Intelligent robotics has become the focus of extensive research activity. This effort has been motivated by the wide variety of applications that can benefit from the developments. These applications often involve mobile robots, multiple robots working and interacting in the same work area, and operations in hazardous environments like nuclear power plants. Applications in the consumer and service sectors are also attracting interest. These applications have highlighted the importance of performance, safety, reliability, and fault tolerance. This volume is a selection of papers from a NATO Advanced Study Institute held in July 1989 with a focus on active perception and robot vision. The papers deal with such issues as motion understanding, 3-D data analysis, error minimization, object and environment modeling, object detection and recognition, parallel and real-time vision, and data fusion. The paradigm underlying the papers is that robotic systems require repeated and hierarchical application of the perception-planning-action cycle. The primary focus of the papers is the perception part of the cycle. Issues related to complete implementations are also discussed.

The series Advances in Industrial Control aims to report and encourage technology transfer in control engineering. The rapid development of control technology has an impact on all areas of the control discipline. New theory, new controllers, actuators, sensors, new industrial processes, computer methods, new applications, new philosophies ... , new challenges. Much of this development work resides in industrial reports, feasibility study papers and the reports of advanced collaborative projects. The series offers an opportunity for researchers to present an extended exposition of such new work in all aspects of industrial control for wider and rapid dissemination. Neural networks is one of those areas where an initial burst of enthusiasm and optimism leads to an explosion of papers in the journals and many presentations at conferences but it is only in the last decade that significant theoretical work on stability, convergence and robustness for the use of neural networks in control systems has been tackled. George Rovithakis and Manolis Christodoulou have been interested in these theoretical problems and in the practical aspects of neural network applications to industrial problems. This very welcome addition to the Advances in Industrial Control series provides a succinct report of their research. The neural network model at the core of their work is the Recurrent High Order Neural Network (RHONN) and a complete theoretical and simulation development is presented. Different readers will find different aspects of the development of interest. The last chapter of the monograph discusses the problem of manufacturing or production process scheduling.

This book constitutes the proceedings of the International Conference on Research and Education in Robotics held in Rapperswil-Jona, Switzerland, in May 2010. The 17 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 24 submissions. They are organized in topical sections on mechanical design and system architecture, flexible robot strategy design, and autonomous mobile robot development.

Purpose of this book is to combine different approaches in the study of arm movement in space in order to create new synergy between domains of researchwhich tend to be developed independently. It is from these synergies that a new understanding of the control of arm and hand movement can ermerge.Previous books have been devoted to artificial neural networks for sensorimotor control (for example Advanced Neural Computers, R. Eckmiller ed. Elsevier). The present book is the first one to propose a precise and direct comparison between current computational development and new experimental results of neurophysiology and new experimental results of neurophysiology and neurophysics. The book covers different levels of neuralcontrol: spinal cord, red nucleus, premotor cortex, motor cortex, parietal cortex, thalamus and cerebellum. An important place is devoted to the problems of muscle coordination, internal representations of movement variables, in different nervous regions and to the problem of coordinate transformations underlying reaching and manipulation. For the physiologist, the book proposes not only a comprehensive picture of new experimental results but also a theoretical basis for a better understandingof central coding of movement by neuroinal populations. For neural networks and robotics students, this book provides a very rich knowledge on the way the brain controls arm movements by using visual information, it can offer them new concepts and ideas to generate more efficient artificial systems having in mind the powerful capacity of the human brain.

This book constitutes the proceedings of the 4th International Workshop on Motion in Games, held in Edinburgh, UK, in November 2011. The 30 revised full papers presented together with 8 revised poster papers in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from numerous submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections on character animation, motion synthesis, physically-based character motion, behavior animation, animation systems, crowd simulation, as well as path planning and navigation.

The present volume contains a large number of the papers contributed to the Advanced Study Institute on the Psychological and Educational Foundations of Technology-Based Learning Environments, which took place in Crete in the summer of 1992. The purpose of the Advanced Study Institute was to bring together a small number of senior lecturers and advanced graduate students to investigate and discuss the psychological and educational foundations of technology-based learning environments and to draw the implications of recent research findings in the area of cognitive science for the development of educational technology. As is apparent from the diverse nature of the contributions included in this volume, the participants at the ASI came from different backgrounds and looked at the construction of technology -based learning environments from rather diverse points of view. Despite the diversity, a surprising degree of overlap and agreement was achieved. Most of the contributors agreed that the kinds of technology-supported learning environments we should construct should stimulate students to be active and constructive in their knowledge-building efforts, embed learning in meaningful and authentic activities, encourage collaboration and social interaction, and take into consideration students' prior knowledge and beliefs.

Simulation, like a gem, is multi-faceted. Several subfields of simulation have emerged based on the characteristics of models used in a simulation study, on the nature and the generation characteristics of model behavior, also on the agent soch as a computer which generates model behavior. For example, one distinguishes: - deterministic simulation, stochastic simulation, stiff simulation based on functional rela- tionships of descriptive vuriables of models used; - combined simulation, continuous simulation, discrete simulation, process simulation, dis- crete event simulation, activity-scanning simulation based on characteristics of descrip- tive variables of modelS; variable topology simulation soch as moving boundary simulation, cellular simulation and fixed topology simulation soch as boundary-value simulation and network simulation (network flow simulation, Petri-net simulation, bond-graph simulation) based on spatial distribution of models; - simulation with fixed organization models (soch as simulation with hierarchical models) and simulation with variable organization models (i.e., autopoietic simulation) soch as metamorphic simulation, simulation with self-organizating models, simulation with self- learning models, evolutionary simulation based on orgCl"lization of component models; - state-maintaining simulation, behaviorally adaptive simulation, goal-seeking simulation, purposive simulation, purposeful simulation, ideal-seeking simulation based on goal(s) to be pursued by the model; - trajectory simulation, stroctural simulation, real-time simulation, predictive simulation, prescriptive simulation, intermittent simulation (such as regenerative simulation, opti- mizing simulation, gaming simulation, conferencing simulation, on-line simulation) based on nature md generation characteristics of model behavior; and - simulators such as aircraft simulator, earthquake simulator where physical analog can be

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 15th International Conference on Model Driven Engineering Languages and Systems, MODELS 2012, held in Innsbruck, Austria, in September/October 2012. The 50 papers presented in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from a total of 181 submissions. They are organized in topical sections named: metamodels and domain specific modeling; models at runtime; model management; modeling methods and tools, consistency analysis, software product lines; foundations of modeling; static analysis techniques; model testing and simulation; model transformation; model matching, tracing and synchronization; modeling practices and experience; and model analysis.

The three volume set LNCS 7062, LNCS 7063, and LNCS 7064 constitutes the proceedings of the 18th International Conference on Neural Information Processing, ICONIP 2011, held in Shanghai, China, in November 2011.
The 262 regular session papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from numerous submissions.
The papers of part I are organized in topical sections on perception, emotion and development, bioinformatics, biologically inspired vision and recognition, bio-medical data analysis, brain signal processing, brain-computer interfaces, brain-like systems, brain-realistic models for learning, memory and embodied cognition, Clifford algebraic neural networks, combining multiple learners, computational advances in bioinformatics, and computational-intelligent human computer interaction.
The second volume is structured in topical sections on cybersecurity and data mining workshop, data mining and knowledge doscovery, evolutionary design and optimisation, graphical models, human-originated data analysis and implementation, information retrieval, integrating multiple nature-inspired approaches, Kernel methods and support vector machines, and learning and memory.
The third volume contains all the contributions connected with multi-agent systems, natural language processing and intelligent Web information processing, neural encoding and decoding, neural network models, neuromorphic hardware and implementations, object recognition, visual perception modelling, and advances in computational intelligence methods based pattern recognition.

In this book the author investigates the impact of demographic change on economic growth. As a result of the current financial crisis, a new view on economics has been demanded by various scientists. The author provides such a new view on economic growth, using a methodology of system dynamics. By applying this method, the author focuses on characteristics of complex systems and analyzes aging and shrinking processes, and not only positive growth. Delays and feedback processes are also considered. This leads to deeper and revealing insights into economic behavior. In doing so, a new semi-endogenous growth model is developed by introducing a specific and detailed population sector (demographic growth model). The book shows and analyzes the behavior of such a model and tests several policy scenarios in a transfer chapter to apply the new theoretical approach on real world problems. The major results are summarized in 15 principles of demographic growth.

Historians have different views on the core identity of analogue computing. Some portray the technology solely as a precursor to digital computing, whereas others stress that analogue applications existed well after 1940. Even within contemporary sources, there is a spectrum of understanding around what constitutes analogue computing. To understand the relationship between analogue and digital computing, and what this means for users today, the history must consider how the technology is used. Technology for Modelling investigates the technologies, the concepts, and the applications of analogue computing. The text asserts that analogue computing must be thought of as not just a computing technology, but also as a modelling technology, demonstrating how the history of analogue computing can be understood in terms of the parallel themes of calculation and modelling. The book also includes a number of detailed case studies of the technology's use and application. Topics and features: discusses the meaning of analogue computing and its significance in history, and describes the main differences between analogue and digital computing; provides a chronology of analogue computing, based upon the two major strands of calculation and modeling; examines the wider relationship between computing and modelling, and discusses how the theme of modelling fits within the history of analogue computing; describes how the history of analogue computing evolved through a number of stages of use; presents illustrative case studies on analogue modelling in academic research, oil reservoir modelling, aeronautical design, and meteorology. General readers and researchers in the field of history of computing - as well as history of science more generally - will find this book a fascinating insight into the historical use and evolution of technology. The volume provides a long-needed historical framework and context for these core computing technologies. Dr. Charles Care is a senior software engineer at BT and an Associate Fellow at the Department of Computer Science of the University of Warwick, UK.

These transactions publish research in computer-based methods of computational collective intelligence (CCI) and their applications in a wide range of fields such as the semantic Web, social networks and multiagent systems. TCCI strives to cover new methodological, theoretical, and practical aspects of CCI understood as the form of intelligence that emerges from the collaboration and competition of many individuals (artificial and/or natural). The application of multiple computational intelligence technologies such as fuzzy systems, evolutionary computation, neural systems, consensus theory, etc., aims to support human and other collective intelligence and to create new forms of CCI in natural and/or artificial systems. This ninth issue containsten carefully selected and thoroughly revised contributions.

Numerical Geometry of Images examines computational methods and algorithms in image processing. It explores applications like shape from shading, color-image enhancement and segmentation, edge integration, offset curve computation, symmetry axis computation, path planning, minimal geodesic computation, and invariant signature calculation. In addition, it describes and utilizes tools from mathematical morphology, differential geometry, numerical analysis, and calculus of variations. Graduate students, professionals, and researchers with interests in computational geometry, image processing, computer graphics, and algorithms will find this new text / reference an indispensable source of insight of instruction.

GPSS-FORTRAN is a simulator for the simulation of discrete, continuous, and combined models. Provides a reference for GPSS-FORTRAN Version 3 and illustrates the use of the lan- guage by numerous examples.

Like FEM, the Boundary Element Method (BEM) provides a general numerical tool for the solution of complex engineering problems. In the last decades, the range of its applications has remarkably been enlarged. Therefore dynamic and nonlinear problems can be tackled. However they still demand an explicit expression of a fundamental solution, which is only known in simple cases. In this respect, the present book proposes an alternative BEM-formulation based on the Fourier transform, which can be applied to almost all cases relevant in engineering mechanics. The basic principle is presented for the heat equation. Applications are taken from solid mechanics (e.g. poroelasticity, thermoelasticity). Transient and stationary examples are given as well as linear and nonlinear. Completed with a mathematical and mechanical glossary, the book will serve as a comprehensive text book linking applied mathematics to real world engineering problems.

The application of the Monte Carlo method to the simulation of semiconductor devices is presented. A review of the physics of transport in semiconductors is given, followed by an introduction to the physics of semiconductor devices. The Monte Carlo algorithm is discussed in great details, and specific applications to the modelling of semiconductor devices are given. A comparison with traditional simulators is also presented.

This work gives a concise introduction to four important optimization techniques, presenting a range of applications drawn from electrical, manufacturing, mechanical, and systems engineering-such as the design of microstrip antennas, digital FIR filters, and fuzzy logic controllers. The book also contains the C programs used to implement the main techniques for those wishing to experiment with them.

This book contains the proceedings of the International "Workshop on 3D Process Simulation which was held at the Campus of the University Erlangen-Nuremberg in Erlangen on September 5, 1995, in conjunction with the 6th International Conference on "Simulation of Semiconductor Devices and Processes (SISDEP 95). Whereas two-dimensional semiconductor process simulation has achieved a certain degree of maturity, three-dimensional process simulation is a newly emerging field in which most efforts are dedicated to necessary basic developments. Research in this area is promoted by the growing demand to obtain reliable information on device geometries and dopant distributions needed for three-dimensional device simulation, and challenged by the great algorithmic problems caused by moving interfaces and by the requirement to limit computation times and memory requirements. This workshop provided a forum to discuss the industrial needs, technical problems, and solutions being developed in the field of three-dimensional semiconductor process simulation. Invited presentations from leading semiconductor companies and research Centers of Excellence from Japan, the USA, and Europe outlined novel numerical algorithms, physical models, and applications in this rapidly emerging field.

Powerful computers now enable scientists to model the physical and chemical properties and behavior of complex materials using first principles. This book introduces dramatically new computational techniques in materials research, specifically for understanding molecular dynamics.

This book constitutes the refereed post-proceedings of the 9th European Performance Engineering Workshop, EPEW 2012, held in Munich, Germany, and the 28th UK Performance Engineering Workshop, UKPEW 2012, held in Edinburgh, UK, in July 2012. The 15 regular papers and one poster presentation paper presented together with 2 invited talks were carefully reviewed and selected from numerous submissions. The papers cover a wide range of topics from classical performance modeling areas such as wireless network protocols and parallel execution of scientific codes to hot topics such as energy-aware computing to unexpected ventures into ranking professional tennis players. In addition to new case studies, the papers also present new techniques for dealing with the modeling challenges brought about by the increasing complexity and scale of systems today.

The contents of this volume are application oriented. The volume contains a de tailed presentation of 19 applications of CP-nets, covering a broad range of ap plication areas. Most of the projects have been carried out in an industrial set ting. The volume presents the most important ideas and experiences from the projects, in a way which is useful also for readers who do not yet have personal experience with the construction and analysis of large CPN models. The volume demonstrates the feasibility of using CP-nets and the CPN tools for industrial projects. The presentation of the projects is based upon material provided by the per sons who have accomplished the individual projects. At the beginning of each chapter, we list their names and we say where the original material has been published. The original material often contains more elaborate information, e.g., about details of the modelled system and related work. I have edited the material provided by the original authors. I have modified some of the CP-nets, e.g., to improve the layout and use more mnemonic names. In some cases, I have also changed a few net components, e.g., merged two tran sitions or introduced a Standard ML function for operations that are used in many arc expressions. These modifications make the CP-nets more appropriate as study material, but they do not change the essential behaviour of the CPN models."

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 34th Annual German Conference on Artificial Intelligence, KI 2011, held in Berlin, Germany, in October 2011. The 32 revised full papers presented together with 3 invited talks were carefully reviewed and selected from 81 submissions. The papers are divided in topical sections on computational learning and datamining, knowledge representation and reasonings, augmented reality, swarm intelligence; and planning and scheduling.

This book is based on a workshop entitled.: Model " Identification and Adap tive Control: From Windsurfing to Telecommunications" held in Sydney, Aus tralia, on December 16, 2000. The workshop was organized in honour of Pro fessor Brian (BDO) Anderson in recognition of his seminal contributions to systems science over the past 4 decades. . The chapters in the book have been written by colleagues, friends and stu dents of Brian Anderson. A central theme of the book is the inter relationship between identification and the use of models in real world applications. This theme has underpinned much of Brian Anderson's own contributions. The book reflects on these contributions as well as makirig important statements about possible future research directions. The subtitle of the book (From Windsurfing to Telecommunications) rec ognizes the fact that many common life experiences, such as those we en counter when learning to ride a windsurfer are models for design methods that can be used on real world advanced technological control problems. In deed, Brian Anderson extensively explored this link in his research work."

Mixed-Signal Layout Generation Concepts covers important physical-design issues that exist in contemporary analog and mixed-signal design flows. Due to the increasing pressure on time-to-market, the steep increase in chip fabrication costs, and the increasing design complexity, it becomes even more challenging to produce a first-time right IC layout. The fundamental issues in creating a layout are placement and routing. Although these coupled problems have been investigated for many decades, no satisfactory automated solution has emerged yet. Fortunately, supported by modern computing power and results of new research that further improve computation efficiency, significant steps forward have been taken.
Mixed-Signal Layout Generation Concepts brings together many principles and techniques required to successfully develop and implement layout generation tools to accommodate many mixed-signal layout generation needs. Not only does it provide a comprehensive overview of state-of-the-art concepts, it also illustrates many concepts with intuitive examples and pseudo code. Altogether, it facilitates creation of insight in a vast and complex area.
For those who are new to the area of mixed-signal layout generation, this book provides an excellent introduction to advanced topics in this area. A practicing EDA researcher or tool developer might find this book a useful reference that combines classical and new principles. In addition, this book relates theories to each other and to pragmatic implementations. Finally, the designer, or layout artist, interested to have a thorough understanding of fundamental concepts in mixed-signal layout generation, can take advantage of the self-contained chapters in this book.