Design Of A Pipe Climbing Robot Engineering Essay

Design Of A Pipe Climbing Robot Engineering Essay This technical paper explains the design process and simulation of a concept vehicle to drive inside a circular pipe of the desired configuration as shown in figure 1. The design is developed to facilitate; pipe climbing and carry an inspection of an inspection panel. This vehicle when operated will travel in a horizontal section of pipe initially, before entering the inclined part of the circular pipe. It then drives within 0.2m of the inspection panel and starts inspecting it with the help of an on-board camera. Specific equations and assumptions are used to monitor vehicle motion and system controllers are designed to enforce there is enough traction applied by the vehicle to grip the pipe and move forward. Figure 1 Pipe inspection Scenario Index Terms-design, linear actuators, multi-wheel drive, proximity sensor, robots Introduction Inspection and maintenance are essential in all industries. Failure to conduct proper maintenance could result in potential danger to workers and machines. Carrying out these inspections impose rigours hurdles in case of various industries where the conditions are unsafe for human workers, for example, inspection and maintenance in a nuclear industry, where the environment poses serious risk for the humans. The most common way for conducting these inspections in hazardous conditions is to use long manipulators which could be expensive. The alternate way of carrying these inspections is by using walking/climbing robots. Pipe climbing robots are advanced robots, which have the potential to climb inside/outside of a pipe to perform specific functions, where a normal operator cannot be used. The improvements in this sector have grown rapidly, since its a cheap and effective way for investigating various properties inside a pipe. An assignment has been assigned to design a concept vehicle to drive inside a circular pipe as in fig 1. This vehicle needs to enter the tunnel and drive to within 0.2m of the inspection panel and inspect the panel at the end of pipe. The vehicle must also carry a wire which is tethered. The climbing robots can be classified into four major categories based on their approach to climbing: adhesive, brute force fixture, spines and grasp. The robots with adhesive approach use a mechanism such as suction or an electromagnetic fixture on the climbing surfaces. The brute force robots use a mechanism to grab on to the structure and move forward. The spine group of robots use spines/multi-spines to attach themselves to the climbing surface so as to propel forwards. The last group of grasp robots use their own dynamic and kinematic state to grasp on to the engineering structure and moves forward. The present conceptual design can be categorised under grasping group of climbing robots. These robots consist of mainly two mechanisms, one to power the robot to move and the other to grip the surface of the structure. The mechanisms used to grip on to the surface can be facilitated by the usage of spring and v-shaped arm or longitudinal actuators. A v-shaped arm along with a compression spring is connected to the body of the robot. The compression springs tends to expand the arms, if the outer arm reaches the surface, it exerts a force normal to the contact of surface thus proving the traction for gripping the surface. In case of linear actuators various mechanisms are used to produce the linear motion of the arms to exert force onto the surface. The present design employs a linear actuator. It has longitudinal arms connected to linear actuators. The linear actuator is a simple rack-pinion mechanism, but consists of three racks to synchronise the outward motion equally in all three directions, thus providing an equal amount of force on each surface of the structure. A multi-wheel drive system is employed for the present case, as there is a need for requirement for more torque when the robot climbs the inclination part and to reduce the slip generated by the wheel. In the present case, the robot has five wheels and hence five individual motors, two on the bottom of the base, one on either side of robot and one at the top of the robot. When in operation the outer end of the wheels on all directions would be perfectly inscribed in a circle of 200cm when looked at front view. This mechanism coupled with linear actuators makes sure that at any instant all the wheels are in contact with the surface of the pipe thus providing maximum available traction for the robot. Robot model and modelling assumptions In the present concept of design the circular pipe is considered to be even and has a constant coefficient of friction throughout. Designing the robot requires a methodological approach to implement a professional structured robot is done by generating a CAD model of the robot. The components of the robot are selected with maximum care with feasible materials, since theoretical tests and scenarios can be modelled based on weight and dimension of the robot. After selection of optimum materials for robot, the design process is finished. The weight of the vehicle including the power source (batteries), on-board camera and computer controller along with other drive motors and actuators will approximately be around 1.8 kg. The dimensions of the robot while in operation are 0.275m in length, 0.2m in both width and height. The front part of the robot is designed in such a way that it gets inscribed in a circle perfectly during motion. To maintain perfect contact at all time the wheel positioning is very critical. Both the bottom wheels are place below the base of the robot to facilitate more space for other components such as power source, camera, controllers, sensors etc. The remaining three wheels are positioned perpendicular to each other on the actuator arm. The length of this arm can be varied using the linear actuator mechanism. In the present case this linear actuator mechanism is a simple rack-pinion mechanism. All the three arms are synchronised such that under operation the displacement of arms is equal in all directions. Four proximity sensors are used to calculate the distance between the surface of pipe and surface of the tyre. Three sensors are linked to one at each actuating arm in their respective direction. One sensor is linked to calculate the distance from surface of front tyre to the surface of the inspection panel. The three sensors on actuator arm are categorised into a single sensor unit (say sensor unit 1), while the other sensor (say sensor unit 2) is categorised separately. The categorised bill of the materials used is as follows Working of the robot Initially when the robot is at rest, all the three linear actuating arms are in contracted position. When the system of the robot is started, the sensor unit 1 present on the linear actuator arms calculates the distance between wheel and surface of pipe and sends the feedback to the on-board CPU. The CPU then sends a signal to increment the step motor to one step. This whole process of increment of steps continues until the wheel touches the surface of pipe and thus exerts a small normal force to grip onto that surface. Once this process is completed, drive motors of the robot are actuated. These motors are controlled by on-board CPU with the help of feedback from the sensor unit 2. All the five motors through a gear box connected to the wheels are powered with equal force, hence powering robot equally in all directions and sensor unit 1 ensures theres maximum grip available at the end of the actuating arms. The power to the motor is stopped once the sensor unit 2 senses the distance between the front wheels and the inspection panel is 0.2m, thus activating the camera to carry the inspection process. This whole process can be controlled using a manual operation panel or fully autonomous programmed GUI on-board. Simulation of vehicle dynamics The vehicle dynamics of the robot are established using specific equations for motion. This analysis is used to determine the performance capacity and capability of the robot. It also helps to calculate the velocity, force dynamics at any instance of time. Before using the equations a few assumptions are considered. The drag forces exerted on the body and wire are neglected. The drive force from the wheels is considered to be a constant ideal force, where wheel slip and wheel tyre deflection are neglected. The gravitational constant and the friction coefficient considered to remain constant throughout the process. The simulation emphasises more on the vehicle motion along the entire length of pipe including the inclined part of pipe. The terminology used for the following calculaitons are as follows Parameter Description Value mb Mass of robot 1.8 kg r Radius of the wheel 0.03m mw| mass of wire per unit length 0.2 kg/m Ub Coefficient of friction of body 0.5 Uw Coeffient of friction of wire 0.2 G Gravitational constant 9.81 m/s2 Ts Stall torque of motor 0.9 kg-m Wn No load speed of motor 38 rpm O Angle of inclination of pipe 40o Straight path A constant force is produced through five drive motors and is calculated as follows, where Fm is the force exerted by the motor, But the torque generated by the motor changes with velocity of the body. Torque at any time is given as Where w is rotational speed at that instant of time. W can be written in terms of velocity v of the body Since there are five motors present to power the robot, the net force exeterd by motors at any time is The frictional force (Ffb) acting on the body due to its own weight Frictional force (Ffw) due to mass of wire Where mw is mass of wire carried at that time and is calculated by using length l of distance travelled by the robot The resultant force(F) resulting in forward motion of the robot Acceleration(a) of the body is given by Velocity vf of the body is given by Displacement lf of the body is given by à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€ š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Inclined path Consider the instance at which the robot just reaches the inclined path of the pipe. The force exerted by the motor remains constant as in eq(). When the robot is in inclined position weight gradient of body(Fgb) and weight gradient of wire (Fgw)opposes the motion of body. These are given as The frictional forces acting opposite to motion also changes as follows Where l is the total displacement along the pipe The net force (Fi) acting on the body along the pipe is Acceleration of the body along the pipe Velocity (vi) of the robot at any instance is given by Where vf is the velocity of the robot at the start of the inclination. Abstract-These instructions are a guide to the assignments to be submitted for Mech5090 Mechatronics and Robotics Applications [this section should contain a brief description of the task and outcomes] The assignment must not exceed 6 sides of A4!!!! Index Terms-About four key words or phrases in alphabetical order, separated by commas. INTRODUCTION THIS document is a template for Microsoft Word versions 6.0 or later. Do not change the font sizes or line spacing to squeeze more text into a limited number of pages. Use italics for emphasis; do not underline. To insert images in Word, position the cursor at the insertion point and either use Insert | Picture | From File or copy the image to the Windows clipboard and then Edit | Paste Special | Picture (with float over text unchecked). This section should contain a description of the problem and a critical discussion of the references used for the work. System designà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Mechanical considerationsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. eg This section should contain the description of the system you propose including any specific hardware you are proposing to use. You can be flexible how you use headings and divide the work up. References Number citations consecutively in square brackets [1]. The sentence punctuation follows the brackets [2]. Multiple references [2], [3] are each numbered with separate brackets [1]-[3]. When citing a section in a book, please give the relevant page numbers [2]. In sentences, refer simply to the reference number, as in [3]. Do not use Ref. [3] or reference [3] except at the beginning of a sentence: Figures The assignment should contain technical/non-technical illustrations of important aspects of the work. Graphs The assignment may contain graphs produced by a software package such as Matlab. They should have the correct axis/units. They must have a figure caption and be referenced in the text. Tables of information are also fine with the rules above adhered to. Equations Number equations consecutively with equation numbers in parentheses flush with the right margin, as in (1). First use the equation editor to create the equation. Then select the Equation markup style. Press the tab key and write the equation number in parentheses. To make your equations more compact, you may use the solidus ( / ), the exp function, or appropriate exponents. Use parentheses to avoid ambiguities in denominators. Punctuate equations when they are part of a sentence, as in (1) Conclusion A conclusion section is required. Although a conclusion may review the main points of the paper, do not replicate the abstract as the conclusion. A conclusion might elaborate on the importance of the work or suggest applications and extensions.

Growing Up, Staying Young Essay -- Personal Narrative Papers

Growing Up, Staying Young I had trouble sleeping that night. The peaceful, rhythmic breathing of my younger sister across the room could not calm me as I lay under the covers in the dark, listening for the heavy footsteps of an elderly man sneaking through the downstairs floor of my house. With one hand firmly choking Red Blankie, I reached with the other to turn the alarm clock on my bedstand toward me. The fluorescent red digits whispered 12:03 in the still, black room. Perhaps he will come soon. Delicate tingles danced up my arms, as I froze like a nervous cat, ears up, ready and alert. I rehearsed the carefully planned sequence of events in my head. A suspicious and unfamiliar sound from the living room would be my signal -- a wet snow boot hitting the carpet, a clumsy hand inadvertently knocking over a dish on the fireplace, or a rustle of papers. Carefully, I would slide out of my flowered bed without waking my sleeping sister, tiptoe gently across the bedroom floor out into the chilly hall, and down the first five stairs, avoiding the creaky spots in the floor along the way. There, peering around the corner of the wall that ended at the fifth stair, I would at last behold the mysterious man whom no one in my family -- not Mommy, not Daddy, and of course not little Ming -- had ever seen. The bearded man would be dressed in a red suit with white trim. His name was Santa Claus. Mommy and Daddy had told me that Santa and his nine reindeer wouldn't come to put presents under the Christmas tree until after I had fallen asleep, but of course, they didn't know about my brilliant plan to catch the old man in the act. Squinting under the meager moonlight that peered in through my bedroom window, I forced my... ...power to believe in other abstractions besides the white-bearded man -- entities such as "fate" or "true love" that may seem every bit as fanciful. I also have the ability to imagine a society that does not use bombs to solve disagreements and can instead trust in reason and diplomacy. The idealistic notion that one person can make a difference in the world motivates me everyday in my quest to be a doctor. As a child, I read the story of Peter Pan, an adolescent boy who refused to grow up and thus stayed in Never Never Land, a magical place where he wouldn't age and could spend his days in spectacular adventures. I hope that as I grow another year older, I can always keep a little Peter Pan in my spirit, that I can see a story in even the most simple things around me, and that I will continue, every Christmas Eve, to leave cookies and milk out for Santa Claus.

Why Did William Win The Battle of Hastings? Essay

William won the Battle of Hastings in 1066. He won because of his planning and leadership as well luck and having a big and strong army. Planning helped William a lot because he knew that if he made Harold Godwinson and his Saxon army travelled from the north of England to the south of England, where the Normans had set their camp up, then the Saxons would be very tired whilst the Normans would be rested. He also knew that once the bad winds had stopped, his army could cross safely without the Saxons to stop them for they were in the north of England fighting Harold Hadrada. This was also to do with luck. Whilst the battle was going on, William thought up a plan. He ordered his men to pretend to retreat down the hill and used the rumor of him being dead to help him as well. William’s leadership and skill helped him a lot because he commanded his men very well and had an army eager to fight. William kept control all through the battle by speaking to his troops and fighting at the front. He had also gotten the pope, Alexander II to support him. William was given a banner from the pope saying that William’s attack on England was a holy crusade, which is another word for battle. Harold Godwinson had also shown great skill because he had positioned his men on Senlac hill, which made it harder for the Normans to get to them, and commanded his me to form a large shield wall that protected them from the Normans. Although he had made some mistakes. When Harold had heard that William had landed on the other side of England, he had decided to go straight to him and gather some troops instead of waiting for a bigger army and getting a short rest. He had also not thought about the Normans’ arrows, as they were long range, so they could pick off Saxons at a long distance Preparation played a part in Williams’s victory because he had set up a camp for his army and made sure his men trained for the battle. They also had time to rest and gather food in preparation. Harold Godwinson and his army had less time to prepare and were extremely tired as they had to walk to the south of England. They had less time to prepare food and spent the night without sleep or rest. Luck helped William a little bit because the bad weather stopped while Harold Godwilson was fighting Harold Hadrada. Harold Godwinson was lucky as well because if the bad winds had stopped earlier then he would have to have fought two battles. Luck also helped William because there was a rumor going around that he was killed in battle and his  men started retreating, but then William lifted his visor and the Norman army charged back up Senlac Hill. William kept using that on all sides of the hill. William won because of his planning and leadership. If William had not planned then he might not have won the battle and his men would have gone charging straight into the battle and the Saxons would have killed them all. If William did not have good leadership either, then his troops will not of been well disciplined and well trained and it is likely that he would not of fought in the front and his men would’ve lost concentration. A lot of people thought that luck was one of the main things that cause William to win the battle of Hastings but I don’t because if William had gone into battle with bad leadership and no planning then it would be possible that the rumor never happened because the Normans would have been defeated for they were not ready. Luck did help though because the bad wind stopped so that William could land whilst Harold Godwilson was fighting.

Public and private organisations - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 8 Words: 2403 Downloads: 9 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Economics Essay Type Compare and contrast essay Did you like this example? The recent economic downturn has led to the demise of many public and private organisations across the world. At the same time, others are innovating and staying competitive. One firm that has continued to set the pace for innovation is Research In Motion (RIM). RIM is a leader in the telecommunications industry that produces variety of product and services that has transformed communication globally. The product that clearly illustrates the leadership of RIM in the telecommunication industry is the BlackBerry. This paper examines the following: Organisation and management of innovation studies, and research and development, Role of strategic alliances and collaboration in innovation processes. The first part looks at the organisation and management of innovation and RD in RIM by utilising three of the four frameworks asserted by Tidd and Bessant (2009), which are, search, select and implement. The second part studies what role alliances and collaboration have in the innovation of BlackBerry. RIM will be used interchangeably with BlackBerry in this study; RIM has other services and products, but the focus of this paper is on its BlackBerry. It is crucial to provide some background information about RIM and the BlackBerry before approaching the discussions. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Public and private organisations" essay for you Create order Company introduction RIM was founded in 1984 in Waterloo, Ontario Canada by Mike Lazaridis and Douglas Fregin; in 1992 Jim Balsillie joined to become a Co-CEO. RIM initially started as a computer consulting business then gradually evolved into a communication service provider before launching a paging device in 1996. In 1999 RIM introduced an email device known as the famous BlackBerry; which has evolved to one of the most popular smart phones today. Since its initial launch, RIM has sold over 10million BlackBerrys (CBC News 2008). RIM has 1200 staffs spread across offices in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific (RIM 2010). Unveiling the Blackberry The Blackberry is a smart phone that uses the integrated blackberry network known as BlackBerry solution to provide its users access to email and communication. BlackBerry has been able to maintain its competiveness since its initial launch a decade ago. It was originally a two way paging device, but transformed over time to be one of the best smart phones today (RIM 2010). BlackBerrys 40% dominance in the smart phone industry has placed RIM in the forefront of telecommunication innovation (Androitis 2010). Organisation and management of innovation and RD Prior Research There have been several researches which provide some insight into the organisation and management of innovation and RD in firms and economy. One of the greatest pioneers of innovation studies, Joseph Schumpeter, laid the foundation for studying innovation; his depiction of innovation as a process of creative destruction which characterises of constant creation and destruction, is the origin of the attempt to understand innovation and how it can be managed (Tidd and Bessant pg 15 2009). Abernathy and Utterback (1978) opines that innovation can be managed by understanding the pattern that innovation follows; performance, variety, standardisation and cost. In recent times, Tidd and Besant (2009) developed four phases in managing innovation management; search, select, implement and capture. Organisations can learn from framework and theories, nevertheless, they need to develop a unique strategy towards effectively managing innovation and RD. RIMs Blackberry success in the telecommu nication industry within the last decade shows that they have an effective strategy that enables them to remain competitive. Organisation and management of RD in RIM In analysing RIM, it appears that they have an open innovation system; they have developed an innovation strategy that is unique to their firm but similar to some theories and frameworks in innovation studies. The frame work prescribed by Tidd, Bessant and Pavit (2001) can be used to explain RIMs organisation and management of RD; search, select implement. Search Process RIMs culture of innovation has always centred on RD enhancement and capacity. RIMs RD strategy focuses on staffs, users and partners. RIM has over 5000 RD staffs out of its 1200 workforce; works with users in developing products and it additionally taps into partnership for expanding knowledge (Business Week 2008). RD Staffs Over time, RIM has developed and maintained a culture of competitiveness within their staffs. RIM hold weekly vision sessions where ideas are generated and developed amongst staffs with various level of experience, ranging from entry level to managerial staffs (quote) This culture is reflective of Tidd et al (2001) theory of routine; RIM has developed a routine for scanning for ideas over time. In RIM, searching appears to focus on sustaining development and not responding to threats from competitors. Jim Balsillie claims his RD management strategy is geared towards leadership Sweeney (2008, p. 149) quotes RIMs Co-Ceo, Jim Balsillie I play offense; there is no glory in defence. This reflects an offensive strategy in searching for opportunities for development and not threats from competitors. Users Rim relies heavily on its users through feed back for sustaining innovation. RD teams work with feedback marketing gets from customers and from BlackBerry forums (Sweeney 2008). RIMs idea of taking advantage of customers feedback and ideas in innovation management is synonymous with framework proposed by Tidd and Bessant (2009) Indeed history suggest that users are sometimes ahead of the game-their ideas plus their frustration with existing solutions lead to experiment and prototyping and create early versions of what eventually become mainstream innovations Tidd and Bessant, (2009 p. 244). Ideas and feedback from customers have lead to innovations and patents in RIM, a strategy that keeps them in the forefront of telecommunication (Sweeney 2008). Selection Process RIM is faced with the challenge of selecting practical and profitable ideas amongst many ideas RD generates. RIM is able to manage this process by making BlackBerry the centre of RD; by doing so, RIM is able to reach quick decision as to what to move to the next level of development (Business Week, 2008). This approach addresses the issue of imitation during creation and transfer of technology raised by Kogut and Zander (1992). RIMs model of selection is organised and efficient enabling it to reach decisions to discard or implement innovations faster. Implementation Process This stage is very important in management and organisation innovation and RD. Brilliant ideas can not manifest into reality without the ability to transform ideas to market. This is the phase that Tidd and Bessant (2009) described as transforming RD and innovations to end-users. RIM coordinates implementation of innovation and RD by maintaining effective communication between RD staffs and manufacturing. Ideas developed and selected are quickly transformed into better or new hardware or software RIM undertook the ambitious task of launching a record number of new BlackBerry smart phones that incorporated the latest chipset technologies, next generation network support, new high resolution displays, new and innovative input technologies and completely new user Interfaces( RIM 2009). RIMs aggressive ability to implement ideas has successfully helped increase its market base from corporate clients that the first generation BlackBerrys were made for, to ordinary low end customer s. This is similar to the Take Root in Disruption theory postulated by Christensen (2002), in the sense that RIM targets all types of customers to expand market base of BlackBerry services , but not necessary to create disruption as Christensen (2002) suggest. The Role of strategic alliances and collaboration in innovation processes RIM has developed several alliances and collaborated with other firms in the past decade. These alliances are essential for the Blackberry services. This section underscores the role of such alliances and collaboration to RIMs BlackBerry innovation processes. Some scholars have analysed collaboration and alliances and how they affect innovation processes. These studies provide some background for studying these concepts in innovation management. Prior research One major contributor to this topic is Teece (1986) which highlighted the variables that determine alliances and collaboration; such as appropriabilty regime and recommended complementary assets control. Tecce (1998) also postulated different types of alliances and collaboration that firms can engage in to maximise innovation; contractual mode, integration mode and mixed mode. More recently, Tidd et al (2001) highlighted the types of alliances and the advantages and disadvantages of alliances and collaboration. Tidd et al (2001) further asserted that firms collaborate to reduce cost of developing other assets and to gain access into other technological terrain. Roles of alliances and collaboration to innovation processes in Rim Technological Advancement The evolution of BlackBerry in the last ten years has revealed a fascinating technological trajectory. The development and sustenance of BlackBerry innovation is possible because of the alliances and collaboration RIM engages in. RIMs alliances and collaboration with software developers, network providers and competitors has impacted its Blackberry innovation process. Alliances in form of licensing have led to the advancement of technology in RIM. Licensing to use One major alliance that had a major impact in BlackBerry innovation process is RIMs alliance with Ericson, which allowed the former to use the latters license to develop 2.5G and 3G services (New Age Media, 2010). This enabled RIM to produce Blackberrys that were 2.5G and 3G ready. This mirrors Teece (1986) Contractual Mode whereby companies in a weak approbriability regime use licensing to assess complementary assets. RIM would fall in a high appropriabilty regime in Teece (1986) frame work; however, such mode of alliances has been used to sustain BlackBerry Innovations. Licensing out RIM also licenses out the Blackberry technology to other device manufactures and competitors. For example, according to Nokia (2009) RIMs alliance with Nokia enables Nokia to use BlackBerry services on their devices. This may have inadvertently driven up competition for BlackBerry. Licensing BlackBerry services to Nokia may have helped Nokia in developing smart phones, which compete with BlackBerry today. This could be viewed by some analyst as a bad strategy; however, such competition appears to drive further innovation in RIM, thereby advancing the BlackBerry technology. Schumpeters theory of creative destruction is relative to the telecommunication industry, where manufactures constantly search for ways to innovate. Another major role alliances and collaboration has had to RIMs innovation process is knowledge transfer. Rim is able to acquire more knowledge from its partners; competitors, users and universities. Knowledge Transfer From competitors RIMs strategy of forming alliances has proven to be successful in developing more knowledge. For example, in 2007, RIM and Face book combined to develop social networking software which was launched six months later Lawson (2007). This alliance allowed RIM staffs to work with staffs from Face Book, creating an opportunity for both companies to benefit from what Tidd and Bessant (2009) described as Absorptive Capacity. From RD alliances As stated earlier, Research and development in RIM appears to be decentralised. RIM relies on their University partners for basic research Business Week (2008). Therefore, RIM is able to assess basic research from their partners efficiently and timely. This plays a huge role in Blackberrys innovation process. From Users RIMs alliance with BlackBerry users highlighted in the first part of this paper has played an enormous role in Blackberry innovation process. RIMs relationship with its users has been helpful in the evolution of Blackberry. Ideas and feedback from customers are rapidly transmitted to patents and BlackBerry development Sweeney (2008). The idea of benefiting from users knowledge obviously mirrors (Tidd and Bessant 2009) idea of users as innovator in highlighting the sources of innovation. User knowledge is used to advance the BlackBerry technology. Alliances and collaboration has helped in the innovation processes of BlackBerry and provided more knowledge to RIM which makes them remain in the forefront of telecommunication innovation. Conclusion This paper has assessed the organisation and management of innovation and RD in RIM; and the role of strategic alliances and collaboration in innovation process. In an attempt to analyse these topics, I used some frameworks prescribed by other theorists and drew on relationships with others that relate to RIM. I have used search, select and implement with the exception of capture in Tidd and Bessant (2009) phase of innovation process to analyse the topic. The capture theme was not used because RIMs success as highlighted by the paper is indicative of capturing the benefit of their innovation. RIM appears to have an open innovation approach; however, its strategy involves an aggressive internal RD and manufacturing capacity centred on the BlackBerry. Putting all their efforts on one product could be a dangerous strategy in a time of increasing competition in the smart phone industry. Also, this study revealed that alliances and collaboration plays an important role in Blackberry innovation. Technological advancement of BlackBerry and knowledge transfer being highlighted as the main roles of alliances and collaboration to BlackBerry innovation processes. On the other hand, alliances with partners capable of copying their technology may make it more difficult for Blackberry to sustain its competiveness. References Abernathy, W. and Utterback, J. (1978) Patterns of Industrial Innovation. Technology Review, 80 (7), 40-47. Sweeny, A. (2009).BlackBerry planet: The story of Research in Motion and the little device that took the world in storm. Mississauga: John Willey Sons Canada Ltd. Teece, David J. (1986). Profiting from technological innovation: Implications for integration, collaboration, licensing and public policy. Research Policy 15 (6): 285-305. Tidd, J. And Bessant J. (2009). Managing innovation: Integrating Market and organisational change. 4th Ed. West Sussex: John Wiley Sons Ltd. Tidd, J. And Bessant J. Pavitt, K. (2001). Managing innovation: Integrating Market and organisational change. 4th Ed. West Sussex: John Wiley Sons Ltd. Electronic sources: Androitis. (2010). 10 things not to buy in 2010 [online]. Available from: https://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/108504/10-things-not-to-buy-in-2010 [assessed 16 January 2010] Business week. (2008). Blackberry: Innovation behind the icon [online]. Available from: https://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/apr2008/id2008044_416784.htm [assessed on 12 January 2010] CBC News. (2008). In depth: Research in Motion [online]. Available from: https://www.cbc.ca/news/background/rim/ [assessed 17 January 2010]. Lawson, S. (2007). Facebook, RIM team to bring social networking to Blackberrys [online]. Available from: https://www.cio.com/article/148550/Facebook_RIM_Team_to_Bring_Social_Networking_to_BlackBerrys [ assessed on 15 January 2010] New Media Age. (2010). RIM ties up with Ericsson to roll out 2.5G and 3G services [online]. Available from: https://www.nma.co.uk/features/rim-ties-up-with-ericsson-to-roll-out-25g-and-3g-services/17110.article [assessed on 12 January 2010] Nigam, S. (2007). Understanding new product innovation: Research in Motions BlackBerry. [e-book]. Available from: https://insightory.com/view/231//understanding_new_product_innovation:_research_in_motions_blackberry [accessed 15 January 20010] Nokia. (2008). What is Blackberry Web Client [online]. Available from: https://www.nokiausa.com/search?page=6cat=supportqt=blackberrynp=servicescnt=1fullcontent=true [assessed on 16 January 2010] Research in Motion. (2010). 2009 Annual report, [online]. Available from: https://www.rim.com/investors/pdf/RIM09AR_FINAL.pdf [assessed 10 January 2010]