Robots are poised to put a spring in the step of the footwear industry(20/05/2011)
There are typically 28 separate operations needed to make an average shoe, and all are highly skilled, manual tasks. However, this could be about to change with the advent of 'ROBOFOOT', a consortium formed last year that is seeking ways to overcome the complexity inherent within an industry so dependent on handcrafted production. Gian Paolo Gerio, performance engineering manager at Comau SpA, sets the scene: