Giving you insight into real-world practice, INDUSTRIAL ROBOTICS provides an introduction to the industry and basic understanding of the subjects needed for starting a career in industrial robotics. It begins with a background on the history and development of industrial automation, then moves into robot mechanical unit configurations, controller architecture, and general software structure. Basic programming instruction definition and interpretation enable you to break a programming problem into its component parts, solve the component parts, and integrate them into a finished program. Three subjects not typically addressed in robotic texts are discussed: industrial sensors, vision systems, and maintenance. Comprehensive coverage also includes the basic types of tooling and their applications, economic aspects of robots in the workplace, and the issues of human/robot interfaces.