00100			ABSTRACT
00105	
00110	The Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory proposes to undertake
00115	a  program in advanced automation over a period of one year at a cost
00120	of  $200,000.    The  laboratory  proposes  a  three  or  four   year
00125	investigation,  with  one  year  funding,  in  the  area  of computer
00130	integrated assembly systems.     This  project  unites  two  dominant
00135	forces in industrial automation:     computerization of manufacturing
00140	and programmable assembly automation.
00145	
00150	Extensive industrial and governmental studies and  consultation  have
00155	guided  the  concepts of this proposal. Several industrial needs have
00160	emerged from studies now underway.  One is  a  widespread  desire  of
00165	major industries for programmable automation.   Another is the desire
00170	to cut costs by better overall organization and understanding of  the
00175	manufacturing process, using computers as a tool for organization and
00180	information gathering.
00185	
00190	The  proposed  project  would  study  assembly   systems   from   two
00195	directions.   The  first  is  a  "top-down"  study  including problem
00200	definition, characterization of descriptors of objects  and  assembly
00205	operations, automated assembly planning, simulation to aid design for
00210	assembly, and APT-like language design for assembly.  The  second  is
00215	an   evolutionary  and  constructive  effort  based  on  demonstrated
00220	abilities, adding incrementally to our existing system.  We feel that
00225	our  system and proposed extensions are valuable examples for systems
00230	useful in industry.  We maintain that any system study must be  based
00235	on  a planned series of experiments which demonstrate the feasibility
00240	of key modules in the  system,  and  the  adequacy  of  the  combined
00245	system.