This volume comprises select peer-reviewed contributions from the International Conference on Production and Industrial Engineering (CPIE) 2019. The contents focus on latest research in production and manufacturing engineering including case studies with analytical models and latest numerical approaches. The topics covered include micro, nano, and non-conventional machining, additive manufacturing, casting and forming, joining processes, vibrations and acoustics, materials and processing, product design and development, industrial automation, CAD/CAM and robotics, and sustainability in manufacturing. The book can be useful for students, researchers, and professionals working in manufacturing and production engineering, and other allied fields.

With water as one of the most critical resources of nature that is necessary for sustaining life for all living things, it has become very important for designing and using spatial informational techniques for understanding the root causes behind the degradation of our water resources. This volume discusses in detail a selection of geospatial approaches, tools, and techniques. The uses of geographical information science to measure and manage water resources are diverse. Satellite remote sensing provides essential data for mapping water resources, hydrology flux measurement, monitoring drought, and flood inundation. With an abundance of informative case studies, the chapters discuss the use of the satellite remote sensing and GIS-based systems for managing urban storm water; for flood and soil erosion management; for mapping groundwater zones; for crop production, including measuring soil moisture and aridity; for gauging the impact of climate change; for evaluating glacier change dynamics; for assessing the impact of urban growth on water resources; for measuring the degradation of rivers; and more. This peer-reviewed volume imparts important information on spatial information techniques that are used for understanding the root causes behind the degradation of our water resources. GIScience for the Sustainable Management of Water Resources will be a valuable resource for urban planners, environmentalists, policymakers, ecologists, researchers, academicians, students, and professionals in the fields of remote sensing, civil engineering, social science, computer science, and information technology.

This invaluable compendium highlights the challenges of perioperative process in hospitals today. It delves into the development of a multi-agent robotic system where a dirty-side robot that sorts instruments returned from a surgical room into different containers for easy scrubbing, a Traybot that navigates the environment and transports the instrument containers to different stations, a clean-side robot that picks up instruments and places them in surgical kits, and an orchestration software architecture that manages the cooperation between different robots.The book discusses the technical details of all the components, from system architecture to the details of the end-effector design. Readers will gain significant knowledge on how such a system was put together.Related Link(s)

This book aims to discuss the technical and ethical challenges posed by the present technological framework and to highlight the fundamental role played by human-centred design and human factors in the definition of robotic architectures for human-robot collaboration. The book gives an updated overview of the most recent robotic technology, conceived and designed to collaborate with human beings in industrial working scenarios. The technological development of robotics over the last years and the fast evolution of AI, machine learning and IoT have paved the way for applications that extend far beyond the typical use of robots performing repetitive tasks in exclusive spaces. In this new technological paradigm that is expected to drive the robotics market in the coming years, robots and workers will coexist in the same workplace, sharing not only this lived space, but also the roles and functions inherent to a process of production, merging the benefits of automated and manual performing. However, having robots cooperating in real time with workers, responding in a physical, psychological and social adequate way, requires a human-centred design that not only calls for high safety standards regulating the quality of human-robot interaction, but also demands the robot's fine-grained perception and awareness of the dynamics of its surrounding environment, namely the behaviours of their human peers-their expected actions/responses-fostering the necessary collaborative efforts towards the accomplishment of the tasks to be executed.

An exponentially growing industry, human robot interaction (HRI) research has drawn predominantly upon psychologists' descriptions of mechanisms of face-to-face dyadic interactions. This book considers how social robotics is beginning unwittingly to confront an impasse that has been a perennial dilemma for psychology, associated with the historical 'science vs. art' debate. Raya Jones examines these paradigmatic tensions, and, in tandem, considers ways in which the technology-centred discourse both reflects and impacts upon understanding our relational nature. Chapters in the book explore not only how the technology-centred discourse constructs machines as us, but also how humans feature in this discourse. Focusing on how the social interaction is conceptualised when the human-robot interaction is discussed, this book addresses issues such as the long-term impact on persons and society, authenticity of relationships, and challenges to notions of personhood. By leaving aside terminological issues, Jones attempts to transcend ritual of pitching theories against each other in order to comprehensively analyse terms such as subjectivity, self and personhood and their fluid interplay in the world that we inhabit. Personhood and Social Robotics will be a key text for postgraduate students, researchers and scholars interested in the connection between technology and human psychology, including psychologists, science and technology studies scholars, media studies scholars and humanists. The book will also be of interest to roboticists and HRI researchers, as well as those studying or working in areas of artificial intelligence and interactive technologies more generally.

This book aims at providing algorithms for balance control of legged, torque-controlled humanoid robots. A humanoid robot normally uses the feet for locomotion. This paradigm is extended by addressing the challenge of multi-contact balancing, which allows a humanoid robot to exploit an arbitrary number of contacts for support. Using multiple contacts increases the size of the support polygon, which in turn leads to an increased robustness of the stance and to an increased kinematic workspace of the robot. Both are important features for facilitating a transition of humanoid robots from research laboratories to real-world applications, where they are confronted with multiple challenging scenarios, such as climbing stairs and ladders, traversing debris, handling heavy loads, or working in confined spaces. The distribution of forces and torques among the multiple contacts is a challenging aspect of the problem, which arises from the closed kinematic chain given by the robot and its environment.

Robotic marine vessels can be used for a wide range of purposes, including defence, marine science, offshore energy and hydrographic surveys, and environmental surveys and protection. Such vessels need to meet a variety of criteria: they must be able to operate in salt water, and to communicate and be controlled over large distances, even when submerged or in inclement weather. Further challenges include 3D navigation of individual vehicles, groups or squadrons. This book covers the current state of research in navigation, modelling and control of marine autonomous vehicles, and deals with various related topics, including collision avoidance, communication, and a range of applications. It provides valuable insights for an audience of researchers, academics and postgraduate students interested in autonomous marine vessels, robotics, and electrical and automobile engineering.

There has been great interest in "universal controllers" that mimic the functions of human processes to learn about the systems they are controlling on-line so that performance improves automatically. Neural network controllers are derived for robot manipulators in a variety of applications including position control, force control, link flexibility stabilization and the management of high-frequency joint and motor dynamics.
The first chapter provides a background on neural networks and the second on dynamical systems and control. Chapter three introduces the robot control problem and standard techniques such as torque, adaptive and robust control. Subsequent chapters give design techniques and Stability Proofs For NN Controllers For Robot Arms, Practical Robotic systems with high frequency vibratory modes, force control and a general class of non-linear systems. The last chapters are devoted to discrete- time NN controllers. Throughout the text, worked examples are provided.

This book explores the making of robots in labs at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). It examines the cultural ideas that go into the making of robots, and the role of fiction in co-constructing the technological practices of the robotic scientists. The book engages with debates in anthropological theorizing regarding the way that robots are reimagined as intelligent, autonomous and social and weaved into lived social realities. Richardson charts the move away from the "worker" robot of the 1920s to the "social" one of the 2000s, as robots are reimagined as companions, friends and therapeutic agents.

Bioinspired Legged Locomotion: Models, Concepts, Control and Applications explores the universe of legged robots, bringing in perspectives from engineering, biology, motion science, and medicine to provide a comprehensive overview of the field. With comprehensive coverage, each chapter brings outlines, and an abstract, introduction, new developments, and a summary. Beginning with bio-inspired locomotion concepts, the book's editors present a thorough review of current literature that is followed by a more detailed view of bouncing, swinging, and balancing, the three fundamental sub functions of locomotion. This part is closed with a presentation of conceptual models for locomotion. Next, the book explores bio-inspired body design, discussing the concepts of motion control, stability, efficiency, and robustness. The morphology of legged robots follows this discussion, including biped and quadruped designs. Finally, a section on high-level control and applications discusses neuromuscular models, closing the book with examples of applications and discussions of performance, efficiency, and robustness. At the end, the editors share their perspective on the future directions of each area, presenting state-of-the-art knowledge on the subject using a structured and consistent approach that will help researchers in both academia and industry formulate a better understanding of bioinspired legged robotic locomotion and quickly apply the concepts in research or products.

This book provides state-of-the-art scientific and engineering research findings and developments in the area of service robotics and associated support technologies around the theme of human-centric robotics. The book contains peer reviewed articles presented at the CLAWAR 2017 conference. The book contains a strong stream of papers on robotic locomotion strategies and wearable robotics for assistance and rehabilitation. There is also a strong collection of papers on non-destructive inspection, underwater and UAV robotics to meet the growing emerging needs in various sectors of the society. Robot designs based on biological inspirations are also strongly featured.

This book presents in a systematic manner the advanced technologies used for various modern robot applications. By bringing fresh ideas, new concepts, novel methods and tools into robot control, robot vision, human robot interaction, teleoperation of robot and multiple robots system, we are to provide a state-of-the-art and comprehensive treatment of the advanced technologies for a wide range of robotic applications. Particularly, we focus on the topics of advanced control and obstacle avoidance techniques for robot to deal with unknown perturbations, of visual servoing techniques which enable robot to autonomously operate in a dynamic environment, and of advanced techniques involved in human robot interaction. The book is primarily intended for researchers and engineers in the robotic and control community. It can also serve as complementary reading for robotics at the both graduate and undergraduate levels.

Innovative examination of augmentation technologies in terms of technical, social, and ethical considerations Usable as a supplemental text for a variety of courses, and also of interest to researchers and professionals in fields including: technical communication, digital communication, UX design, information technology, informatics, human factors, artificial intelligence, ethics, philosophy of technology, and sociology of technology First major work to combine technological, ethical, social, and rhetorical perspectives on human augmentation Additional cases and research material available at the authors' Fabric of Digital Life research database at https://fabricofdigitallife.com/

Space robotics and autonomous systems (Space RAS) play a critical role in the current and future development of mission-defined machines that can survive in space while performing exploration, assembly, construction, maintenance and servicing tasks. They represent a multi-disciplinary emerging field at the intersection of space engineering, terrestrial robotics, computer science and materials. The field is essential to humankind's ability to explore or operate in space; providing greater access beyond human spaceflight limitations in the harsh environment of space, and offering greater operational handling that extends astronauts' capabilities. Space RAS covers all types of robotics for the exploration of planet surfaces as well as robotics used in orbit around the Earth and the sensors needed by the platform for navigation or control. Written by a team of International experts on space RAS, this book covers advanced research, technologies and applications including: sensing and perception to provide situational awareness for space robotic agents, explorers and assistants; mobility to reach and operate at sites of scientific interest on extra-terrestrial surfaces or free space environments using locomotion; manipulations to make intentional changes in the environment or objects using locomotion such as placing, assembling, digging, trenching, drilling, sampling, grappling and berthing; high-level autonomy for system and sub-systems to provide robust and safe autonomous navigation, rendezvous and docking capabilities and to enable extended-duration operations without human interventions to improve overall performance of human and robotic missions; human-robot interaction and multi-modal interaction; system engineering to provide a framework for understanding and coordinating the complex interactions of robots and achieving the desired system requirements; verification and validation of complex adaptive systems; modelling and simulation; and safety and trust.

Advances in Reconfigurable Mechanisms and Robots I provides a selection of key papers presented in The Second ASME/IFToMM International Conference on Reconfigurable Mechanisms and Robots (ReMAR 2012) held on 9th -11th July 2012 in Tianjin, China. This ongoing series of conferences will be covered in this ongoing collection of books. A total of seventy-eight papers are divided into seven parts to cover the topology, kinematics and design of reconfigurable mechanisms with the reconfiguration theory, analysis and synthesis, and present the current research and development in the field of reconfigurable mechanisms including reconfigurable parallel mechanisms. In this aspect, the recent study and development of reconfigurable robots are further presented with the analysis and design and with their control and development. The bio-inspired mechanisms and subsequent reconfiguration are explored in the challenging fields of rehabilitation and minimally invasive surgery. Advances in Reconfigurable Mechanisms and Robots I further extends the study to deployable mechanisms and foldable devices and introduces applications of reconfigurable mechanisms and robots. The rich-content of Advances in Reconfigurable Mechanisms and Robots I brings together new developments in reconfigurable mechanisms and robots and presents a new horizon for future development in the field of reconfigurable mechanisms and robots. A total of seventy-eight papers are divided into seven parts to cover the topology, kinematics and design of reconfigurable mechanisms with the reconfiguration theory, analysis and synthesis, and present the current research and development in the field of reconfigurable mechanisms including reconfigurable parallel mechanisms. In this aspect, the recent study and development of reconfigurable robots are further presented with the analysis and design and with their control and development. The bio-inspired mechanisms and subsequent reconfiguration are explored in the challenging fields of rehabilitation and minimally invasive surgery. Advances in Reconfigurable Mechanisms and Robots I further extends the study to deployable mechanisms and foldable devices and introduces applications of reconfigurable mechanisms and robots. The rich-content of Advances in Reconfigurable Mechanisms and Robots I brings together new developments in reconfigurable mechanisms and robots and presents a new horizon for future development in the field of reconfigurable mechanisms and robots. A total of seventy-eight papers are divided into seven parts to cover the topology, kinematics and design of reconfigurable mechanisms with the reconfiguration theory, analysis and synthesis, and present the current research and development in the field of reconfigurable mechanisms including reconfigurable parallel mechanisms. In this aspect, the recent study and development of reconfigurable robots are further presented with the analysis and design and with their control and development. The bio-inspired mechanisms and subsequent reconfiguration are explored in the challenging fields of rehabilitation and minimally invasive surgery. Advances in Reconfigurable Mechanisms and Robots I further extends the study to deployable mechanisms and foldable devices and introduces applications of reconfigurable mechanisms and robots. The rich-content of Advances in Reconfigurable Mechanisms and Robots I brings together new developments in reconfigurable mechanisms and robots and presents a new horizon for future development in the field of reconfigurable mechanisms and robots. A total of seventy-eight papers are divided into seven parts to cover the topology, kinematics and design of reconfigurable mechanisms with the reconfiguration theory, analysis and synthesis, and present the current research and development in the field of reconfigurable mechanisms including reconfigurable parallel mechanisms. In this aspect, the recent study and development of reconfigurable robots are further presented with the analysis and design and with their control and development. The bio-inspired mechanisms and subsequent reconfiguration are explored in the challenging fields of rehabilitation and minimally invasive surgery. Advances in Reconfigurable Mechanisms and Robots I further extends the study to deployable mechanisms and foldable devices and introduces applications of reconfigurable mechanisms and robots. The rich-content of Advances in Reconfigurable Mechanisms and Robots I brings together new developments in reconfigurable mechanisms and robots and presents a new horizon for future development in the field of reconfigurable mechanisms and robots.

The second edition of this monograph describes the set-theoretic approach for the control and analysis of dynamic systems, both from a theoretical and practical standpoint. This approach is linked to fundamental control problems, such as Lyapunov stability analysis and stabilization, optimal control, control under constraints, persistent disturbance rejection, and uncertain systems analysis and synthesis. Completely self-contained, this book provides a solid foundation of mathematical techniques and applications, extensive references to the relevant literature, and numerous avenues for further theoretical study. All the material from the first edition has been updated to reflect the most recent developments in the field, and a new chapter on switching systems has been added. Each chapter contains examples, case studies, and exercises to allow for a better understanding of theoretical concepts by practical application. The mathematical language is kept to the minimum level necessary for the adequate formulation and statement of the main concepts, yet allowing for a detailed exposition of the numerical algorithms for the solution of the proposed problems. Set-Theoretic Methods in Control will appeal to both researchers and practitioners in control engineering and applied mathematics. It is also well-suited as a textbook for graduate students in these areas. Praise for the First Edition "This is an excellent book, full of new ideas and collecting a lot of diverse material related to set-theoretic methods. It can be recommended to a wide control community audience." - B. T. Polyak, Mathematical Reviews "This book is an outstanding monograph of a recent research trend in control. It reflects the vast experience of the authors as well as their noticeable contributions to the development of this field...[It] is highly recommended to PhD students and researchers working in control engineering or applied mathematics. The material can also be used for graduate courses in these areas." - Octavian Pastravanu, Zentralblatt MATH

This second volume is a continuation of the successful first volume of this Springer book, and as well as addressing broader topics it puts a particular focus on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with Robot Operating System (ROS). Consisting of three types of chapters: tutorials, cases studies, and research papers, it provides comprehensive additional material on ROS and the aspects of developing robotics systems, algorithms, frameworks, and applications with ROS. ROS is being increasingly integrated in almost all kinds of robots and is becoming the de-facto standard for developing applications and systems for robotics. Although the research community is actively developing applications with ROS and extending its features, amount of literature references is not representative of the huge amount of work being done. The book includes 19 chapters organized into six parts: Part 1 presents the control of UAVs with ROS, while in Part 2, three chapters deal with control of mobile robots. Part 3 provides recent work toward integrating ROS with Internet, cloud and distributed systems. Part 4 offers five case studies of service robots and field experiments. Part 5 presents signal-processing tools for perception and sensing, and lastly, Part 6 introduces advanced simulation frameworks. The diversity of topics in the book makes it a unique and valuable reference resource for ROS users, researchers, learners and developers.

2016 International Conference on Electrical Engineering and Automation (EEA2016) was held in Hong Kong, China from June 24th-26th, 2016. EEA2016 has provided a platform for leading academic scientists, researchers, scholars and students around the world, to get together to compare notes, and share their results and findings, in areas of Electronics Engineering and Electrical Engineering, Materials and Mechanical Engineering, Control and Automation Modeling and Simulation, Testing and Imaging, Robotics, Actuating and Sensoring.The conference had received a total of 445 submissions. However, after peer review by the Technical Program Committee only 129 were selected to be included in this conference proceedings; based on their originality, ability to test ideas, and contribution to the understanding and advancement in Electronics and Electrical Engineering.

This book focuses on the development and methodologies of trajectory control of differential-drive wheeled nonholonomic mobile robots. The methodologies are based on kinematic models (posture and configuration) and dynamic models, both subject to uncertainties and/or disturbances. The control designs are developed in rectangular coordinates obtained from the first-order sliding mode control in combination with the use of soft computing techniques, such as fuzzy logic and artificial neural networks. Control laws, as well as online learning and adaptation laws, are obtained using the stability analysis for both the developed kinematic and dynamic controllers, based on Lyapunov's stability theory. An extension to the formation control with multiple differential-drive wheeled nonholonomic mobile robots in trajectory tracking tasks is also provided. Results of simulations and experiments are presented to verify the effectiveness of the proposed control strategies for trajectory tracking situations, considering the parameters of an industrial and a research differential-drive wheeled nonholonomic mobile robot, the PowerBot. Supplementary materials such as source codes and scripts for simulation and visualization of results are made available with the book.

Human-Robot Interaction in Social Robotics explores important issues in designing a robot system that works with people in everyday environments. Edited by leading figures in the field of social robotics, it draws on contributions by researchers working on the Robovie project at the ATR Intelligent Robotics and Communication Laboratories, a world leader in humanoid interactive robotics. The book brings together, in one volume, technical and empirical research that was previously scattered throughout the literature. Taking a networked robot approach, the book examines how robots work in cooperation with ubiquitous sensors and people over telecommunication networks. It considers the use of social robots in daily life, grounding the work in field studies conducted at a school, train station, shopping mall, and science museum. Critical in the development of network robots, these usability studies allow researchers to discover real issues that need to be solved and to understand what kinds of services are possible. The book tackles key areas where development is needed, namely, in sensor networks for tracking humans and robots, humanoids that can work in everyday environments, and functions for interacting with people. It introduces a sensor network developed by the authors and discusses innovations in the Robovie humanoid, including several interactive behaviors and design policies. Exploring how humans interact with robots in daily life settings, this book offers valuable insight into how robots may be used in the future. The combination of engineering, empirical, and field studies provides readers with rich information to guide in developing practical interactive robots.

Bipedal locomotion is among the most difficult challenges in control engineering. Most books treat the subject from a quasi-static perspective, overlooking the hybrid nature of bipedal mechanics. Feedback Control of Dynamic Bipedal Robot Locomotion is the first book to present a comprehensive and mathematically sound treatment of feedback design for achieving stable, agile, and efficient locomotion in bipedal robots. In this unique and groundbreaking treatise, expert authors lead you systematically through every step of the process, including: -Mathematical modeling of walking and running gaits in planar robots -Analysis of periodic orbits in hybrid systems -Design and analysis of feedback systems for achieving stable periodic motions -Algorithms for synthesizing feedback controllers -Detailed simulation examples -Experimental implementations on two bipedal test beds The elegance of the authors' approach is evident in the marriage of control theory and mechanics, uniting control-based presentation and mathematical custom with a mechanics-based approach to the problem and computational rendering. Concrete examples and numerous illustrations complement and clarify the mathematical discussion. A supporting Web site offers links to videos of several experiments along with MATLAB(R) code for several of the models. This one-of-a-kind book builds a solid understanding of the theoretical and practical aspects of truly dynamic locomotion in planar bipedal robots.

The 2016 International Conference on Mechatronics and Automation Engineering (ICMAE2016) have been successfully held in Xiamen, China, on April 22nd - 24th.The conference received well over more than 200 submissions, however, only 64 articles were selected and recommended to be included in this proceedings, which organized into 4 main areas, namely, Industrial Automation and Control System, Intelligent Mechatronics and Robotics, Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.The conference provides the opportunity to showcase state of art research and development in Mechatronics and Automation Engineering from researchers and developers from around the world under one roof to compare notes and establish collaborative relationships.

The 3rd Annual International Conference on Design, Manufacturing and Mechatronics (ICDMM2016) was successfully held in Wuhan, China in 2016.The ICDMM2016 covers a wide range of fundamental studies, technical innovations and industrial applications in industry design, manufacturing and mechatronics. The ICDMM2016 program consists of 4 keynote speeches, 96 oral and poster presentations. We were pleased to have more than 80 participants from China, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Malaysia, and Saudi Arabia. However, finally, only 83 articles were selected after peer review to be included in this proceedings.

The introduction of a new technology in a consolidated field has the potential to disrupt usual practices and create a fertile ground for errors. An example is robotic surgery that is now used in most surgical specialties, pushed by technology developers and enthusiastic surgeons. To analyze the potential impact of robotic surgery on patient safety, a consortium of major European Universities started the project SAFROS whose findings are summarized and further elaborated in the three parts of this book. Part one describes safety in complex systems such as surgery, how this may disrupt the traditional surgical workflow, how safety can be monitored, and the research questions that must be posed. Part two of the book describes the main findings of this research, by identifying the risks of robotic surgery and by describing where its ancillary technologies may fail. This part addresses features and evaluation of anatomic imaging and modeling, actions in the operating room, robot monitoring and control, operator interface, and surgical training. Part three of the book draws the conclusions and offers suggestions on how to limit the risks of medical errors. One possible approach is to use automation to monitor and execute parts of an intervention, thus suggesting that robotics and artificial intelligence will be major elements of the operating room of the future.

From car manufacturing to production of niche products, welding is one of the most widespread and successful applications of industrial robotics. This book is an overview of robotic welding at the beginning of this century. The last few years-worth of evolution in robotic welding are described, illustrating their rapid innovations and featuring: Welding Technology;Sensors and Sensing Techniques;Industrial robotic welding systems; andActual industrial application of modern-day robotic welding techniques. Containing worked examples and problems, this book will be of value to students of robotics and manufacturing engineering who wish to understand the latest robot welding technologies while also being a useful reference for active researchers and those working in industry. The book signposts future developments and aims to give readers the information they need to contribute to the next wave of development in the area of manufacturing technology.