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

Mechatronic Components: Roadmap to Design explains the practical application of mechatronics, including sections on adaptive structures, robotics and other areas where mechanics and electronics converge. Professional engineers in a variety of areas will find this textbook to be extremely helpful with its in-depth use of flow diagrams and schemes that help readers understand the logic behind the design of such systems. Using approximately 130 different components with diagrams and flowcharts that help engineers from different fields understand the general properties and selection criteria of a component, this book presents a comprehensive resource on mechatronic components.

Microbiorobotics: Biologically Inspired Microscale Robotic Systems, Second Edition presents information on a new engineering discipline that takes a multidisciplinary approach to accomplish precise manipulation of microscale spaces. Microorganisms have evolved various mechanisms to thrive in microscale environments and are therefore a useful tool for use in many applications, ranging from micromanufacturing techniques, to cellular manipulation. In the context of microrobotics, biological microrobots can directly harness the microorganisms for propulsive and sensing power and synthetic microrobots can mimic the microorganisms' motions for effective locomotion. This second edition covers new advances and insights that have emerged in recent years. Several new chapters have been added on important new research areas, with existing chapters thoroughly revised. In particular, increased coverage is given to fluid dynamics of microswimmers in nature.

A Generalized Framework of Linear Multivariable Control proposes a number of generalized models by using the generalized inverse of matrix, while the usual linear multivariable control theory relies on some regular models. The book supports that in H-infinity control, the linear fractional transformation formulation is relying on the inverse of the block matrix. If the block matrix is not regular, the H-infinity control does not apply any more in the normal framework. Therefore, it is very important to relax those restrictions to generalize the classical notions and models to include some non-regular cases. This book is ideal for scholars, academics, professional engineer and students who are interested in control system theory.

Optimization of Manufacturing Systems Using the Internet of Things extends the IoT (Internet of Things) into the manufacturing field to develop an IoMT (Internet of Manufacturing Things) architecture with real-time traceability, visibility, and interoperability in production planning, execution, and control. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in the optimization and control of an intelligent manufacturing system. As modern manufacturing shop-floors can create bottlenecks in the capturing and collection of real-time field information, and because paper-based manual systems are time-consuming and prone to errors, this book helps readers understand how to alleviate these issues, assisting them in their decision-making on shop-floors.

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.

The implementation of robotics and automation in the food sector offers great potential for improved safety, quality and profitability by optimising process monitoring and control. Robotics and automation in the food industry provides a comprehensive overview of current and emerging technologies and their applications in different industry sectors.
Part one introduces key technologies and significant areas of development, including automatic process control and robotics in the food industry, sensors for automated quality and safety control, and the development of machine vision systems. Optical sensors and online spectroscopy, gripper technologies, wireless sensor networks (WSN) and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems are discussed, with consideration of intelligent quality control systems based on fuzzy logic. Part two goes on to investigate robotics and automation in particular unit operations and industry sectors. The automation of bulk sorting and control of food chilling and freezing is considered, followed by chapters on the use of robotics and automation in the processing and packaging of meat, seafood, fresh produce and confectionery. Automatic control of batch thermal processing of canned foods is explored, before a final discussion on automation for a sustainable food industry.
With its distinguished editor and international team of expert contributors, Robotics and automation in the food industry is an indispensable guide for engineering professionals in the food industry, and a key introduction for professionals and academics interested in food production, robotics and automation.
Provides a comprehensive overview of current and emerging robotics and automation technologies and their applications in different industry sectorsChapters in part one cover key technologies and significant areas of development, including automatic process control and robotics in the food industry and sensors for automated quality and safety controlPart two investigates robotics and automation in particular unit operations and industry sectors, including the automation of bulk sorting and the use of robotics and automation in the processing and packaging of meat, seafood, fresh produce and confectionery

A proceedings volume from teh 1st IFAC Symposium, Expo, Finland, 21-23 June 2004

A proceedings volume from the 6th IFAC International Conference, Puebla, Mexico, 14-25 November 2005

Working through this student-centred text readers will be brought up to speed with the modelling of control systems using Laplace, and given a solid grounding of the pivotal role of control systems across the spectrum of modern engineering. A clear, readable text is supported by numerous worked example and problems.
* Key concepts and techniques introduced through applications
* Introduces mathematical techniques without assuming prior knowledge
* Written for the latest vocational and undergraduate courses

Industrial use of the brushless servomotor, for instance in robotics, is increasing rapidly, because of their low maintenance needs and capabilities at high transient speeds. They offer flexibility and high performance, and advances in power electronics and microelectronics means they are now more affordable.
This handbook gives the user of brushless servomotors a comprehensive guide to their use, including a description of all main features of the brushless motor drive system. Throughout mathematics is kept to a minimum and practical guidance is given based on real-life experience.
Peter Moreton is a Research Fellow at the University of Bristol, having spent time in industry and universities worldwide.
Written by a respected expert in the field - Peter Moreton has both high level academic and industrial experienceIndispensible guide to a rapidly growing new area of technologyConcise and accessible with a minimum of maths

This symposium was the seventh in a very successful series in this field. Since the beginning of the series, there have been a number of very positive developments in the topical area of 'Intelligent Control'. In particular, the area referred to as 'situated control' has stimulated the formation of new perspectives towards real-time intelligent systems. The performances of such artificial species as walking cockroaches, maze-negotiating mice, coke-can collecting robots and the like have encouraged the exploration of yet more adaptive control perspectives.
In this symposium, there was a strong wind of change bringing more consideration of the roles of learning, evolution, hybrid systems and so on under many diverse labels and for many different systems and circumstances.

The two volumes contain the Proceedings of the 5th IFAC DYCOPS Symposium that took place in Corfu, Greece between June 8-10, 1998. The Symposium was a continuation of the very successful series that used to be called DYCORD+, the last of which (DYCORD+ '95) took place in Denmark in 1995. It was sponsored by the IFAC Technical Committee on Chemical Process Control.
The Symposium embraced the topic of Integration of Design and Control that had previously occurred as a separate IFAC workshop. The theme of "Technology Push vs. Technology Pull in the 21st Century" aimed to bring together researchers and developers of new methodologies (Technology Push) as well as users of these methodologies (Technology Pull).
The major areas of interest were organized in the following categories: i) Reacting Process Systems, ii) Separation Process Systems, iii) Batch Process Systems, iv) Complex and Industrial Process Systems, and v) Interaction of Design and Control.

Mechatronics, a synergistic combination of mechanical, electronic and computing engineering technologies, is a truly multidisciplinary approach to engineering. New products based on mechatronic principles are demonstrating reduced mechanical complexity, increased performance and often previously impossible capabilities. This book contains the papers presented at the UK Mechatronics Forum's 6th International Conference, held in Skovde, Sweden, in September 1998. Many of these high-quality papers illustrate the tremendous influence of mechatronics on such areas as manufacturing machinery, automotive engineering, textiles manufacture, robotics, and real-time control and vision systems. There are also papers describing developments in sensors, actuators, control and data processing techniques, such as fuzzy logic and neural networks, all of which have practical application to mechatronic systems.

The IFAC Workshop on Intelligent Components for Vehicles (ICV'98) was held in Seville (Spain), on March 23-24 1998. The event follows the Workshop on Intelligent Components for Autonomous and Semiautonomous Vehicles (ICASAV'95) held in Toulouse (France, October 1995).

The main objective of ICV'98 was to bring together specialists on components and instruments for automotive systems, mobile robots and vehicles in general to enhance the value of their experience in both hardware and software intelligent components.

Future vehicles will deal more and more with autonomous functions to improve safety and traffic management and to reduce consumption and pollution. Numerous on-board decision systems will replace the driver in critical running phases. The problems and solutions experienced, by adopting this new technology, will bring out many common points with other transportation systems and mobile robots.

Research and Developments on Mobile Robotics have produced many components for perception, control and planning that can be used in vehicles for collision detection and avoidance, position estimation, guidance and manoeuvering aids for drivers, advanced teleoperation, and other applications.

The topics of the Workshop are in an emerging field in which the research is quickly being converted into industrial products. Several applications in the automotive domain, marine vehicles, agricultural and others were included in the program.

In addition to the presentation of the papers, ICV also included a plenary talk and a round table about intelligent components for future vehicles with the participation of several industrial companies.

"SAFEPROCESS '97" was the third in this major IFAC symposia series and covered a wide range of theoretical and application studies concerned with the reliability, availability and safety of controlled systems.

The goal of the symposium was to bring together experts from different fields to give an overview of the state-of-the-art, present new research results and show future developments. In addition, there was special emphasis on industrial requirements for FDI (fault detection and isolation) and a new session on the human factors aspects of system monitoring and safety that reflects the growing interest in this area.

These proceedings contain the 209 papers presented at the symposium and comprise: plenary overviews; state-of-the-art reviews and surveys; the very latest results; and tutorial papers.

Held from 3-5 September 1997 in Nantes, France, this was the fifth of the IFAC series of triennial Symposia on Robot Control.
The final selection lead to 126 papers (from 200 submissions) in the Technical Program. This consisted of 33 sessions disposed in 3 parallel tracks and brought together contributions from 298 leading researchers.
The papers covered a range of topics relevant to the field of robot control, including modelling and identification, force and compliance control, robot control techniques, vision control, grasp control, flexible robots, non holonomic robotic systems, walking robots, control design and architectures, teleoperation, and underwater robots.
The Symposium featured three invited plenary speakers: Professor Steven Dubowsky, from Massachusetts Institute of Technology presented a lecture entitled 'A perspective of the advancement of robotic systems during the past 15 years'; Professor Shanakr Sastry, from the University of California, presented a lecture entitled 'Air Traffic Management Systems: at the intersection of Control Theory and Robotics'; and Professor Friedrich Pfeiffer, from the Technical University of Munchen, presented a lecture entitled 'Robots with unilateral constraints'.

This volume on implementation techniques in digital signal processing systems clearly reveals the significance and power of the techniques that are available, and with further development, the essential role they will play as applied to a wide variety of areas. The authors are all to highly commended for their splendid contributors to this volume, which will provide a significant and unique international reference source for students, research workers, practicing engineers, and others for years to come.

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.

Arduino, Teensy, and related microcontrollers provide a virtually limitless range of creative opportunities for musicians and hobbyists who are interested in exploring "do it yourself" technologies. Given the relative ease of use and low cost of the Arduino platform, electronic musicians can now envision new ways of synthesizing sounds and interacting with music-making software. In Arduino for Musicians, author and veteran music instructor Brent Edstrom opens the door to exciting and expressive instruments and control systems that respond to light, touch, pressure, breath, and other forms of real-time control. He provides a comprehensive guide to the underlying technologies enabling electronic musicians and technologists to tap into the vast creative potential of the platform. Arduino for Musicians presents relevant concepts, including basic circuitry and programming, in a building-block format that is accessible to musicians and other individuals who enjoy using music technology. In addition to comprehensive coverage of music-related concepts including direct digital synthesis, audio input and output, and the Music Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI), the book concludes with four projects that build on the concepts presented throughout the book. The projects, which will be of interest to many electronic musicians, include a MIDI breath controller with pitch and modulation joystick, "retro" step sequencer, custom digital/analog synthesizer, and an expressive MIDI hand drum. Throughout Arduino for Musicians, Edstrom emphasizes the convenience and accessibility of the equipment as well as the extensive variety of instruments it can inspire. While circuit design and programming are in themselves formidable topics, Edstrom introduces their core concepts in a practical and straightforward manner that any reader with a background or interest in electronic music can utilize. Musicians and hobbyists at many levels, from those interested in creating new electronic music devices, to those with experience in synthesis or processing software, will welcome Arduino for Musicians.

This text is designed for the junior/senior level (3rd/4th year) control systems courses taught in departments of electrical and mechanical engineering. This new edition incorporates comprehensive keying of this text to MATLAB. There are now sections of "Computer Aided Learning" in which each student can learn how the MATLAB® platform can be used to verify all figures and tables included in the text. The text can be divided into six areas that represent the building blocks of constructing a course. All revisions are made to bring this book up-to-date with modern analytical software use, mainly MATLAB®.

Artificial intelligence is smarter than humans. It can process information at lightning speed and remain focused on specific tasks without distraction. AI can see into the future, predict outcomes and even use sensors to see around physical and virtual corners. So why does AI frequently get it so wrong and cause harm?

The answer is us: the human beings who write the code and teach AI to mimic our behaviour. Scary Smart explains how to fix the current trajectory now, to make sure that the AI of the future can preserve our species. This book offers a blueprint, pointing the way to what we can do to safeguard ourselves, those we love and the planet itself.

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.

Autonomous Mobile Robots: Planning, Navigation, and Simulation presents detailed coverage of the domain of robotics in motion planning and associated topics in navigation. This book covers numerous base planning methods from diverse schools of learning, including deliberative planning methods, reactive planning methods, task planning methods, fusion of different methods, and cognitive architectures. It is a good resource for doing initial project work in robotics, providing an overview, methods and simulation software in one resource. For more advanced readers, it presents a variety of planning algorithms to choose from, presenting the tradeoffs between the algorithms to ascertain a good choice. Finally, the book presents fusion mechanisms to design hybrid algorithms.

Written by a team of experts, Advances in Flowmeter Technology surveys the full range of modern flowmeters for product managers, strategic planners, engineers, distributors, and students. The origins, principles of operation,controls and instrumentation, and the relative advantages of each major flowmeter type are thoroughly explained. Extensive coverage of new types that employ cutting-edge technologies - such as coriolis, magnetic, ultrasonic, vortex, thermal flowmeters - is provided. The text includes comparative examples, placing these new types of meters in the context of more traditional ones, such as differential pressure, turbine, and positive displacement flowmeters.