COMMENT ⊗   VALID 00002 PAGES
C REC  PAGE   DESCRIPTION
C00001 00001
C00002 00002	\\M1BDR25\M2SIGN57\M3NGR25\M4NGR20\F2\CVICARM
C00011 ENDMK
C⊗;
\\M1BDR25;\M2SIGN57;\M3NGR25;\M4NGR20;\F2\CVICARM
\F3\C154 EAST DANA STREET
\CMOUNTAIN VIEW, CA. 94041
\F4\←L\-R\/'7;\+R\→.\→S   Telephone:
\←S\→.415-965-0557
\F1\CApril 30,1974



Professor E.A. Parrish
Department of Electrical Engineering
School of Engineering and Applied Science
University of Virgina
Charlottesville, Virginia 22901


Dear Professor Parrish:

\J

	I must apologize for not responding sooner to your two letters written over
the past year.  As you can see from the heading on this letter, I am making arms
commercially now, although I am still on the staff at Stanford University.
Should you be interested in purchasing a completed arm, the
Stanford arm is available at a price of $15,000 with potentiometers on all joints,
and at a price of $16,000 with optical encoders on the first three joints plus
potentiometers on all the outer joints.  This includes a hand,power amplifiers, 
power supply, and a simple manual controller. No computer interface is included.

	Enclosed are the layout and detail drawings of the Stanford Arm, as you 
have requested. In addition
I have enclosed a parts list and some other information about the arm.  This information
is not complete.  In looking through the drawings you will note that some details are
not clearly shown, and some inconsistencies appear.  I am working to improve the
drawings, but since this is out of the scope of my present work at Stanford Univ., 
the progress is a bit slow.   In any event, with a little imagination, there is enough
information to complete the arm.  

	From past experience, I find that I 
always seem to underestimate the amount of my time required
to re-explain all the small but important details, each time a new group tackles 
the arm.  Thus, I am now suggesting to all those interested that they  make all
the machined parts and do the major assembly and wiring, and let me deliver a kit
consisting of almost all the purchased parts, and some of the more delicate assemblies
already completed.  This will save all parties time and effort.  

	The price of such a kit is expected to be about $5500 with potentiometer
feedback elements on all joints, and about $6500 with optical encoders on the 
three shoulder joints (pots on the outer joints).  I am presently saying that the
machining and assembly time will take you about 500 man-hours ( we can do it in
a lot less time, but I am including your spending some time figuring things out).
In addition, you will have to buy about $300-$350 worth of material (mostly 
aluminum tubing and plate stock).  The electronics will cost another $600 for parts
plus about 100 man-hours to assemble.  

	Also included is a brief description of the M.I.T. arm.
This arm is available only in completed form at a price of $5700 with
hand,amplifiers, power supply, and manual control.  As with the Stanford arm, the
computer interface is not included nor is it available from VICARM at the present
time.  

	The  duplicating and processing cost for the drawings is $30.
These drawings are
given to you with the understanding that they will not be used for
any commercial purposes, nor will they be shown to 
companies or individuals outside of your immediate 
organization.

	Several other groups are either making Stanford Arms, or are interested in
doing so.  Here are some people you may wish to contact.  Possibly you can
work out some way of making multiple parts and save on machining and assembly costs.

	Prof. David Waltz
	Coordinated Sciences Lab.
	University of Illinois
	Urbana, Ill.61801

	Prof. Merill Ebner
	Dean of Engineering
	Boston University
	Boston, Ma. 02215

	Prof. John Luh
	School of Electrical Engineering
	Purdue University
	Lafayette, Ind. 47907

	Prof. Richard Northouse
	Dept. of Electrical Engineering
	University of Wisc.-Milwaukee
	Milwaukee, Wisc. 53201



	I hope this belated letter and the enclosures help you out. Feel free to 
contact me should you have any other questions.\.
\←L\→S\←R\-L\/'2;\+L\→L

Yours sincerely,



Victor Scheinman
    President

\←S\→L
VDS:pdp10  encl. Dwgs. 9-1 to 9-65 and 36-1 to 36-13.