The rheological properties of magnetorheological (MR) materials, such as their viscosity and dynamic modulus, can be tuned or controlled by changing the intensity of the magnetic field using appropriate control schemes. Thanks to their robustness, performance and smart properties, numerous studies have been undertaken on the development of new MR materials, and microscopic and macroscopic modelling approaches. Novel applications include engine mounts and clutch systems in the automotive industry, shock absorbing safety devices for cockpit seats in aerospace, and shock absorption from movement in semi-active human prosthetic legs. This book introduces magnetorheological fluids and elastomers, and explores their material properties, related modelling techniques and applications in turn. The book offers insights into the relationships between the properties and characterisation of MR materials and their current and future applications, making it useful reading for researchers, engineers and graduate students who work in the field of smart materials and structures.

Safe Robot Navigation Among Moving and Steady Obstacles is the first book to focus on reactive navigation algorithms in unknown dynamic environments with moving and steady obstacles. The first three chapters provide introduction and background on sliding mode control theory, sensor models, and vehicle kinematics. Chapter 4 deals with the problem of optimal navigation in the presence of obstacles. Chapter 5 discusses the problem of reactively navigating. In Chapter 6, border patrolling algorithms are applied to a more general problem of reactively navigating. A method for guidance of a Dubins-like mobile robot is presented in Chapter 7. Chapter 8 introduces and studies a simple biologically-inspired strategy for navigation a Dubins-car. Chapter 9 deals with a hard scenario where the environment of operation is cluttered with obstacles that may undergo arbitrary motions, including rotations and deformations. Chapter 10 presents a novel reactive algorithm for collision free navigation of a nonholonomic robot in unknown complex dynamic environments with moving obstacles. Chapter 11 introduces and examines a novel purely reactive algorithm to navigate a planar mobile robot in densely cluttered environments with unpredictably moving and deforming obstacles. Chapter 12 considers a multiple robot scenario. For the Control and Automation Engineer, this book offers accessible and precise development of important mathematical models and results. All the presented results have mathematically rigorous proofs. On the other hand, the Engineer in Industry can benefit by the experiments with real robots such as Pioneer robots, autonomous wheelchairs and autonomous mobile hospital.

Today, air-to-surface vessel (ASV) radars, or more generally maritime surveillance radars, are installed on maritime reconnaissance aircraft for long-range detection, tracking and classification of surface ships (ASuW - Air to Surface Warfare) and for hunting submarines (ASW - anti-submarine warfare). Such radars were first developed in the UK during WWII as part of the response to the threat to shipping from German U-Boats. This book describes the ASV radars developed in the UK after WWII (1946-2000) and used by the RAF for long-range maritime surveillance.

Semiconductor Nanowires: Part B, and Volume 94 in the Semiconductor and Semimetals series, focuses on semiconductor nanowires.

Fundamentals and Applications of Nanophotonics includes a comprehensive discussion of the field of nanophotonics, including key enabling technologies that have the potential to drive economic growth and impact numerous application domains such as ICT, the environment, healthcare, military, transport, manufacturing, and energy. This book gives readers the theoretical underpinnings needed to understand the latest advances in the field. After an introduction to the area, chapters two and three cover the essential topics of electrodynamics, quantum mechanics, and computation as they relate to nanophotonics. Subsequent chapters explore materials for nanophotonics, including nanoparticles, photonic crystals, nanosilicon, nanocarbon, III-V, and II-VI semiconductors. In addition, fabrication and characterization techniques are addressed, along with the importance of plasmonics, and the applications of nanophotonics in devices such as lasers, LEDs, and photodetectors.

Advances in Chemical Mechanical Planarization (CMP) provides the latest information on a mainstream process that is critical for high-volume, high-yield semiconductor manufacturing, and even more so as device dimensions continue to shrink. The technology has grown to encompass the removal and planarization of multiple metal and dielectric materials and layers both at the device and the metallization levels, using different tools and parameters, requiring improvements in the control of topography and defects. This important book offers a systematic review of fundamentals and advances in the area. Part One covers CMP of dielectric and metal films, with chapters focusing on the use of particular techniques and processes, and on CMP of particular various materials, including ultra low-k materials and high-mobility channel materials, and ending with a chapter reviewing the environmental impacts of CMP processes. Part Two addresses consumables and process control for improved CMP, and includes chapters on the preparation and characterization of slurry, diamond disc pad conditioning, the use of FTIR spectroscopy for characterization of surface processes, and approaches for defection characterization, mitigation, and reduction.

Industrial automation is driving the development of robot manipulators in various applications, with much of the research effort focussed on flexible manipulators and their advantages compared to their rigid counterparts. This book reports recent advances and new developments in the analysis and control of these robot manipulators. After a general overview of flexible manipulators the book introduces a range of modelling and simulation techniques based on the Lagrange equation formulation, parametric approaches based on linear input/output models using system identification techniques, neuro-modelling approaches, and numerical techniques for dynamic characterisation using finite difference and finite element techniques. Control techniques are then discussed, including a range of open-loop and closed-loop control techniques based on classical and modern control methods including neuro and iterative control, and a range of soft-computing control techniques based on fuzzy logic, neural networks, and evolutionary and bio-inspired optimisation paradigms. Finally the book presents SCEFMAS, a software environment for analysis, design, simulation and control of flexible manipulators. Flexible Robot Manipulators is essential reading for advanced students of robotics, mechatronics and control engineering and will serve as a source of reference for research in areas of modelling, simulation and control of dynamic flexible structures in general and, specifically, of flexible robotic manipulators.

General Airgap Field Modulation Theory for Electrical Machines Introducing a new theory for electrical machines Air-gap magnetic field modulation phenomena have been widely observed in electrical machines. This book serves as the first English-language overview of these phenomena, as well as developing systematically for the first time a general theory by which to understand and research them. This theory not only serves to unify analysis of disparate electrical machines, from conventional DC machines, induction machines, and synchronous machines to unconventional flux-switching permanent magnet machines, Vernier machines, doubly-fed brushless machines etc., but also paves the way towards the creation of new electrical machine topologies. General Airgap Field Modulation Theory for Electrical Machines includes both overviews of key concepts in electrical machine engineering and in-depth specialized analysis of the novel theory itself. It works through the applications of the developed theory before proceeding to both qualitative analysis of the theory's operating principles and quantitative analysis of its parameters. Readers will also find: The collective experience of four award-winning authors with long records of international scholarship on this subject Three separate chapters covering the principal applications of the theory, with detailed examples Discussion of potential innovations made possible by this theory General Airgap Field Modulation Theory for Electrical Machines is an essential introduction to this theory for postgraduates, researchers, and electrical engineers.

Wireless Public Safety Networks, Volume One: Overview and Challenges presents the latest advances in the wireless Public Safety Networks (PSNs) field, the networks established by authorities to either prepare the population for an eminent catastrophe, or as support during crisis and normalization phases. Maintaining communication capabilities in a disaster scenario is crucial for avoiding loss of lives and damages to property. Wireless Public Safety Networks examines past communication failures that have directly contributed to the loss of lives. This book will give readers a broad view of the PSNs field, analyzing the benefits PSNs may bring to society, the main challenges related to the establishment and maintenance of these networks, the latest advancements in the field, and future perspectives.

Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (MANETs) are a popular form of network for data transfer due to the fact that they are dynamic, require no fixed infrastructure, and are scalable. However, MANETs are particularly susceptible to several different types of widely perpetrated cyberattack. One of the most common hacks aimed at MANETs is the Black Hole attack, in which a particular node within the network displays itself as having the shortest path for the node whose packets it wants to intercept. Once the packets are drawn to the Black Hole, they are then dropped instead of relayed, and the communication of the MANET is thereby disrupted, without knowledge of the other nodes in the network. Due to the sophistication of the Black Hole attack, there has been a lot of research conducted on how to detect it and prevent it. The authors of this short format title provide their research results on providing an effective solution to Black Hole attacks, including introduction of new MANET routing protocols that can be implemented in order to improve detection accuracy and network parameters such as total dropped packets, end-to-end delay, packet delivery ratio, and routing request overhead.

Digital communications plays an important role in numerical transmission systems due to the proliferation of radio beams, satellite, optic fibbers, radar, and mobile wireless systems. This book provides the fundamentals and basic design techniques of digital communications with an emphasis on the systems of telecommunication and the principles of baseband transmission. With a focus on examples and exercises, this book will prepare you with a practical and real-life treatment of communication problems.

Advances in Imaging and Electron Physics merges two long-running serials, Advances in Electronics and Electron Physics and Advances in Optical and Electron Microscopy. The series features extended articles on the physics of electron devices (especially semiconductor devices), particle optics at high and low energies, microlithography, image science, and digital image processing, electromagnetic wave propagation, electron microscopy, and the computing methods used in all these domains.

Traffic Anomaly Detection presents an overview of traffic anomaly detection analysis, allowing you to monitor security aspects of multimedia services. The author's approach is based on the analysis of time aggregation adjacent periods of the traffic. As traffic varies throughout the day, it is essential to consider the concrete traffic period in which the anomaly occurs. This book presents the algorithms proposed specifically for this analysis and an empirical comparative analysis of those methods and settle a new information theory based technique, named "typical day analysis".

Industrial Wireless Sensor Networks: Monitoring, Control and Automation explores the explosive growth that has occurred in the use of wireless sensor networks in a variety of applications during the last few years. As wireless technology can reduce costs, increase productivity, and ease maintenance, the book looks at the progress in standardization efforts regarding reliability, security, performance, power consumption, and integration. Early sections of the book discuss issues such as media access control (MAC), antenna design and site survey, energy harvesting, and explosion-proof design. Subsequent sections present WSN standards, including ISA100, ZigBee (TM), Wifi (TM), WirelessHART (TM) and 6loWPAN, and the applications of WSNs in the oil and gas, chemical, food, and nuclear power industries.

Advances in Imaging & Electron Physics merges two long-running serials-Advances in Electronics & Electron Physics and Advances in Optical & Electron Microscopy. The series features extended articles on the physics of electron devices (especially semiconductor devices), particle optics at high and low energies, microlithography, image science, and digital image processing, electromagnetic wave propagation, electron microscopy, and the computing methods used in all these domains.

This book covers the most important issues from classical and robust control, deterministic and stochastic control, system identification, and adaptive and iterative control strategies. It covers most of the known control system methodologies using a new base, the Youla parameterization (YP). This concept is introduced and extended for TDOF control loops. The Keviczky-Banyasz parameterization (KP) method developed for closed loop systems is also presented. The book is valuable for those who want to see through the jungle of available methods by using a unified approach, and for those who want to prepare computer code with a given algorithm.

Advances in Imaging and Electron Physics merges two long-running serials-Advances in Electronics and Electron Physics and Advances in Optical and Electron Microscopy. The series features extended articles on the physics of electron devices (especially semiconductor devices), particle optics at high and low energies, microlithography, image science and digital image processing, electromagnetic wave propagation, electron microscopy, and the computing methods used in all these domains.

In Transcultural Communication, Andreas Hepp provides an accessible and engaging introduction to the exciting possibilities and inevitable challenges presented by the proliferation of transcultural communication in our mediatized world. * Includes examples of mediatization and transcultural communication from a variety of cultural contexts * Covers an array of different types of media, including mass media and digital media * Incorporates discussion of transcultural communication in media regulation, media production, media products and platforms, and media appropriation