Accessible to all readers, including students of secondary school and amateur technology enthusiasts, Robotics, Mechatronics, and Artificial Intelligence simplifies the process of finding basic circuits to perform simple tasks, such as how to control a DC or step motor, and provides instruction on creating moving robotic parts, such as an "eye" or an "ear." Though many companies offer kits for project construction, most experimenters want to design and build their own robots and other creatures specific to their needs and goals. With this new book by Newton Braga, hobbyists and experimenters around the world will be able to decide what skills they want to feature in a project and then choose the right "building blocks" to create the ideal results.
In the past few years the technology of robotics, mechatronics, and artificial intelligence has exploded, leaving many people with the desire but not the means to build their own projects. The author's fascination with and expertise in the exciting field of robotics is demonstrated by the range of simple to complex project blocks he provides, which are designed to benefit both novice and experienced robotics enthusiasts. The common components and technology featured in the project blocks are especially beneficial to readers who need practical solutions that can be implemented easily by their own hands, without incorporating expensive, complicated technology.
Accessible to technicians and hobbyists with many levels of experience, and written to provide inexpensive and creative fun with robotics
Appeals to all sorts of technology enthusiasts, including those involved with electronics, computers, home automation, mechanics, and other areas.

These proceedings present selected research papers from CISC'18, held in Wenzhou, China. The topics include Multi-Agent Systems, Networked Control Systems, Intelligent Robots, Complex System Theory and Swarm Behavior, Event-Triggered Control and Data-Driven Control, Robust and Adaptive Control, Big Data and Brain Science, Process Control, Nonlinear and Variable Structure Control, Intelligent Sensor and Detection Technology, Deep learning and Learning Control Guidance, Navigation and Control of Flight Vehicles, and so on. Engineers and researchers from academia, industry, and government can get an insight view of the solutions combining ideas from multiple disciplines in the field of intelligent systems.

The book investigates fundamental issues in flexible manipulator systems, including distributed parameter modeling and boundary controller design. It presents theoretical explorations of several fundamental problems concerning the dynamics and control of these systems. By integrating fresh concepts and results to form a systematic approach to control, it also provides a basic theoretical framework. In turn, the book offers a comprehensive treatment of flexible manipulator systems, addressing topics ranging from related distributed parameter modeling and advanced boundary controller design for these systems with input constraint, to active control with output constraint. In brief, the book addresses dynamical analysis and control design for flexible manipulator systems. Though primarily intended for researchers and engineers in the control system and mechanical engineering community, it can also serve as supplemental reading on the modeling and control of flexible manipulator systems at the postgraduate level.

Robotic animals are nowadays developed for various types of research, such as bio-inspired robotics, biomimetics and animal behavior studies. More specifically, in the case of collective animal behavior research, the robotic device can interact with animals by generating and exploiting signals relevant for social behavior. Once perceived by the animal society as conspecific, these robots can become powerful tools to study the animal behaviors, as they can at the same time monitor the changes in behavior and influence the collective choices of the animal society. In this book, we present novel robotized tools that can integrate shoals of fish in order to study their collective behaviors. We used the current state of the art on the zebrafish social behavior to define the specifications of the robots, and we performed stimuli analysis to improve their developments. Bio-inspired controllers were designed based on data extracted from experiments with zebrafish for the robots to mimic the zebrafish locomotion underwater. Experiments involving mixed groups of fish and robots qualified the robotic system to be integrated among a zebrafish shoal and to be able to influence the collective decisions of the fish. These results are very promising for the field of animal-robot interaction studies, as we showed the effect of the robots in long-duration experiments and repetitively, with the same order of response from the animals.

This book presents various techniques to carry out the gait modeling, the gait patterns synthesis, and the control of biped robots. Some general information on the human walking, a presentation of the current experimental biped robots, and the application of walking bipeds are given. The modeling is based on the decomposition on a walking step into different sub-phases depending on the way each foot stands into contact on the ground. The robot design is dealt with according to the mass repartition and the choice of the actuators. Different ways to generate walking patterns are considered, such as?passive walking and gait synthesis performed using optimization technique. Control based on the robot modeling, neural network methods, or intuitive approaches are presented. The unilaterality of contact is dealt with using on-line adaptation of the desired motion.

This book offers a collection of original peer-reviewed contributions presented at the 3rd International and 18th National Conference on Machines and Mechanisms (iNaCoMM), organized by Division of Remote Handling & Robotics, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, India, from December 13th to 15th, 2017 (iNaCoMM 2017). It reports on various theoretical and practical features of machines, mechanisms and robotics; the contributions include carefully selected, novel ideas on and approaches to design, analysis, prototype development, assessment and surveys. Applications in machine and mechanism engineering, serial and parallel manipulators, power reactor engineering, autonomous vehicles, engineering in medicine, image-based data analytics, compliant mechanisms, and safety mechanisms are covered. Further papers provide in-depth analyses of data preparation, isolation and brain segmentation for focused visualization and robot-based neurosurgery, new approaches to parallel mechanism-based Master-Slave manipulators, solutions to forward kinematic problems, and surveys and optimizations based on historical and contemporary compliant mechanism-based design. The spectrum of contributions on theory and practice reveals central trends and newer branches of research in connection with these topics.

This book gathers papers presented at the 5th International Conference on Sustainable Design and Manufacturing (SDM-18), held in Gold Coast, Australia in June 2018. The conference covered a wide range of topics, including: sustainable product design and service innovation, sustainable processes and technology for the manufacturing of sustainable products, sustainable manufacturing systems and enterprises, decision support for sustainability, and the study of the societal impact of sustainability including research on the circular economy. The corresponding application areas are wide and varied. The aim of cutting-edge research into sustainable design and manufacturing is to enable the manufacturing industry to grow by adopting more advanced technologies, and at the same time improve its sustainability by reducing its environmental impact. With these goals in mind, the book provides an excellent overview of the latest research and development in the area of Sustainable Design and Manufacturing.

The book presents research from Rob|Arch 2018, the fourth international conference on robotic fabrication in architecture, art, and design. In capturing the myriad of scientific advances in robotics fabrication that are currently underway - such as collaborative design tools, computerised materials, adaptive sensing and actuation, advanced construction, on-site and cooperative robotics, machine-learning, human-machine interaction, large-scale fabrication and networked workflows, to name but a few - this compendium reveals how robotic fabrication is becoming a driver of scientific innovation, cross-disciplinary fertilization and creative capacity of an unprecedented kind.

This monograph presents new theories and methods for fixed-time cooperative control of multi-agent systems. Fundamental concepts of fixed-time stability and stabilization are introduced with insightful understanding. This book presents solutions for several problems of fixed-time cooperative control using systematic design methods. The book compares fixed-time cooperative control with asymptotic cooperative control, demonstrating how the former can achieve better closed-loop performance and disturbance rejection properties. It also discusses the differences from finite-time control, and shows how fixed-time cooperative control can produce the faster rate of convergence and provide an explicit estimate of the settling time independent of initial conditions. This monograph presents multiple applications of fixed-time control schemes, including to distributed optimization of multi-agent systems, making it useful to students, researchers and engineers alike.

Rehabilitation Robotics gives an introduction and overview of all areas of rehabilitation robotics, perfect for anyone new to the field. It also summarizes available robot technologies and their application to different pathologies for skilled researchers and clinicians. The editors have been involved in the development and application of robotic devices for neurorehabilitation for more than 15 years. This experience using several commercial devices for robotic rehabilitation has enabled them to develop the know-how and expertise necessary to guide those seeking comprehensive understanding of this topic. Each chapter is written by an expert in the respective field, pulling in perspectives from both engineers and clinicians to present a multi-disciplinary view. The book targets the implementation of efficient robot strategies to facilitate the re-acquisition of motor skills. This technology incorporates the outcomes of behavioral studies on motor learning and its neural correlates into the design, implementation and validation of robot agents that behave as 'optimal' trainers, efficiently exploiting the structure and plasticity of the human sensorimotor systems. In this context, human-robot interaction plays a paramount role, at both the physical and cognitive level, toward achieving a symbiotic interaction where the human body and the robot can benefit from each other's dynamics.

These proceedings present selected research papers from CISC'18, held in Wenzhou, China. The topics include Multi-Agent Systems, Networked Control Systems, Intelligent Robots, Complex System Theory and Swarm Behavior, Event-Triggered Control and Data-Driven Control, Robust and Adaptive Control, Big Data and Brain Science, Process Control, Nonlinear and Variable Structure Control, Intelligent Sensor and Detection Technology, Deep learning and Learning Control Guidance, Navigation and Control of Flight Vehicles, and so on. Engineers and researchers from academia, industry, and government can get an insight view of the solutions combining ideas from multiple disciplines in the field of intelligent systems.

The book describes an approach to the multi-agent systems (MAS) design for applications of robotic soccer in the MiroSot category. The described MAS is designed for dynamic, quickly changing environments, in which not only the actions of our MAS are observed, but also those of the opposing MAS. It actively tries to affect the environment to score goals faster than the opposing MAS. Multi-agent systems (MAS) are mostly applied in the environments in which they exist and act without an opposing system. The book also describes strategies based on a supervisor that makes decisions depending on behavior prediction of the opposing MAS and the ball movement in the working place. A sophisticated distribution of tasks was designed for each agent to cooperate in order score goals as fast as possible. Simultaneously, these agents try, by permitted means, to prevent the enemy agents from scoring goals. The approach described is an excellent guide to the constantly evolving abilities of mobile robotics, both for real-world applications, such as cooperation of multiple robots in life-saving activities, and for the steadily developing applications of mobile robots in various robotic competitions (e.g. Robocup, etc.). The book provides readers with high-level knowledge on how to design strategies and how to implement such systems, and the ideas presented enable them to further refine the approach utilizing the latest hardware and use it in new systems implementations of sophisticated intelligent engineering.

This book presents selected research papers from CISC'17, held in MudanJiang, China. The topics covered include Multi-agent system, Evolutionary Computation, Artificial Intelligence, Complex systems, Computation intelligence and soft computing, Intelligent control, Advanced control technology, Robotics and applications, Intelligent information processing, Iterative learning control, Machine Learning, and etc. Engineers and researchers from academia, industry, and government can gain valuable insights into solutions combining ideas from multiple disciplines in the field of intelligent systems.

Robots challenge humans' beliefs and expectations. Hence, regardless of whether they are the audience of a conference, the visitors of a lab, the citizens in general, some journalists, or the European Parliament, the first step in order to gain a better understanding of the field of robotics is obviously to consult the experts. Roboticists seem indeed to be in the best position to guide society in this matter, whether it is in the everyday life or within an official institution. Today however, there is a gap between the robots, as they are actually thought and built, and the intelligent and autonomous machines, as they are perceived by the society. How can we explain it? Do the words borrowed from the living organisms and used to describe robots play a role in the confusion about the status of the discipline of robotics? The texts gathered within this book focus on the problematic of wording robotics from various perspectives. They are the results of a unique interdisciplinary meeting gathering roboticists, linguists, philosophers and neuroscientists, the 4th Workshop of Anthropomorphic Motion Factory held at LAAS-CNRS in Toulouse on Nov 31st - Dec 1st 2017.

Mapping and localization are two essential tasks in autonomous mobile robotics. Due to the unavoidable noise that sensors present, mapping algorithms usually rely on loop closure detection techniques, which entail the correct identification of previously seen places to reduce the uncertainty of the resulting maps. This book deals with the problem of generating topological maps of the environment using efficient appearance-based loop closure detection techniques. Since the quality of a visual loop closure detection algorithm is related to the image description method and its ability to index previously seen images, several methods for loop closure detection adopting different approaches are developed and assessed. Then, these methods are used in three novel topological mapping algorithms. The results obtained indicate that the solutions proposed attain a better performance than several state-of-the-art approaches. To conclude, given that loop closure detection is also a key component in other research areas, a multi-threaded image mosaicing algorithm is proposed. This approach makes use of one of the loop closure detection techniques previously introduced in order to find overlapping pairs between images and finally obtain seamless mosaics of different environments in a reasonable amount of time.

Flexible Multibody Dynamics comprehensively describes the numerical modelling of flexible multibody dynamics systems in space and aircraft structures, vehicles, and mechanical systems. A rigorous approach is followed to handle finite rotations in 3D, with a thorough discussion of the different alternatives for parametrization. Modelling of flexible bodies is treated following the Finite Element technique, a novel aspect in multibody systems simulation.

Moreover, this book provides extensive coverage of the formulation of a general purpose software for flexible multibody dynamics analysis, based on an exhaustive treatment of large rotations and finite element modelling, and incorporating useful reference material.

Features include different solution techniques such as:

• time integration of differential-algebraic equations

• non-linear substructuring

• continuation methods

• nonlinear bifurcation analysis.

This is the proceedings of ARK 2018, the 16th International Symposium on Advances in Robot Kinematics, that was organized by the Group of Robotics, Automation and Biomechanics (GRAB) from the University of Bologna, Italy. ARK are international symposia of the highest level organized every two years since 1988. ARK provides a forum for researchers working in robot kinematics and stimulates new directions of research by forging links between robot kinematics and other areas.The main topics of the symposium of 2018 were: kinematic analysis of robots, robot modeling and simulation, kinematic design of robots, kinematics in robot control, theories and methods in kinematics, singularity analysis, kinematic problems in parallel robots, redundant robots, cable robots, over-constrained linkages, kinematics in biological systems, humanoid robots and humanoid subsystems.

The emergence of wireless robotic systems has provided new perspectives on technology. With the combination of several disciplines such as robotic systems, ad hoc networking, telecommunications and more, mobile ad hoc robots have been essential towards the future possibilities of technology. Mobile Ad Hoc Robots and Wireless Robotic Systems: Design and Implementation aims to introduce robotic theories, wireless technologies, and routing applications involved in the development of mobile ad hoc robots. This reference source brings together topics on the communication and control of network ad hoc robots, and how they working together to carry out coordinated functions.

PID Control with Intelligent Compensation for Exoskeleton Robots explains how to use neural PD and PID controls to reduce integration gain, and provides explicit conditions on how to select linear PID gains using proof of semi-global asymptotic stability and local asymptotic stability with a velocity observer. These conditions are applied in both task and joint spaces, with PID controllers compensated by neural networks. This is a great resource on how to combine traditional PD/PID control techniques with intelligent control. Dr. Wen Yu presents several leading-edge methods for designing neural and fuzzy compensators with high-gain velocity observers for PD control using Lyapunov stability. Proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control is widely used in biomedical and industrial robot manipulators. An integrator in a PID controller reduces the bandwidth of the closed-loop system, leads to less-effective transient performance and may even destroy stability. Many robotic manipulators use proportional-derivative (PD) control with gravity and friction compensations, but improved gravity and friction models are needed. The introduction of intelligent control in these systems has dramatically changed the face of biomedical and industrial control engineering.

The book offers an integrated vision on Cloud and HPC, Big Data, Analytics and virtualization in computing-oriented manufacturing, combining information and communication technologies, service-oriented control of holonic architectures as well as enterprise integration solutions based on SOA principles. It is structured in eight parts, each one grouping research and trends in digital manufacturing and service oriented manufacturing control: Cloud and Cyber-Physical Systems for Smart Manufacturing, Reconfigurable and Self-organized Multi-Agent Systems for Industry and Service, Sustainability Issues in Intelligent Manufacturing Systems, Holonic and Multi-agent System Design for Industry and Service, Should Intelligent Manufacturing Systems be Dependable and Safe?, Service-oriented Management and Control of Manufacturing Systems, Engineering and Human Integration in Flexible and Reconfigurable Industrial Systems,Virtualization and Simulation in Computing-oriented Industry and Service.p>

Advanced research in the field of mechatronics and robotics represents a unifying interdisciplinary and intelligent engineering science paradigm. It is a holistic, concurrent, and interdisciplinary engineering science that identifies novel possibilities of synergizing and fusing different disciplines. The Handbook of Research on Advanced Mechatronic Systems and Intelligent Robotics is a collection of innovative research on the methods and applications of knowledge in both theoretical and practical skills of intelligent robotics and mechatronics. While highlighting topics including green technology, machine learning, and virtual manufacturing, this book is ideally designed for researchers, students, engineers, and computer practitioners seeking current research on developing innovative ideas for intelligent robotics and autonomous and smart interdisciplinary mechatronic products.

This book features selected papers presented at the 14th International Conference on Electromechanics and Robotics 'Zavalishin's Readings' - ER(ZR) 2019, held in Kursk, Russia, on April 17-20, 2019. The contributions, written by professionals, researchers and students, cover topics in the field of automatic control systems, electromechanics, electric power engineering and electrical engineering, mechatronics, robotics, automation and vibration technologies. The Zavalishin's Readings conference was established as a tribute to the memory of Dmitry Aleksandrovich Zavalishin (1900-1968) - a Russian scientist, corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Sciences, and founder of the school of valve energy converters based on electric machines and valve converters energy. The first conference was organized by the Institute of Innovative Technologies in Electromechanics and Robotics at the Saint Petersburg State University of Aerospace Instrumentation in 2006. The 2019 conference was held with the XIII International Scientific and Technical Conference "Vibration 2019", and was organized by Saint Petersburg State University of Aerospace Instrumentation (SUAI), Saint Petersburg Institute for Informatics and Automation of the Russian Academy of Sciences (SPIIRAS) and the Southwest State University (SWSU) in with cooperation Russian Foundation for Basic Research (project No. 19-08-20021).