Description

This Robert Tinney illustration was featured on the January 1986 cover of BYTE Magazine (Vol. 11, No. 1) to promote that month’s special theme, Robotics. Tom Clune, the technical editor at that time, asked contributing authors “What makes robotics so hard? Why is it taking so long to develop this technology?” He charged them to “provide clear explanations of what some of the major problems are and indicate some of the new research developments that are finally bringing robotics to maturity.” Five articles were published, covering topics which to this day remain key areas of technological research (not only to the field of robotics): “Machine Vision” by Phil Dunbar, Robotic Tactile Sensing by Kirk E. Pennywitt, “Multiple Robotic Manipulators” by J. Scott Hawker, R. N. Nagel, Richard Roberts and Nicholas G. Odrey, “Autonomous Robot Navigation” by Charles Jorgensen, William Hamel and Charles Weisbin, “Al in Computer Vision” by John L. Cuadrado and Clara Y. Cuadrado, and “Automation in Organic Synthesis” by Gary W. Kramer and Philip L. Fuchs.