1. STATUS AND CURRENT ACTIVITY OVERVIEW

• In the report established in October 1996, Karlsruhe, which assessed the current status and the future impact of Robot research technologies in practical utilization, IARP restated its charter

  "to foster international cooperation toward the development of advanced robotic systems able to dispense with human exposure to difficult activities in harsh, demanding or dangerous conditions or environments".

  Indeed, front-line novel application domains and scientific and technical issues challenge both robotics researchers as well as social, economical, and political decision makers.

  Two synergic work avenues are of paramount importance and call for action.

  First, at the level of basic research, we should foster a host of technologies ranging from the design of very novel mechanical devices to the most advanced techniques in machine communication and intelligence.

  Second, a broad host of new real-world applications are to be considered and developed:

  • Humankind frontier domains and field-based applications such as mining, forestry, agriculture, demining, underwater, land hostile environments, space, ...

  • Service robots such as plan servicing/maintenance, court-yard and intermodal transportation, construction, environmental protection and dangerous waste handling, sewer inspection and repair, ...

  • Public-oriented applications ranging from domestic and professional cleaning, hotel and hospitals servicing, entertainment, safeguarding, to assistive and personal robotics.

  In France, as in other developed countries, Research in the field of Robotics, often directly related to the domain covered by IARP, is carried on in every University, Engineering School, Public R&D Institution, and in many corporate organizations.

  In past years, reports (see in particular the IARP France activity report 1998), we attempted to give a comprehensive overview of the major research programmes and actions carried on both at the national level and via international programmes by National Research organizations such as CNRS, INRIA and University laboratories together with domain-oriented organizations such as CEA (Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique), EDF (Electricité de France), CNES (Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales), IFREMER (Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploration de la Mer).

  This major characteristic is clearly apparent in the large projects, national and international programmes, already mentioned that are actively pursed in 1999.

  For 1999, we have chosen to focus the activity report on four selected main domains:

  • Nuclear applications

  • Underwater

  • Medical robotics

  • Field robotics

  The corresponding sections will follow a very brief presentation highlighting two front line research efforts:

  • Vision basic motion control

  • Service and personal robotics