Digital computers are now used routinely in on-line control systems. As applications become more complex and costs of developing software rise, the need for good software tools becomes vital. This volume presents 14 papers on the most recent developments within real-time programming - languages for real-time programming, software development tools and the application of real-time systems within industry.

The 47 papers in this volume provide a useful reference tool for the state-of-the-art research in real-time programming.

Computer scientists have long appreciated that the relationship between algorithms and architecture is crucial. Broadly speaking the more specialized the architecture is to a particular algorithm then the more efficient will be the computation. The penalty is that the architecture will become useless for computing anything other than that algorithm. This message holds for the algorithms used in real-time automatic control as much as any other field. These Proceedings will provide researchers in this field with a useful up-to-date reference source of recent developments.

This set of proceedings contains the most significant papers presented at the third IFAC Workshop on Artificial Intelligence in Real-time Control, which was held from September 23-25, 1991 in the USA. In this workshop, although there were still some "exotic" applications, a more practical view of the applications and limitations of current AI technology dominated the participants' discussions. With its resultant focus on reliability and safety considerations, the workshop posed as many questions as it answered. It provides an excellent mirror of the current state-of-the-art which these proceedings are intended to illustrate.

The symposium had two main aims, to investigate the state-of-the-art in the application of artificial intelligence techniques in real-time control, and to bring together control system specialists, artificial intelligence specialists and end-users. Many professional engineers working in industry feel that the gap between theory and practice in applying control and systems theory is widening, despite efforts to develop control algorithms. Papers presented at the meeting ranged from the theoretical aspects to the practical applications of artificial intelligence in real-time control. Themes were: the methodology of artificial intelligence techniques in control engineering; the application of artificial intelligence techniques in different areas of control; and hardware and software requirements. This symposium showed that there exist alternative possibilities for control based on artificial intelligence techniques.

These proceedings contain more than 80 of the best papers presented at the INCOM '92 Symposium, and relate to the vast changes which are occurring worldwide in manufacturing technology. Research oriented technical papers cover subjects such as: simulation of manufacturing processes; sensor based robots; information systems; general aspects of CIM and manufacturing networks.

Paperback. The workshop on real time programming provides an opportunity to assess the state-of-the-art, to present new results, and to discuss possible lines of future developments. The book's primary focus is on software development for real time systems and real time operating systems. The 27 papers presented in this book, cover the following areas: scheduling, operating systems, tools, programming languages, experience and case studies.

The Symposium presented and discussed the latest research on new theories and advanced applications of automatic systems, which are developed for manufacturing technology or are applicable to advanced manufacturing systems. The topics included computer integrated manufacturing, simulation and the increasingly important areas of artificial intelligence and expert systems, and applied them to the broad spectrum of problems that the modern manufacturing engineer is likely to encounter in the design and application of increasingly complex automatic systems.

Papers presented at the workshop are representative of the state-of-the art of artificial intelligence in real-time control. The issues covered included the use of AI methods in the design, implementation, testing, maintenance and operation of real-time control systems. While the focus was on the fundamental aspects of the methodologies and technologies, there were some applications papers which helped to put emerging theories into perspective. The four main subjects were architectural issues; knowledge - acquisition and learning; techniques; and scheduling, monitoring and management.

Artificial Intelligence in Real-Time Control documents the proceedings of the IFAC Workshop held in Clyne Castle, Swansea, UK, 21-23 September 1988. It includes two keynote addresses that discussed architectural issues for expert systems in real-time control; the problem of representing knowledge and reasoning; and the problems encountered in obtaining such information. Other papers contained in these proceedings are representative of the major research bodies active throughout the world in the application of AI techniques in real-time control, although it was inevitable that a Europe-based conference would highlight the work of the European groups. While AI is clearly still in the process of establishing itself, it is undoubtedly a major new area of engineering endeavor. Practical experience is still relatively limited, and many of the results discussed at this event were obtained through simulation or, in a few cases, from reduced practical experience. The importance, though, lies in the fact that many countries are pouring extensive resources into the attempt to control difficult processes by using AI techniques. The wide cross section of interest was demonstrated by the fact that many diverse industries were represented at the workshop—ranging from power-systems control to telecommunications, and into the steel industry.