Editorials

Of all the fields of modern technology, robotics is likely to be one of the most influential in changing the very nature of our society. In the past, the term "robot" has tended to conjure up pictures of automatonlike machines, often seen as a threat to people themselves. The concept of the robot goes back many decades, but-with the introduction of modern microelectronics the whole field of robotics has been given a new impetus and exciting prospects. We can achieve almost automatic manufacture of a whole range of goods and products. Moreover, these can be made by robots with consistency of quality, both in mass production and in smaller batches. The manufacturing operations which can be automated are not only those of assembly but also of joining. In transforming manufacturing industry, robots are always in danger of being seen as threats to traditional patterns of employment. In fact, of course, they enrich our manufacturing capability to the point where sophisticated products can be made more reliably and more cheaply. This means, in turn, that quality products are more widely available. At the same time, robots will open up new possibilities in other fields. We shall be able to undertake difficult operations in hazardous environments. It is now possible to automate repetitive operations in many different fields: in medicine, in the sorting of letters, in food processing, as well as many others. The setting up of a new journal to encourage writing and dissemination of ideas in robotics is to be strongly welcomed. The field of robotics will have an impact not only on manufacturing but on almost all other fields of human endeavour. Robotics will offer exciting solutions to some of the most challenging problems of modern society. "Robotica" has dedicated itself to this, and I wish the journal every success in the exciting years ahead.