Proceedings of the 2015 Chinese Intelligent Automation Conference presents selected research papers from the CIAC'15, held in Fuzhou, China. The topics include adaptive control, fuzzy control, neural network based control, knowledge based control, hybrid intelligent control, learning control, evolutionary mechanism based control, multi-sensor integration, failure diagnosis, reconfigurable control, etc. Engineers and researchers from academia, industry and the government can gain valuable insights into interdisciplinary solutions in the field of intelligent automation.

This book is an introduction to the mathematical theory of design for articulated mechanical systems known as linkages. The focus is on sizing mechanical constraints that guide the movement of a work piece, or end-effector, of the system. The function of the device is prescribed as a set of positions to be reachable by the end-effector; and the mechanical constraints are formed by joints that limit relative movement. The goal is to find all the devices that can achieve a specific task. Formulated in this way the design problem is purely geometric in character. Robot manipulators, walking machines, and mechanical hands are examples of articulated mechanical systems that rely on simple mechanical constraints to provide a complex workspace for the end- effector. The principles presented in this book form the foundation for a design theory for these devices. The emphasis, however, is on articulated systems with fewer degrees of freedom than that of the typical robotic system, and therefore, less complexity. This book will be useful to mathematics, engineering and computer science departments teaching courses on mathematical modeling of robotics and other articulated mechanical systems.

This new edition includes research results of the past decade on the synthesis of multi loop planar and spherical linkages, and the use of homotopy methods and Clifford algebras in the synthesis of spatial serial chains. One new chapter on the synthesis of spatial serial chains introduces numerical homotopy and the linear product decomposition of polynomial systems. The second new chapter introduces the Clifford algebra formulation of the kinematics equations of serial chain robots. Examples are use throughout to demonstrate the theory."

Energy exchange is a major foundation of the dynamics of physical systems, and, hence, in the study of complex multi-domain systems, methodologies that explicitly describe the topology of energy exchanges are instrumental in structuring the modeling and the computation of the system's dynamics and its control.

This book is the outcome of the European Project "Geoplex" (FP5 IST-2001-34166) that studied and extended such system modeling and control methodologies. This unique book starts from the basic concept of port-based modeling, and extends it to port-Hamiltonian systems. This generic paradigm is applied to various physical domains, showing its power and unifying flexibility for real multi-domain systems.

This research monograph presents selected areas of applications in the field of control systems engineering using computational intelligence methodologies. A number of applications and case studies are introduced. These methodologies are increasing used in many applications of our daily lives. Approaches include, fuzzy-neural multi model for decentralized identification, model predictive control based on time dependent recurrent neural network development of cognitive systems, developments in the field of Intelligent Multiple Models based Adaptive Switching Control, designing military training simulators using modelling, simulation, and analysis for operational analyses and training, methods for modelling of systems based on the application of Gaussian processes, computational intelligence techniques for process control and image segmentation technique based on modified particle swarm optimized-fuzzy entropy.

The increased efficiency and quality constraints imposed on electrical energy systems have inspired a renewed research interest in the study of formal approaches to the analysis and control of power electronics converters. Switched systems represent a useful framework for modeling these converters and the peculiarities of their operating conditions and control goals justify the specific classification of "switched electronic systems". Indeed, idealized switched models of power converters introduce problems not commonly encountered when analyzing generic switched models or non-switched electrical networks. In that sense the analysis of switched electronic systems represents a source for new ideas and benchmarks for switched and hybrid systems generally. Dynamics and Control of Switched Electronic Systems draws on the expertise of an international group of expert contributors to give an overview of recent advances in the modeling, simulation and control of switched electronic systems. The reader is provided with a well-organized source of references and a mathematically-based report of the state of the art in analysis and design techniques for switched power converters. Intuitive language, realistic illustrative examples and numerical simulations help the reader to come to grips with the rigorous presentation of many promising directions of research such as: converter topologies and modulation techniques; continuous-time, discrete-time and hybrid models; modern control strategies for power converters; and challenges in numerical simulation. The guidance and information imparted in this text will be appreciated by engineers, and applied mathematicians working on system and circuit theory, control systems development, and electronic and energy conversion systems design.

Algorithms are a fundamental component of robotic systems. Robot algorithms process inputs from sensors that provide noisy and partial data, build geometric and physical models of the world, plan high-and low-level actions at different time horizons, and execute these actions on actuators with limited precision. The design and analysis of robot algorithms raise a unique combination of questions from many elds, including control theory, computational geometry and topology, geometrical and physical modeling, reasoning under uncertainty, probabilistic algorithms, game theory, and theoretical computer science. The Workshop on Algorithmic Foundations of Robotics (WAFR) is a single-track meeting of leading researchers in the eld of robot algorithms. Since its inception in 1994, WAFR has been held every other year, and has provided one of the premiere venues for the publication of some of the eld's most important and lasting contributions. This books contains the proceedings of the tenth WAFR, held on June 13{15 2012 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The 37 papers included in this book cover a broad range of topics, from fundamental theoretical issues in robot motion planning, control, and perception, to novel applications.

Model-Based Control will be a collection of state-of-the-art contributions in the field of modelling, identification, robust control and optimization of dynamical systems, with particular attention to the application domains of motion control systems (high-accuracy positioning systems) and large scale industrial process control systems.The book will be directed to academic and industrial people involved in research in systems and control, industrial process control and mechatronics.

This authored monograph presents a study on fundamental limits and robustness of stability and stabilization of time-delay systems, with an emphasis on time-varying delay, robust stabilization, and newly emerged areas such as networked control and multi-agent systems. The authors systematically develop an operator-theoretic approach that departs from both the traditional algebraic approach and the currently pervasive LMI solution methods. This approach is built on the classical small-gain theorem, which enables the author to draw upon powerful tools and techniques from robust control theory. The book contains motivating examples and presents mathematical key facts that are required in the subsequent sections. The target audience primarily comprises researchers and professionals in the field of control theory, but the book may also be beneficial for graduate students alike.

This book is a part of the Proceedings of the Seventh International Symposium on Neural Networks (ISNN 2010), held on June 6-9, 2010 in Shanghai, China. Over the past few years, ISNN has matured into a well-established premier international symposium on neural networks and related fields, with a successful sequence of ISNN series in Dalian (2004), Chongqing (2005), Chengdu (2006), Nanjing (2007), Beijing (2008), and Wuhan (2009). Following the tradition of ISNN series, ISNN 2010 provided a high-level international forum for scientists, engineers, and educators to present the state-of-the-art research in neural networks and related fields, and also discuss the major opportunities and challenges of future neural network research. Over the past decades, the neural network community has witnessed significant breakthroughs and developments from all aspects of neural network research, including theoretical foundations, architectures, and network organizations, modeling and simulation, empirical studies, as well as a wide range of applications across different domains. The recent developments of science and technology, including neuroscience, computer science, cognitive science, nano-technologies and engineering design, among others, has provided significant new understandings and technological solutions to move the neural network research toward the development of complex, large scale, and networked brain-like intelligent systems. This long-term goals can only be achieved with the continuous efforts from the community to seriously investigate various issues on neural networks and related topics.

After two succesful conferences held in Innsbruck (Prof. Manfred Husty) in 2006 and Cassino in 2008 (Prof Marco Ceccarelli) with the participation of the most important well-known scientists from the European Mechanism Science Community, a further conference was held in Cluj Napoca, Romania, in 2010 (Prof. Doina Pisla) to discuss new developments in the field.

This book presents the most recent research advances in Mechanism Science with different applications. Amongst the topics treated are papers on Theoretical kinematics, Computational kinematics, Mechanism design, Mechanical transmissions, Linkages and manipulators, Mechanisms for biomechanics, Micro-mechanisms, Experimental mechanics, Mechanics of robots, Dynamics of multi-body systems, Dynamics of machinery, Control issues of mechanical systems, Novel designs, History of mechanism science etc.

Unmanned marine vehicles (UMVs) is a collective term used to describe autonomous underwater vehicles, remotely operated vehicles, semi-submersibles, and unmanned surface craft. Considerable interest has been shown in UMVs by the military, civilian and scientific communities due to their ability to undertake designated missions whilst either operating autonomously and/or on co-operation with other types of vehicle. Increasing importance is also being placed on the design and development of such vehicles as they are capable of providing cost effective solutions to a number of littoral, coastal and offshore problems. This book draws attention to the advanced technology which is evolving to meet the challenges being posed in this exciting and growing field of study.

What happens when we let robots play the game of life? The challenge of studying evolution is that the history of life is buried in the past- we can't witness the dramatic events that shaped the adaptations we see today. But biorobotics expert John Long has found an ingenious way to overcome this problem: he creates robots that look and behave like extinct animals, subjects them to evolutionary pressures, lets them compete for mates and resources, and mutates their &lsquogenes'. In short, he lets robots play the game of life. In Darwin's Devices , Long tells the story of these evolving biorobots- how they came to be, and what they can teach us about the biology of living and extinct species. Evolving biorobots can replicate creatures that disappeared from the earth long ago, showing us in real time what happens in the face of unexpected environmental challenges. Biomechanically correct models of backbones functioning as part of an autonomous robot, for example, can help us understand why the first vertebrates evolved them. But the most impressive feature of these robots, as Long shows, is their ability to illustrate the power of evolution to solve difficult technological challenges autonomously- without human input regarding what a workable solution might be. Even a simple robot can create complex behaviour, often learning or evolving greater intelligence than humans could possibly program. This remarkable idea could forever alter the face of engineering, design, and even warfare. An amazing tour through the workings of a fertile mind, Darwin's Devices will make you rethink everything you thought you knew about evolution, robot intelligence, and life itself.

Hereditary systems (or systems with either delay or after-effects) are widely used to model processes in physics, mechanics, control, economics and biology. An important element in their study is their stability. Stability conditions for difference equations with delay can be obtained using a Lyapunov functional.
Lyapunov Functionals and Stability of Stochastic Difference Equations describes a general method of Lyapunov functional construction to investigate the stability of discrete- and continuous-time stochastic Volterra difference equations. The method allows the investigation of the degree to which the stability properties of differential equations are preserved in their difference analogues.
The text is self-contained, beginning with basic definitions and the mathematical fundamentals of Lyapunov functional construction and moving on from particular to general stability results for stochastic difference equations with constant coefficients. Results are then discussed for stochastic difference equations of linear, nonlinear, delayed, discrete and continuous types. Examples are drawn from a variety of physical systems including inverted pendulum control, study of epidemic development, Nicholson s blowflies equation and predator prey relationships.
Lyapunov Functionals and Stability of Stochastic Difference Equations is primarily addressed to experts in stability theory but will also be of use in the work of pure and computational mathematicians and researchers using the ideas of optimal control to study economic, mechanical and biological systems.

"Robotic Mapping and Exploration" is an important contribution in the area of simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) for autonomous robots, which has been receiving a great deal of attention by the research community in the latest few years. The contents are focused on the autonomous mapping learning problem. Solutions include uncertainty-driven exploration, active loop closing, coordination of multiple robots, learning and incorporating background knowledge, and dealing with dynamic environments. Results are accompanied by a rich set of experiments, revealing a promising outlook toward the application to a wide range of mobile robots and field settings, such as search and rescue, transportation tasks, or automated vacuum cleaning.

This book is devoted to Slime mould Physarum polycephalum, which is a large single cell capable for distributed sensing, concurrent information processing, parallel computation and decentralized actuation. The ease of culturing and experimenting with Physarum makes this slime mould an ideal substrate for real-world implementations of unconventional sensing and computing devices The book is a treatise of theoretical and experimental laboratory studies on sensing and computing properties of slime mould, and on the development of mathematical and logical theories of Physarum behavior. It is shown how to make logical gates and circuits, electronic devices (memristors, diodes, transistors, wires, chemical and tactile sensors) with the slime mould. The book demonstrates how to modify properties of Physarum computing circuits with functional nano-particles and polymers, to interface the slime mould with field-programmable arrays, and to use Physarum as a controller of microbial fuel cells. A unique multi-agent model of slime is shown to serve well as a software slime mould capable for solving problems of computational geometry and graph optimization. The multiagent model is complemented by cellular automata models with parallel accelerations. Presented mathematical models inspired by Physarum include non-quantum implementation of Shor's factorization, structural learning, computation of shortest path tree on dynamic graphs, supply chain network design, p-adic computing and syllogistic reasoning. The book is a unique composition of vibrant and lavishly illustrated essays which will inspire scientists, engineers and artists to exploit natural phenomena in designs of future and emergent computing and sensing devices. It is a 'bible' of experimental computing with spatially extended living substrates, it spanstopics from biology of slime mould, to bio-sensing, to unconventional computing devices and robotics, non-classical logics and music and arts.

In recent years, automation has played a vital role in library systems that handle tasks of acquisition, cataloging, serials, and circulation. The automation of these operations has, in turn, minimised the demand for human interaction. Robots in Academic Libraries: Advancements in Library Automation provides an overview on the current state of library automation, addresses the need for changing personnel to accommodate these changes, and assesses the future for academic libraries as a whole. This book is essential for library leaders, technology experts, and library vendors interested in the future of library automation and its impact on the decline of human interaction in libraries.

In a world suffering from an ageing population and declining birth rate, service robotics and mechatronics have an increasingly vital role to play in maintaining a safe and sustainable environment for everyone. Mechatronics can be used in the reconstruction or restoration of various environments which we rely upon to survive; for example the reconstruction of a city after an earthquake, or the restoration of polluted waters

This collection of papers was originally presented at the 7th International Conference on Machine Automation, 2008, in Awaji, Japan, and covers a variety of new trends in service robotics and mechatronics.

Service Robotics and Mechatronics showcases the latest research in the area to provide researchers and scientists with an up-to-date source of knowledge and basis for further study, as well as offering graduate students valuable reference material.

Optimal Control of Hybrid Vehicles provides a description of power train control for hybrid vehicles. The background, environmental motivation and control challenges associated with hybrid vehicles are introduced. The text includes mathematical models for all relevant components in the hybrid power train. The power split problem in hybrid power trains is formally described and several numerical solutions detailed, including dynamic programming and a novel solution for state-constrained optimal control problems based on the maximum principle. Real-time-implementable strategies that can approximate the optimal solution closely are dealt with in depth. Several approaches are discussed and compared, including a state-of-the-art strategy which is adaptive for vehicle conditions like velocity and mass. Three case studies are included in the book: * a control strategy for a micro-hybrid power train; * experimental results obtained with a real-time strategy implemented in a hybrid electric truck; and * an analysis of the optimal component sizes for a hybrid power train. Optimal Control of Hybrid Vehicles will appeal to academic researchers and graduate students interested in hybrid vehicle control or in the applications of optimal control. Practitioners working in the design of control systems for the automotive industry will also find the ideas propounded in this book of interest.

Case Studies in Control presents a framework to facilitate the use of advanced control concepts in real systems based on two decades of research and over 150 successful applications for industrial end-users from various backgrounds. In successive parts the text approaches the problem of putting the theory to work from both ends, theoretical and practical. The first part begins with a stress on solid control theory and the shaping of that theory to solve particular instances of practical problems. It emphasizes the need to establish by experiment whether a model-derived solution will perform properly in reality. The second part focuses on real industrial applications based on the needs and requirements of end-users. Here, the engineering approach is dominant but with theoretical input of varying degree depending on the particular process involved. Following the illustrations of the progress that can be made from either extreme of the well-known theory-practice divide, the text proceeds to a third part related to the development of tools that enable simpler use of advanced methods, a need only partially met by available commercial products. Each case study represents a self-contained unit that shows an experimental application of a particular method, a practical solution to an industrial problem or a toolkit that makes control design and implementation easier or more efficient. Among the applications presented are: wastewater treatment; manufacturing of electrical motors ; temperature control of blow moulding; burn-protective garments quality assessment; and rapid prototyping. Written by contributors with a considerable record of industrially-applied research, Case Studies in Control will encourage interaction between industrial practitioners and academic researchers and be of benefit to both, helping to make theory realistic and practical implementation more thorough and efficacious. Advances in Industrial Control aims to report and encourage the transfer of technology in control engineering. The rapid development of control technology has an impact on all areas of the control discipline. The series offers an opportunity for researchers to present an extended exposition of new work in all aspects of industrial control.

Applied Control System Design examines several methods for building up systems models based on real experimental data from typical industrial processes and incorporating system identification techniques. The text takes a comparative approach to the models derived in this way judging their suitability for use in different systems and under different operational circumstances. A broad spectrum of control methods including various forms of filtering, feedback and feedforward control is applied to the models and the guidelines derived from the closed-loop responses are then composed into a concrete self-tested recipe to serve as a check-list for industrial engineers or control designers. System identification and control design are given equal weight in model derivation and testing to reflect their equality of importance in the proper design and optimization of high-performance control systems. Readers' assimilation of the material discussed is assisted by the provision of problems and examples. Most of these exercises use MATLAB (R) to make computation and visualization more straightforward. Applied Control System Design will be of interest to academic researchers for its comparison of different systems models and their response to different control methods and will assist graduate students in learning the practical necessities of advanced control system design. The consistent reference to real systems coupled with self-learning tools will assist control practitioners who wish to keep up to date with the latest control design ideas.

The second volume of this work continues the approach of the first volume, providing mathematical tools for the control engineer and examining such topics as random variables and sequences, iterative logarithmic and large number laws, differential equations, stochastic measurements and optimization, discrete martingales and probability space. It includes proofs of all theorems and contains many examples with solutions.
It is written for researchers, engineers and advanced students who wish to increase their familiarity with different topics of modern and classical mathematics related to system and automatic control theories. It also has applications to game theory, machine learning and intelligent systems.
* Provides comprehensive theory of matrices, real, complex and functional analysis
* Provides practical examples of modern optimization methods that can be effectively used in variety of real-world applications
* Contains worked proofs of all theorems and propositions presented

A large international conference on Advances in Intelligent Control and Computer Engineering was held in Hong Kong, March 17-19, 2010, under the auspices of the International MultiConference of Engineers and Computer Scientists (IMECS 2010). The IMECS is organized by the International Association of Engineers (IAENG). "Intelligent Control and Computer Engineering" contains 25 revised and extended research articles written by prominent researchers participating in the conference. Topics covered include artificial intelligence, control engineering, decision supporting systems, automated planning, automation systems, systems identification, modelling and simulation, communication systems, signal processing, and industrial applications. "Intelligent Control and Computer Engineering" offers the state of the art of tremendous advances in intelligent control and computer engineering and also serves as an excellent reference text for researchers and graduate students, working on intelligent control and computer engineering.

By the dawn of the new millennium, robotics has undergone a major transformation in scope and dimensions. This expansion has been brought about by the maturity of the field and the advances in its related technologies. From a largely dominant industrial focus, robotics has been rapidly expanding into the challenges of the human world. The new generation of robots is expected to safely and dependably co-habitat with humans in homes, workplaces, and communities, providing support in services, entertainment, education, healthcare, manufacturing, and assistance. Beyond its impact on physical robots, the body of knowledge robotics has produced is revealing a much wider range of applications reaching across diverse research areas and scientific disciplines, such as: biomechanics, haptics, neuros- ences, virtual simulation, animation, surgery, and sensor networks among others. In return, the challenges of the new emerging areas are proving an abundant source of stimulation and insights for the field of robotics. It is indeed at the intersection of disciplines that the most striking advances happen. The goal of the series of Springer Tracts in Advanced Robotics (STAR) is to bring, in a timely fashion, the latest advances and developments in robotics on the basis of their significance and quality. It is our hope that the wider dissemination of research developments will stimulate more exchanges and collaborations among the research community and contribute to further advancement of this rapidly growing field.