Bionics means learning from the nature for the development of technology. The science of "bionics" itself is classified into several sections, from materials and structures over procedures and processes until evolution and optimization. Not all these areas, or only a few, are really known in the public and also in scientific literature. This includes the Lotus-effect, converted to the contamination-reduction of fassades and the shark-shed-effect, converted to the resistance-reduction of airplanes. However, there are hundreds of highly interesting examples that contain the transformation of principles of the nature into technology. From the large number of these examples, 250 were selected for the present book according to "prehistory", "early-history", "classic" and "modern time". Most examples are new. Every example includes a printed page in a homogeneous arrangement. The examples from the field "modern time" are joint in blocks corresponding to the sub-disciplines of bionics.

Applied and Computational Control, Signals, and Circuits: Recent Developments is an interdisciplinary book blending mathematics, computational mathematics, scientific computing and software engineering with control and systems theory, signal processing, and circuit simulations. The material consists of seven state-of-the-art review chapters, each written by a leading expert in that field. Each of the technical chapters deals exclusively with some of the recent developments involving applications and computations of control, signals and circuits. Also included is a Chapter focusing on the newly developed Fortran-based software library, called SLICOT, for control systems design and analysis. This collection will be an excellent reference work for research scientists, practicing engineers, and graduate level students of control and systems, circuit design, power systems and signal processing.

This book introduces to blockchain and deep learning and explores and illustrates the current and new trends that integrate them. The pace and speeds for connectivity are certain on the ascend. Blockchain and deep learning are twin technologies that are integral to integrity and relevance of network contents. Since they are data-driven technologies, rapidly growing interests exist to incorporate them in efficient and secure data sharing and analysis applications. Blockchain and deep learning are sentinel contemporary research technologies. This book provides a comprehensive reference for blockchain and deep learning by covering all important topics. It identifies the bedrock principles and forward projecting methodologies that illuminate the trajectory of developments for the decades ahead.

No pleasure lasts long unless there is variety in it. Publilius Syrus, Moral Sayings We've been very fortunate to receive fantastic feedback from our readers during the last four years, since the first edition of How to Solve It: Modern Heuristics was published in 1999. It's heartening to know that so many people appreciated the book and, even more importantly, were using the book to help them solve their problems. One professor, who published a review of the book, said that his students had given the best course reviews he'd seen in 15 years when using our text. There can be hardly any better praise, except to add that one of the book reviews published in a SIAM journal received the best review award as well. We greatly appreciate your kind words and personal comments that you sent, including the few cases where you found some typographical or other errors. Thank you all for this wonderful support.

Chaos in science has always been a fascinating realm since it challenges the usual scientific approach of reductionism. While carefully distinguishing between complexity, holism, randomness, incompleteness, nondeterminism and stochastic behaviour the authors show that, although many aspects of chaos have been phenomenologically understood, most of its defining principles are still difficult to grasp and formulate. Demonstrating that chaos escapes all traditional methods of description, the authors set out to find new methods to deal with this phenomenon and illustrate their constructive approach with many examples from physics, biology and information technology. While maintaining a high level of rigour, an overly complicated mathematical apparatus is avoided in order to make this book accessible, beyond the specialist level, to a wider interdisciplinary readership.

Spotlighting the field of Multidisciplinary Design Optimization (MDO), this book illustrates and implements state-of-the-art methodologies within the complex process of aerospace system design under uncertainties. The book provides approaches to integrating a multitude of components and constraints with the ultimate goal of reducing design cycles. Insights on a vast assortment of problems are provided, including discipline modeling, sensitivity analysis, uncertainty propagation, reliability analysis, and global multidisciplinary optimization. The extensive range of topics covered include areas of current open research. This Work is destined to become a fundamental reference for aerospace systems engineers, researchers, as well as for practitioners and engineers working in areas of optimization and uncertainty. Part I is largely comprised of fundamentals. Part II presents methodologies for single discipline problems with a review of existing uncertainty propagation, reliability analysis, and optimization techniques. Part III is dedicated to the uncertainty-based MDO and related issues. Part IV deals with three MDO related issues: the multifidelity, the multi-objective optimization and the mixed continuous/discrete optimization and Part V is devoted to test cases for aerospace vehicle design.

The nucleus of this volume consists of a number of papers presented at the Advanced Research Workshop on liThe Impact of New Information Technologies on Library Management, Resources and Cooperation" , held in Luxembourg fran 19-23 November 1984. The oorkshop was a joint effort of four international organisations. The Scientific Affairs Division of the North .Atlantic Treaty Organization, through a personal canmitment and interest expressed by Dr. H. Durand, Assistant Secretary General for Scientific Affairs, was the first and major sponsor acting as a catalyst in enabling the Workshop to take place. Through its support for travel and subsistence costs of some of the North American participants, the Workshop could become a platfo~in for the exchange of ideas between parties concerned with information handling and transmission and information policy in Western Europe and North America. The Directorate General for Information Market and Innovation of the Canmission of the European Communities hosted the Vlorkshop in its facilities - the Jean l'bnnet Building in Luxembourg - also providing for simultaneous translation in the main languages of the European Community. Moreover, the Canmission generously funded the participation of key participants fran Community countries and provided participants with ample info~ination on existing Community programmes related to electronic publications, electronic transmission of documents, copyright problems, problems of standards, telecanmunication, and so on. 'I'he Council of Europe supported attendance fran Sweden, Austria and Spain. And lastly, the European Cultural Foundation organised the event on behalf of all these organisa tions.

"Nature-inspired" includes, roughly speaking, "bio-inspired"+"physical-inspired"+"social-inspired"+ and so on. This book contains highly original contributions about how nature is going to shape networking systems of the future. Hence, it focuses on rigorous approaches and cutting-edge solutions, which encompass three classes of major methods: 1) Those that take inspiration from nature for the development of novel problem solving techniques; 2) Those that are based on the use of networks to synthesize natural phenomena; and 3) Those that employ natural materials to compute or communicate.

This book presents a novel unified treatment of inverse problems in optimal control and noncooperative dynamic game theory. It provides readers with fundamental tools for the development of practical algorithms to solve inverse problems in control, robotics, biology, and economics. The treatment involves the application of Pontryagin's minimum principle to a variety of inverse problems and proposes algorithms founded on the elegance of dynamic optimization theory. There is a balanced emphasis between fundamental theoretical questions and practical matters. The text begins by providing an introduction and background to its topics. It then discusses discrete-time and continuous-time inverse optimal control. The focus moves on to differential and dynamic games and the book is completed by consideration of relevant applications. The algorithms and theoretical results developed in Inverse Optimal Control and Inverse Noncooperative Dynamic Game Theory provide new insights into information requirements for solving inverse problems, including the structure, quantity, and types of state and control data. These insights have significant practical consequences in the design of technologies seeking to exploit inverse techniques such as collaborative robots, driver-assistance technologies, and autonomous systems. The book will therefore be of interest to researchers, engineers, and postgraduate students in several disciplines within the area of control and robotics.

This textbook summarizes the course of engineering mechanics, designed for one or two semesters, at the undergraduate or graduate level for a range of academic majors. The book covers all the main components of the discipline including: Theoretical Mechanics, Theory of Mechanisms and Machines, Resistance of Materials, Machine Parts and Design Basic; and Interchangeability, Standardization, and Technical Measurements. It can also be used by students of other technical areas in to achieve competence in each of the listed disciplines. The concise presentation facilitates concentration on the most important elements of the concepts presented while also outlining the current state of mechanics, demonstrating engineering applications using various computer packages (MathCad, CosmosWorks, Inkscape, AutoCad), and updating data on engineering materials. Examples of both simple and complex engineering calculations are given at the end of each chapter along with self-assessment questions.

This book presents several aspects of research on mathematics that have significant applications in engineering, modelling and social matters, discussing a number of current and future social issues and problems in which mathematical tools can be beneficial. Each chapter enhances our understanding of the research problems in a particular an area of study and highlights the latest advances made in that area. The self-contained contributions make the results and problems discussed accessible to readers, and provides references to enable those interested to follow subsequent studies in still developing fields. Presenting real-world applications, the book is a valuable resource for graduate students, researchers and educators. It appeals to general readers curious about the practical applications of mathematics in diverse scientific areas and social problems.

This book offers an overview of current methods for the intelligent monitoring of rotating machines. It describes the foundations of smart monitoring, guiding readers to develop appropriate machine learning and statistical models for answering important challenges, such as the management and analysis of a large volume of data. It also discusses real-world case studies, highlighting some practical issues and proposing solutions to them. The book offers extensive information on research trends, and innovative strategies to solve emerging, practical issues. It addresses both academics and professionals dealing with condition monitoring, and mechanical and production engineering issues, in the era of industry 4.0.

A System of Systems (SoS), as distinct from a system of parts, is a system comprised of pre-existing autonomous and interdependent systems.

This book provides two unique contributions to the body of knowledge of System of Systems (SoS) theory, management, and engineering. Firstly, it assesses the dynamics of a SoS through the use of five core characteristics, namely autonomy, belonging, connectivity, diversity and emergence. Secondly, it describes a mechanism of collaboration whereby the characteristics of autonomy and belonging are satisficing for the SoS constituents and the resultant emergent behavior provides value for the observer.

Provides a comprehensive introduction to multi-robot systems planning and task allocation; Explores multi robot aerial planning, flight planning, orienteering and coverage, and deployment, patrolling, and foraging; Includes real-world case studies; Treats different aspects of cooperation in multi-agent systems.

This reference identifies information resources concerning virtual reality and provides detailed instruction on how to use these resources in an effective research strategy. Most of the chapters overview particular types of information sources, such as periodical and citation indexes, conference proceedings, technical reports, dissertations, and monographs. The chapters explain how to use these tools to gather information about virtual reality, and discussions of key resources are always placed in the larger context of information-gathering strategies specific to the field. Most of the resources are available in large public and academic libraries. The volume does not presuppose sophisticated technical knowledge of libraries, and it is written for the student and general researcher. The volume concludes with a set of algorithms that can be used to locate resources in the most typical searches, and a list of producers and publishers of related material.

This translation brings a landmark systems engineering (SE) book to English-speaking audiences for the first time since its original publication in 1972. For decades the SE concept championed by this book has helped engineers solve a wide variety of issues by emphasizing a top-down approach. Moving from the general to the specific, this SE concept has situated itself as uniquely appealing to both highly trained experts and anybody managing a complex project. Until now, this SE concept has only been available to German speakers. By shedding the overtly technical approach adopted by many other SE methods, this book can be used as a problem-solving guide in a great variety of disciplines, engineering and otherwise. By segmenting the book into separate parts that build upon each other, the SE concept's accessibility is reinforced. The basic principles of SE, problem solving, and systems design are helpfully introduced in the first three parts. Once the fundamentals are presented, specific case studies are covered in the fourth part to display potential applications. Then part five offers further suggestions on how to effectively practice SE principles; for example, it not only points out frequent stumbling blocks, but also the specific points at which they may appear. In the final part, a wealth of different methods and tools, such as optimization techniques, are given to help maximize the potential use of this SE concept. Engineers and engineering students from all disciplines will find this book extremely helpful in solving complex problems. Because of its practicable lessons in problem-solving, any professional facing a complex project will also find much to learn from this volume.

The book presents new results and applications of the topological derivative method in control theory, topology optimization and inverse problems. It also introduces the theory in singularly perturbed geometrical domains using selected examples. Recognized as a robust numerical technique in engineering applications, such as topology optimization, inverse problems, imaging processing, multi-scale material design and mechanical modeling including damage and fracture evolution phenomena, the topological derivative method is based on the asymptotic approximations of solutions to elliptic boundary value problems combined with mathematical programming tools. The book presents the first order topology design algorithm and its applications in topology optimization, and introduces the second order Newton-type reconstruction algorithm based on higher order topological derivatives for solving inverse reconstruction problems. It is intended for researchers and students in applied mathematics and computational mechanics interested in the mathematical aspects of the topological derivative method as well as its applications in computational mechanics.

Focusses on filtering for linear processes, and helps design linear stable unbiased filters that yield an estimation error with the lowest root-mean-square (RMS) norm. This book defines various hierarchical classes of filtering problems based on the availability of statistical knowledge regarding noise, disturbances, and other uncertainties.

This book is a revision and extension of the author's 1995 Sourcebook of Control Systems Engineering. Because of the extensions and other modifications, it has been re-titled Handbook of Control Systems Engineering, which it is intended to be for its prime audience: advanced undergraduate students, beginning graduate students, and practicing engineers needing an understandable review of the field or recent developments which may prove useful. New in This Edition. Two new chapters on aspects of nonlinear systems have been incorporated. In the first of these, selected material for nonlinear systems is concentrated on four aspects: showing the value of certain linear controllers, arguing the suitability of algebraic linearization, reviewing the semi-classical methods of harmonic balance, and introducing the nonlinear change of variable technique known as feedback linearization. In the second new chapter, the topic of variable structure control, often with sliding mode, is introduced. A third chapter introduces discrete event systems, including several approaches to their analysis. The chapters on robust control and intelligent control have been extensively revised. Modest revisions and extensions have also been made to other chapters, often to incorporate extensions to nonlinear systems. Many references have been updated to more recent books, although old standards are still cited. Also, some of the advances in computer and communications technology are reflected. The index has been revised and expanded. The structure of the book is as in the first edition. Briefly, the aim is to present the topics in a fairly modular manner with certain main groupings. The first several chapters areconcerned with the hardware and software of the control task as well as systems engineering associated with the selection of appropriate components. The next chapters look at the sources and representations of the mathematical models used in the theory. A number of chapters then are concerned with standard classical or transform domain material as is usually presented in a first level university course, including stability theory, root locus diagrams, and Bode plots. The next group of chapters concerns the standard modern or state space material usually met in a second level course. Included here are observers, pole placement, and optimal control. Overlapping into usual graduate level courses are the next several chapters on more advanced optimal control, Kalman filtering, system identification, and standard adaptive control. The final chapters introduce more advanced, research level subjects. Here are selected topics in nonlinear control, intelligent control, robust control, and discrete event systems. The topics covered are intended to represent the mainstream of control systems teaching. Examples are presented to illustrate the computability of the theory presented. Handbook of Controls Systems Engineering, Second Edition is suitable as a secondary text for upper level undergraduate students, beginning graduate students, and as a reference for researchers and practitioners in industry.

This book describes the active vibration control techniques which have been developed to suppress excessive vibrations of structures. It covers the fundamental principles of active control methods and their applications and shows how active vibration control techniques have replaced traditional passive vibration control. The book includes coverage of dynamic modeling, control design, sensing methodology, actuator mechanism and electronic circuit design, and the implementation of control algorithms via digital controllers. An in-depth approach has been taken to describe the modeling of structures for control design, the development of control algorithms suitable for structural control, and the implementation of control algorithms by means of Simulink block diagrams or C language. Details of currently available actuators and sensors and electronic circuits for signal conditioning and filtering have been provided based on the most recent advances in the field. The book is used as a textbook for students and a reference for researchers who are interested in studying cutting-edge technology. It will be a valuable resource for academic and industrial researchers and professionals involved in the design and manufacture of active vibration controllers for structures in a wide variety of fields and industries including the automotive, rail, aerospace, and civil engineering sectors.

The Soft Machine, originally published in 1985, represents a significant contribution to the study of contemporary literature in the larger cultural and scientific context. David Porush shows how the concepts of cybernetics and artificial intelligence that have sparked our present revolution in computer and information technology have also become the source for images and techniques in our most highly sophisticated literature, postmodern fiction by Barthelme, Barth, Pynchon, Beckett, Burroughs, Vonnegut and others. With considerable skill, Porush traces the growth of "the metaphor of the machine" as it evolves both technologically and in literature of the twentieth century. He describes the birth of cybernetics, gives one of the clearest accounts for a lay audience of its major concepts and shows the growth of philosophical resistance to the mechanical model for human intelligence and communication which cybernetics promotes, a model that had grown increasingly influential in the previous decade. The Soft Machine shows postmodern fiction synthesizing the inviting metaphors and concepts of cybernetics with the ideals of art, a synthesis that results in what Porush calls "cybernetic fiction" alive to the myths and images of a cybernetic age.

At the start of the new millennium, mankind is challenged by a paradox: the greater the apparent knowledge becomes, the greater the uncertainty in understanding and predicting how the world works appears. This book presents the outline of a new basis of Systems Science and a methodology for its applications in complex environmental, economic, social, and technological systems.

It has been widely recognized nowadays the importance of introducing mathematical models that take into account possible sudden changes in the dynamical behavior of a high-integrity systems or a safety-critical system. Such systems can be found in aircraft control, nuclear power stations, robotic manipulator systems, integrated communication networks and large-scale flexible structures for space stations, and are inherently vulnerable to abrupt changes in their structures caused by component or interconnection failures. In this regard, a particularly interesting class of models is the so-called Markov jump linear systems (MJLS), which have been used in numerous applications including robotics, economics and wireless communication. Combining probability and operator theory, the present volume provides a unified and rigorous treatment of recent results in control theory of continuous-time MJLS. This unique approach is of great interest to experts working in the field of linear systems with Markovian jump parameters or in stochastic control. The volume focuses on one of the few cases of stochastic control problems with an actual explicit solution and offers material well-suited to coursework, introducing students to an interesting and active research area.

The book is addressed to researchers working in control and signal processing engineering. Prerequisites include a solid background in classical linear control theory, basic familiarity with continuous-time Markov chains and probability theory, and some elementary knowledge of operator theory.

Philosophical and ethical discussions of warfare are often tied to emerging technologies and techniques. Today we are presented with what many believe is a radical shift in the nature of war-the realization of conflict in the cyber-realm, the so-called "fifth domain " of warfare. Does an aggressive act in the cyber-realm constitute an act of war? If so, what rules should govern such warfare? Are the standard theories of just war capable of analyzing and assessing this mode of conflict? These changing circumstances present us with a series of questions demanding serious attention. Is there such a thing as cyberwarfare? How do the existing rules of engagement and theories from the just war tradition apply to cyberwarfare? How should we assess a cyber-attack conducted by a state agency against private enterprise and vice versa? Furthermore, how should actors behave in the cyber-realm? Are there ethical norms that can be applied to the cyber-realm? Are the classic just war constraints of non-combatant immunity and proportionality possible in this realm? Especially given the idea that events that are constrained within the cyber-realm do not directly physically harm anyone, what do traditional ethics of war conventions say about this new space? These questions strike at the very center of contemporary intellectual discussion over the ethics of war. In twelve original essays, plus a foreword from John Arquilla and an introduction, Binary Bullets: The Ethics of Cyberwarfare, engages these questions head on with contributions from the top scholars working in this field today.

Continuous-Time Systems is a description of linear, nonlinear, time-invariant, and time-varying electronic continuous-time systems. As an assemblage of physical or mathematical components organized and interacting to convert an input signal (also called excitation signal or driving force) to an output signal (also called response signal), an electronic system can be described using different methods offered by the modern systems theory. To make possible for readers to understand systems, the book systematically covers major foundations of the systems theory.