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RELIABILITY, SAFETY, AND COMPLIANCE 143
Power Cord Filters
If a power cord or a charging cord is used, consider putting a ferrite filter in series with
the wiring inside the robot. Generally, this can be done with a couple of loops of the
power wire through a ferrite toroid.
Robots that will be manufactured in quantity will have to be checked for emissions
and certified to comply with FCC and CE standards. Several companies can assist with
this effort, testing the robot in various configurations. However, the charges for such an
effort can run into many thousands of dollars. Without experience, it is unwise to
attempt to control such a testing project. Professionals can be hired to represent a novice
robot builder during the design and during the testing process. During testing, the test-
ing companies will often overlook obvious fixes that can greatly speed up the testing
process. If the design effort has a professional EMI expert on the team during the test-
ing process, the testing technicians can be prodded into action and much money and
time will be saved.

Quality Issues

Some years ago, Japanese automakers made major inroads into the American auto mar-
ket. In large measure, this was due to their persistent attention to quality issues. Every
year their automobiles got better and better. Eventually, the American automakers also
began to adopt the Japanese quality processes. In recent decades, various names and
buzzwords have cropped up, including Total Quality Management (TQM), ISO9000,
continuous quality improvement, and so on.
Several aspects of quality processes have remained largely constant over all the dif-
ferent incarnations of quality control. Chief among them are the following:
Continuous improvement The process of improving the quality of the robot
should not be a one-shot deal. Periodically, the robot’s design and manufacturing
process should be improved with an eye toward making the final robot better and
more reliable. Over time, if everyone on the design and manufacturing team
knows that continuous improvement is the goal, all aspects of the robot’s reliabil-
ity and quality will steadily improve.
Quality reviews Once called quality circles, the review process simply sched-
ules periodic examinations of the robot’s quality. The team gets together, reviews
all reports of problems, and suggests improvements.
Empowerment It is said that everyone on the development and manufacturing
team should be empowered to call a halt to design or production if a problem is