Factory communication systems to meet multi-media requirements

Communication systems on the factory environment are evolving just as rapidly, as at other application areas. There is a clear trend in computer communications to apply fast and high bandwidth networking methods and elements. Their spread in the office environment is very promising and straightforward but their direct application in manufacturing environment needs some prior investigation. How will it effect the management and control tasks in manufacturing systems' Besides other effects, it will enable the wide-spread use of multi-media features, and the authors focus on that issue. After giving a bunch of application oriented discussion topics, an experimental pilot system is detailed that could be oriented in the future to investigate manufacturing system trials.