An intelligent robotic inspection system (IRIS)

Fabrication of precision machine components requires accurate measurement of surface contours for inspection. Such measurements are often made with mechanical probes, which may deform the surfaces to be measured, and are subject to wear, limiting their accuracy. Also, for current measuring equipment, the control and measurement accuracy can be no greater than the control accuracy for dynamic measurements. Precision measurements can only be obtained in a static mode, thereby sacrificing efficiency.