Abstract
Faults in an industrial process could be timely detected and diagnosed in many cases. It is possible to subsequently reconfigure the control system so that it can safely continue its operation (possibly with degraded performance) until the time comes when it can be switched off for maintenance. In order to minimize the chances for drastic events such as a complete failure, safety-critical systems must possess the properties of increased reliability and safety. Faults in robotic systems are inevitable. They have diverse characteristics, magnitudes and origins, from the familiar viscous friction to Coulomb/Sticktion friction, and from structural vibrations. This paper presents an on-line environmental fault detection, isolation and an accommodation scheme.