A system allowing both the automatic programming of a robotic cell and the monitoring of assembly task execution is described. The system consists of a coordinator, a set of specialists and a task supervisor. The specialists are each associated with a particular subtask within the assembly and have both off-line and on-line functions. The three specialists which have been incorporated into the system are grasping, displacement and insertion. The coordinator works from a task-level description of the assembly to be performed and generates a cell-centered plan based on an ordered call to the system specialists. Once the assembly operation has been planned, it is the responsibility of the supervisor to monitor the correct execution of the assembly task by handling multisensory integration, correcting local errors and calling-when needed-the on-line functions of the several specialist. The overall operation of the system is illustrated by means of an assembly task example.
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