Ac 2007-1075: Remote Quality Control Integrated with Internet-based Robotic Systems

The current trends in industry include an integration of information and knowledge base network with a manufacturing system, which coined a new term, e-manufacturing. From the perspective of e-manufacturing, any production equipment and its control functions do not exist alone, instead becoming a part of the holistic operation system with distant monitoring, remote quality control and fault diagnostic capabilities. The key to this new paradigm is the accessibility to a remotely located system and having the means of responding to a rapidly changing environment. In this context, this paper presents innovative methods in remote part tracking and quality control using the Ethernet SmartImage Sensor and the Internet controllable Yamaha SCARA robot. The accuracy of the proposed scheme has been verified and subsequent quality control functions have been integrated, which vindicate the industrial applicability of the setup. The paper also discusses some of the online experiments conducted by the students and presents the evaluation outcomes. The experiment results suggest that online laboratory learning can be substantially enhanced by the use of even the simplest form of artificial graphical information and most students prefer having an instructor present even the lab is taught online. The implications from this study can be used to benefit many schools that begun offering online lab courses.