DEVELOPMENTS AT NIST POC: Ken Goodwin (301) 975-3421. Researchers in the Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory, Intelligent Systems Division at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a new crane technology, called RoboCrane, which is capable of providing six degrees-of-freedom control of a work platform suspended by cables driven by winches under computer control. This technology appears to have considerable potential benefit in the assembly of temporary highway bridges, and for construction of bridges over wetlands where conventional cranes cannot easily be positioned. The District of Columbia Department of Transportation is specifying the construction of temporary highway bridges by assembly of modular bridge components for the repair of the 11th Street bridge. Therefore, the NIST researchers are inviting bridge repair contractors, crane manufacturers, and other interested parties to discuss entering one or more Cooperative Research and Development Agreements to apply RoboCrane technology to this and other highway bridge projects. Parties interested in participating in the Consortium are requested to contact Mr. Ken Goodwin, Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory, Intelligent Systems Division, Metrology Building, Room B124, Gaithersburg, MD 20899. Telephone: 301-975-3421; Fax: 301-990-9688; e-mail: kgood win@cme.nist.gov.

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