  The OPTIMOS-EVE instrument proposed for the E-ELT aims to use the maximum
field of view available to the E-ELT in the limit of natural or
ground-layer-corrected seeing for high multiplex fibre-fed multi-object
spectroscopy in the visible and near-IR. At the bare nasmyth focus of the
telescope, this field corresponds to a focal plane 2.3m in diameter, with a
plate-scale of ~3mm/arcsec. The required positioning accuracy that is implied
by seeing limited performance at this plate-scale brings the system into the
range of performances of commercial off-the-shelf robots that are commonly used
in industrial manufacturing processes. The cost-benefits that may be realized
through such an approach must be offset against the robot performance, and the
ease with which a useful software system can be implemented. We therefore
investigate whether the use of such a system is indeed feasible for
OPTIMOS-EVE, and the possibilities of extending this approach to other
instruments that are currently in the planning stage.
