Closing the Gap is an accessible overview of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) and the impact it is set to have on various sectors in South Africa and Africa. It explores the previous industrial revolutions that have led up to this point and outlines South Africa’s position been through each one.

With a focus on artificial intelligence as a core concept in understanding the 4IR, this book uses familiar concepts to explain artificial intelligence, how it works and how it can be used in banking, mining, medicine and many other fields.

Written from an African perspective, Closing the Gap addresses the challenges and fears around the 4IR by pointing to the opportunities presented by new technologies and outlining some of the challenges and successes to date

This book is intended for undergraduate students. It is helpful for those interested in learning about the basic principles and techniques of control systems. A number of solved and exercise problems, descriptive questions, and short questions and answers appended to the book make it an ideal textbook.

Knowledge of computer programming and electronics is a presumption. Primary focus is laid on CNC machine tools. Training requirements of technicians and engineers in tools manufacturing are highlighted. Use of robots in computer aided manufacture are illustrated. The book attempts a detailed coverage of CNC machine tools. CNC systems, constructional features, process planning and programming have been dealt with in detail. Knowledge of CNC programming using software packages, programmable machine control and computer aided inspection are essential for the effective operation of CNC machines. Chapters on economics of manufacturing effective utilization and maintenance will be useful for shop floor personnel. The chapter on manufacturing automation is included to introduce concepts of increasing productivity with CNC machines. A few chapters on robotics have been included in the book to introduce the reader to the use of robotics in computer aided manufacture.

This book is a simple and didactic account of the developments and practical applications of predictive, adaptive predictive, and optimized adaptive control from a perspective of stability, including the latest methodology of adaptive predictive expert (ADEX) control. ADEX Optimized Adaptive Control Systems is divided into six parts, with exercises and real-time simulations provided for the reader as appropriate. The text begins with the conceptual and intuitive knowledge of the technology and derives the stability conditions to be verified by the driver block and the adaptive mechanism of the optimized adaptive controller to guaranty the desired control performance. The second and third parts present strategic considerations of predictive control and related adaptive systems necessary for the proper design of driver block and adaptive mechanism and thence their technical realization. The authors then proceed to detail the stability theory that supports predictive, adaptive predictive and optimized adaptive control methodologies. Benchmark applications of these methodologies (distillation column and pulp-factory bleaching plant) are treated next with a focus on practical implementation issues. The final part of the book describes ADEX platforms and illustrates their use in the design and implementation of optimized adaptive control systems to three different challenging-to-control industrial processes: * waste-water treatment;* sulfur recovery; and* temperature control of superheated steam in coal-fired power generation. The presentation is completed by a number of appendices containing technical background associated with the main text including a manual for the ADEX COP platform developed by the first author to exploit the capabilities of adaptive predictive control in real plants. ADEX Optimized Adaptive Control Systems provides practicing process control engineers with a multivariable optimal control solution which is adaptive and resistant to perturbation and the effects of noise. Its pedagogical features also facilitate its use as a teaching tool for formal university and Internet-based open-education-type graduate courses in practical optimal adaptive control and for self-study.

An accessible overview of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) and the impact it is set to have on various sectors in South Africa and Africa. It explores the previous industrial revolutions that have led up to this point and outlines what South Africa’s position has been through each one.

With a focus on artificial intelligence as a core concept in understanding the 4IR, this book uses familiar concepts to explain artificial intelligence, how it works and how it can be used in banking, mining, medicine and many other fields.

Written from an African perspective, Closing the Gap addresses the challenges and fears around the 4IR by pointing to the opportunities presented by new technologies and outlining some of the challenges and successes to date.

MATLAB for Control System Engineers is designed as an introductory undergraduate or graduate course for science and engineering students of all disciplines. Control systems engineering is a multidisciplinary subject and presents a control engineering methodology based on mathematical fundamentals and stresses physical system modeling. The classical methods of control systems engineering are covered here using MATLAB software: matrix analysis, Laplace transforms and transfer functions, root locus analysis and design, frequency response methods of analysis including Bode, Nyquist, and Nichols, second order systems approximations, phase and gain margin and bandwidth, and state space variable method. Presentations are limited to linear, time-invariant continuous systems. The numerous worked examples (over 400 problems and solutions) are intended to provide the reader with an awareness of the general applicability of control theory using MATLAB. An extensive bibliography to guide the students to further sources of information on control systems engineering using MATLAB is provided at the end of the book.

The Future of Creative Work provides a unique overview of the changing nature of creative work, examining how digital developments and the rise of intangible capital are causing an upheaval in the social institutions of work. It offers a profound insight into how this technological and social evolution will affect creative professions. Expert international contributors explore how robotics, artificial intelligence, blockchain, global digital platforms and autonomous systems will shape the design, production and consumption of culture. Taking a multidisciplinary approach incorporating creative industries studies, business, education and economics, the book analyses the technological drivers of disruption in the world of creative work. Chapters reveal how these changes will create new axes of power and inequality in the global sphere of creative work, predicting that conventional creative professions will be challenged and different species of creative work will evolve as a result. By charting the impact of digital and technological developments, The Future of Creative Work challenges traditional views of creative work, careers and education. This book will be a valuable resource for students and researchers undertaking creative industries studies. Its discussion of the application of creative careers across the economy will also be beneficial for scholars and practitioners interested in business, economics, and advertising and marketing studies.

Build 11 awesome LEGO (R) machines! With 58 LEGO (R) elements. This activity kit will have you building 11 machines that whirl, flip, punch and cruise! Including: a gravity-powered car, a boxing robot, a claw, a catapult, a spin-o-vision, a ghost mobile car, a rollin' T-Rex, a whirling fan, a mixing machine, a micro movie maker and a gravity-drop coaster. Make, experiment and play with KLUTZ . What is Klutz? Klutz is a premium brand of book-based activity kits, designed to inspire creativity in every child. Our unique combination of crystal-clear instructions, custom tools and materials, and hearty helpings of humor is 100% guaranteed to kick-start creativity. Super-clear instructions Open-ended Creativity Rewarding Reading Skills to Build On Everything You Need

The integration of electronic engineering, mechanical engineering, control and computer engineering - Mechatronics - lies at the heart of the innumerable gadgets, processes and technology without which modern life would seem impossible. From auto-focus cameras to car engine management systems, and from state-of-the-art robots to the humble washing machine, Mechatronics has a hand in them all.

Tourism and hospitality are increasingly becoming more complex, having grown exponentially over the last decade. As the industry becomes more complex, new demands arise regarding its overall organization and operations, which call for not only more experienced and specialized staff, but also advanced technological solutions that support new paradigms and expectations. The Handbook of Research on Innovation, Differentiation, and New Technologies in Tourism, Hotels, and Food Service discusses the current changes and challenges in tourism and hospitality. Covering key topics such as entrepreneurship, local development, and technology, this major reference work is ideal for managers, entrepreneurs, business owners, industry professionals, researchers, academicians, scholars, practitioners, instructors, and students.

Robotics plays a pivotal role in many domains such as industry and medicine. Robots allow for increased safety, production rates, accuracy, and quality; however, robots must be well designed and controlled to achieve the required performance. The design and control of robotics involve many varying disciplines, such as mechanical engineering, electronics, and automation, and must be further studied to ensure the technology is utilized appropriately. Design and Control Advances in Robotics considers the most recent applications and design advances in robotics and highlights the latest developments and applications within the field of robotics. Covering key topics such as deep learning, machine learning, programming, automation, and control advances, this reference work is ideal for engineers, computer scientists, industry professionals, academicians, practitioners, scholars, researchers, instructors, and students.

In recent decades, there has been a groundbreaking evolution in technology. Every year, technology not only advances, but it also spreads throughout industries. Many fields such as law, education, business, engineering, and more have adopted these advanced technologies into their toolset. These technologies have a vastly different effect ranging from these different industries. The Handbook of Research on Applying Emerging Technologies Across Multiple Disciplines examines how technologies impact many different areas of knowledge. This book combines a solid theoretical approach with many practical applications of new technologies within many disciplines. Covering topics such as computer-supported collaborative learning, machine learning algorithms, and blockchain, this text is essential for technologists, IT specialists, programmers, computer scientists, engineers, managers, administrators, academicians, students, policymakers, and researchers.

The current literature on dynamic systems is quite comprehensive, and system theory's mathematical jargon can remain quite complicated. Thus, there is a need for a compendium of accessible research that involves the broad range of fields that dynamic systems can cover, including engineering, life sciences, and the environment, and which can connect researchers in these fields. The Handbook of Research on Modeling, Analysis, and Control of Complex Systems is a comprehensive reference book that describes the recent developments in a wide range of areas including the modeling, analysis, and control of dynamic systems, as well as explores related applications. The book acts as a forum for researchers seeking to understand the latest theory findings and software problem experiments. Covering topics that include chaotic maps, predictive modeling, random bit generation, and software bug prediction, this book is ideal for professionals, academicians, researchers, and students in the fields of electrical engineering, computer science, control engineering, robotics, power systems, and biomedical engineering.

Industry 4.0 and the subsequent automation and digitalization of processes, including the tighter integration of machine-machine and human-machine intercommunication and collaboration, is adding additional complexity to future systems design and the capability to simulate, optimize, and adapt. Current solutions lack the ability to capture knowledge, techniques, and methods to create a sustainable and intelligent nerve system for enterprise systems. With the ability to innovate new designs and solutions, as well as automate processes and decision-making capabilities with heterogenous and holistic views of current and future challenges, there can be an increase in productivity and efficiency through sustainable automation. Therefore, better understandings of the underpinning knowledge and expertise of sustainable automation that can create a sustainable cycle that drives optimal automation and innovation in the field is needed Driving Innovation and Productivity Through Sustainable Automation enhances the understanding and the knowledge for the new ecosystems emerging in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The chapters provide the knowledge and understanding of current challenges and new capabilities and solutions having been researched, developed, and applied within the industry to drive sustainable automation for innovation and productivity. This book is ideally intended for managers, executives, IT specialists, practitioners, stakeholders, researchers, academicians, and students who are interested in the current research on sustainable automation.

This book is designed primarily as a laboratory operations manual for fundamental mechatronics and robotics experiential and project-based learning. It is also ordered in that starting with the Tricycle Robot, students build up their knowledge and experience of programming to be able to tackle the Rickshaw Robot and finally the most complex robot, i.e., the Hexapod Robot. The book is aimed at university and college students; however, with robotics curricula extending down into lower grades this book can also be very useful for teachers at any school level. Furthermore, the book provides useful ideas for driverless vehicles and robots, as well as for educators who are developing practical project-based teaching and learning modules. Readers of the book can easily modify the coding, computing language, and hardware to suit personal preferences.