Robotics has achieved its greatest success to date in the world of industrial manufacturing. Robot arms, or manipulators, comprise a 2 billion dollar industry. Bolted at its shoulder to a specific position in the assembly line, the robot arm can move with great speed and accuracy to perform repetitive tasks such as spot welding and painting (figure ). In the electronics industry, manipulators place surface-mounted components with superhuman precision, making the portable telephone and laptop computer possible
