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Research paper : Spinning process using robot technology (H. Arai)−154−Synthesiology - English edition Vol.5 No.3 (2012) exploratory approach, and rather than preliminary rationality through analytic planning, emphasis was placed on post facto rationality obtained by feedback of the results.[7]3.2 Direction of the research and action principleThe basic direction was to prioritize practical use with efficacy considered first rather than academic interest, and as mentioned earlier, effort was spent to eliminate the fictional element in the research objectives as much as possible. The action principle was characterized by 1) bricolage, 2) three-actuals theory, and 3) a focus on sales.Bricolage is a concept introduced in La Pensée Sauvage (The Savage Mind) by the anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss[8] as a primitive form of creative mental activity. Bricolage is a French word for “handiwork” and it means construction with whatever tools and materials are available. Although this concept is used frequently in the fields of art and education, recently, the practical value of bricolage in entrepreneurship and innovation has been discussed from the standpoint of technology management, knowledge management, and organization theories in the field of business administration.[9]-[14] In the literature that discusses the role of bricolage in entrepreneurship under limited management resources,[13] it is redefined as a “making do by applying combinations of the resources at hand to new problems and opportunities.” Here, resources are extended to a wider meaning including technology and people, not just physical resources such as tools and materials. The three main elements of bricolage are as follows: 1) to utilize the resources available at hand regardless of their originally intended use, 2) to generate new value from existing resources through combinations including usage outside the intended usage, and 3) to take action to resolve an issue without accepting the limitations. Although this research was carried out without consciously engaging in bricolage, it matches the above three elements.Sangen shugi, or the three actuals, is a way of thinking that emphasizes the three gen (actuals) of genba (actual site), genbutsu (actual object), and genjitsu (actual situation). It is the basic stance that whenever a problem arises, rather than depending on theories, one should actually go to the site, take the actual object in one’s hands and look at it, and understand the reality of the situation. It is widely accepted as a code of conduct in Japanese companies including Honda and Toyota. This way of thinking is not unique to Japan and similar thoughts can be seen in Eugene S. Ferguson’s Engineering and the Mind’s Eye.[15] In the success story of bricolage described in Reference,[11] the development of wind turbine industry in Denmark was conducted with on-site emphasis. The three-actuals point of view is not merely about mentality, but it is effective in shortening the route from the final result to feedback and quickening the cycle of correction, and hence eliminating the noise and bias that may be added in the process. In this research, there were many cases where decision-making was based on the site, object, and situation during the exploratory stage. However, AIST does not have a site of production where the developed result can actually be used. Therefore, several methods were devised to move as close as possible to such sites.The researcher ultimately belongs to the service industry in the sense that the researcher engages in work to provide intangible assets. A service becomes meaningful and valuable only when it reaches the customer. Therefore, increased customer satisfaction was added to the value of the research, and we consciously made effort to gain awareness that sales activities were part of our research.4 Progress of research4.1 Start from handmade machineWe started by assembling a simple machine for actual metal spinning (Fig. 3). As an alternative to an expensive force sensor and servo drivers, junk parts from old machines were recycled, and the material cost was about one million yen. An old PC that was handed down from another researcher was used as the control PC. ISA bus I/O interface board was installed, and programming was done by using Turbo C++ in the DOS mode of Windows 98. Programs and control laws from past robotic research were used to drive the device. Although this configuration was outdated even at that time, real-time control with a 1 msec sampling interval was successfully achieved, and basic experiments on spinning using force control were conducted using this system.4.2 Setback in robot arm applicationOn the other hand, the technological concept of realizing skilled techniques using an industrial robot failed at a relatively early stage. Metal spinning by a robot arm failed owing to the vibrations that occurred from the lack of rigidity, and although it was again attempted later,[16] practical results have not yet been obtained. Another problem was that it was unclear who would be the customer for this technology. We were unable to decide on whether the customer would be manufacturers of industrial robots, user companies that process products using robots, or spinning machine manufacturers who would use the robot arm. Later we focused on adding higher functions to conventional machines with emphasis on the metal spinning lathe, rather than application to industrial robots. By doing so, the target of technology provision clearly became machine manufacturers.4.3 Change in direction due to change in view of skillsAs we learned about manufacturing in small factories from the books by Tomohiro Koseki, who is a former lathe worker,[17][18] we became aware that the essence of skilled work is not the physical skills gained through repeated training but is in the creative thought process. There are skills best performed by humans and skills best performed

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