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(There is also a japanese version of this document)
We learned from the history of science and technology that, in the medieval period, people could not have hopes for the future because of the immaturity of science and technology with no influential discoveries and inventions in the world.
In the modern period many brave pioneers appeared and coped with difficulties, and they accomplished innovation. As a result the human society grew richer and human welfare has been promoted. Such a social development triggered social revolution and led feudalism to democracy.
The reason why we started the construction robot research is to meet recent social demand to expect innovation in the construction field. About the details of the circumstances to start the research project please refer to the chapter of introduction.
This book is issued for commemorating the termination of our 15-year cooperative research project for construction robotisation. (an acronym: WASCOR including WASCOR IF (Inter-national Research Forum)). At the beginning stage of the research project, a lot of diffi-culties were anticipated. However, big social necessity to develop the construction robots encouraged us, and we consistently kept the initial policy throughout the 15 years.
The following two misgivings were anticipated as well. One was a doubt about the possibility of cutting the construction cost by using the developed robots because of the difficulty of construction robotisation. The other was a difficulty of the company membersı mutual co operation toward the research project.
About the first problem our fundamental purpose was to launch innovation into construction industry from long range vision. I would like to make it clear that we did not consider the simple cost down of construction in a short period of time, but intended, fundamentally, to modernize the construction industry by introducing robots to the industry from the standpoint of long period of time.
About the second problem there was an opinion that the member companies were fundamen-tally rivals one another, and that, therefore, it should be difficult to put their new ideas of the development of robots together.
After having continued the research for 15 years we found that they resulted exactly in our imaginary fears. The biggest contribution to solve this problem was the attitudes of the university project team members. Their earnest dedicating attitudes toward the development of the research methodology and theoretical part of the research gave influence upon the company project members, and they began to consider the cooperative research as their common mission beyond the benefit of the individual company. Primarily, the social mission of universities is to bring up talented researcher as well as research work. Through the project there obtained 6 members, from 4 universities, got doctorıs degree, 30 research assistants got masterıs degree, 20 patents for the purpose of protecting the research results, including tens of presentations in the academic societies. A number of new construction methods and robots were born as the result. This is the gift of effort and cooperation of more than 100 members of the project team.
For the publication of the book more than 50 members voluntarily contributed, who approved of the purpose that it would be of help to those concerned in the research and development of construction robot of next generation. However, there is no denying that some problems of definitions and terms, in a strict sense, may be found among so many writers. The author asks for your understanding as is beyond his capacity as the editor. For the confirmation of the definitions and terms of robot please refer to ISO standards of robots, the materials related to JIS (published by Japan Industrial Standard Association), book of standard vocabularies of robot (published by Robotics Society of Japan). In the chapter of references the names of the members concerned in this project, as well as the names who made lectures, visited the factories and the construction sites, and participated in prototype making and experiments are included.
Finally the author would like to express his hearty gratitude to Waseda University, who have consistently supported this long term research project, and to the faculties of System Science Institute (present Institute for Asia Pacific Studies) and Advanced Research Institute for Science & Engineering where the research was carried out. Also, the author has to express thanks to the contribution of Kogyo Chosakai Publishing Co., Ltd. Who understood significance of this publication and did excellent work of publication under difficult conditions.
Yukio Hasegawa Dr. of Eng.
Chief of Editing Writer
March, 1999
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