NX100 multiple robot controller allows high‐density layouts and reduced cycle times, and makes programming simpler than for a cluster of individually controlled robots.
Originality/value
Humanoid robots tend to attract hobbyists rather than industrial users. This paper concentrates on a commercially available dual‐arm robot series and its industrial potential.
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Margaret Meiling Luo and Sophea Chea
Community wireless networking has become a growing trend in both metropolitan and rural areas around the world. However, few studies have sought to understand what motivates…
Abstract
Purpose
Community wireless networking has become a growing trend in both metropolitan and rural areas around the world. However, few studies have sought to understand what motivates people to use community wireless networks and the unintended effects that those technologies have on communities, particularly for rural users. The purpose of this paper is to explore the benefits and usage of an asynchronous wireless internet system in a rural village of Cambodia to examine the issues and challenges in the acceptance of a new technology in a less-developed country.
Design/methodology/approach
By employing qualitative methods of in-depth case analysis, the authors revealed various usage motivations and unintended effects of the system.
Findings
The authors identified five reasons that motivated users to use the system: avowed identity, a means to an end, maintaining personal ties, power and influence, and psychological commitment and ownership. The unintended effects of the system included increased number of interactions among actors and other uses of the system, including internet commerce, telemedicine, and e-government.
Research limitations/implications
This study explores the wireless internet project known as the “Internet Village Motoman Project” that was initiated by a non-governmental organization with funding from private donors, supplemented with matching funds from the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the academic understanding of rural regions of Cambodia and its evidence supports the current theoretical assumptions that user behaviors are not determined only by users’ decisions alone (as proposed by traditional cognitive IS research), but also by users and their social interactions as stated in the four-dimensional social actor framework proposed by Lamb and Kling (2003). The latter provides better explanation of the motivation for internet use in the region. The theoretical contribution of this study is the useful adoption of the actor-network approach in a non-organizational setting. The findings also contribute to the literature on how practical internet engineering can bridge the digital divide. Fulfilling the needs identified in the research and understanding unintended effects of the system will contribute to the successful implementation of new internet projects in other rural areas.
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