9724497 Lewis New developments in telecommunications systems, wireless networks, flexible manufacturing systems, etc. place severe demands on the design of decision-making supervisory controllers. On the other hand, new developments in advanced machinery, manufacturing tooling, lightweight and mobile robots, etc. place high demands on the design of real-time device-level motion controllers. The objective of this project is to design a controller with both multi-agent decision-making and machine-level motion control functions. To achieve this objective, new pieces of equipment are required for the development of an intelligent material handling cell (for multi-agent supervisory control), the development of a real-time control system (for machine-level control), and the development of a FMS/Machine Tool Controller (including both supervisory and real-time motion control functions). The equipment is essential for the development of a new class of controllers which have both multi-agent decision-making and machine-level motion control functions. The project benefits from the collaborative relationship of the investigators with companies such as Simis Labs and Caterpiller Inc.
