This book comprises select proceedings of the International Conference on Future Learning Aspects of Mechanical Engineering (FLAME 2018). The book discusses different topics of industrial and production engineering such as sustainable manufacturing systems, computer-aided engineering, rapid prototyping, manufacturing management and automation, metrology, manufacturing process optimization, casting, welding, machining, and machine tools. The contents of this book will be useful for researchers as well as professionals.

This introduction to the field of hyper-heuristics presents the required foundations and tools and illustrates some of their applications. The authors organized the 13 chapters into three parts. The first, hyper-heuristic fundamentals and theory, provides an overview of selection constructive, selection perturbative, generation constructive and generation perturbative hyper-heuristics, and then a formal definition of hyper-heuristics. The chapters in the second part of the book examine applications of hyper-heuristics in vehicle routing, nurse rostering, packing and examination timetabling. The third part of the book presents advanced topics and then a summary of the field and future research directions. Finally the appendices offer details of the HyFlex framework and the EvoHyp toolkit, and then the definition, problem model and constraints for the most tested combinatorial optimization problems. The book will be of value to graduate students, researchers, and practitioners.

This book examines the Arabic conflict resolution method known as "sulha." In this process, notable male elders mediate conflicts between and within Arab communities. A lengthy process of political jockeying culminates in a ceremony that peaks when "enemies" shake hands and publicly forgive the crimes of the other. The reality of actual sulha deviates considerably from the ideal, but both the official framework and the actual events point to a deep seated valorization of peace and reconciliation in Israeli-Palestinian society.

This book introduces an unified function approximation approach to the control of uncertain robot manipulators containing general uncertainties. It works for free space tracking control as well as compliant motion control. It is applicable to the rigid robot and the flexible joint robot. Even with actuator dynamics, the unified approach is still feasible. All these features make the book stand out from other existing publications.

What is transhumanism? Simply put, it is a movement whose aim is to use technology to fundamentally change the human condition, to improve our bodies and minds to the point where we become something other, and better, than the animals we are. It's a philosophy that, depending on how you look at it, can seem hopeful, or terrifying, or absurd. In To Be a Machine, Mark O'Connell presents us with the first full-length exploration of transhumanism: its philosophical and scientific roots, its key players and possible futures. From charismatic techies seeking to enhance the body to immortalists who believe in the possibility of 'solving' death; from computer programmers quietly re-designing the world to vast competitive robotics conventions; To Be a Machine is an Adventure in Wonderland for our time. To Be a Machine paints a vivid portrait of an international movement driven by strange and frequently disturbing ideas and practices, but whose obsession with transcending human limitations can be seen as a kind of cultural microcosm, a radical intensification of our broader faith in the power of technology as an engine of human progress. It is a character study of human eccentricity, and a meditation on the immemorial desire to transcend the basic facts of our animal existence - a desire as primal as the oldest religions, a story as old as the earliest literary texts.A stunning new non-fiction voice tackles an urgent question... what next for mankind?

Telexistence is a fundamental concept which refers to the general technology that enables a human being to have a real-time sensation of being at a place other than where he or she actually exists, while being able to interact with the remote environment, which may be real, virtual, or a combination of both. It also refers to an advanced type of teleoperation system that enables an operator at the control to perform remote tasks dexterously with the feeling of existing in a surrogate robot working in a remote environment. Telexistence in the real remote environment through a virtual environment is also possible.This book is the first book on telexistence written by the inventor of the concept of this emerging technology. It introduces the concept of telexistence, explains how this concept can be realized, illustrates precisely real examples of the realization of the concept, and determines its future advancement.

This book addresses optimization in robotics, in terms of both the configuration space and the metal structure of the robot arm itself; and discusses, describes and builds different types of heuristics and algorithms in MATLAB. In addition, the book includes a wealth of examples and exercises. In particular, it enables the reader to write a MATLAB code for all the related problems in robotics. The book also offers detailed descriptions of and builds from scratch several types of optimization algorithms using MATLAB and simplified methods, especially for inverse problems and avoiding singularities. Each chapter features examples and exercises to enhance the reader's comprehension. Accordingly, the book offers the reader a better understanding of robot analysis from an optimization standpoint.

AI for Digital Warfare explores how the weaponising of artificial intelligence can and will change how warfare is being conducted, and what impact it will have on the corporate world. With artificial intelligence tools becoming increasingly advanced, and in many cases more humanlike, their potential in psychological warfare is being recognised, which means digital warfare can move beyond just shutting down IT systems into more all-encompassing hybrid war strategies.

a short and accessible introduction on AI and Cars written by leading experts

This book reports on cutting-edge legal, ethical, social and economic issues relating to robotics and automation, human-machine interaction and artificial intelligence, in different application areas. It discusses important problems such as robotic taxation, social inequality, protection of neuro-human and children rights, among others. It describes current advances and challenges in robotic regulation and governance, as well as findings relating to sustainability of robotic industries, thus filling an important gap in the robotic and AI literature. Chapters consists of revised and extended contributions to the workshop session "Debate on legal, ethical & socio-economic aspects of interactive robotics" of INBOTS 2021, held virtually on May 18-20, 2021.

In the not so distant future, we can expect a world where humans and robots coexist and interact with each other. For this to occur, we need to understand human traits, such as seeing, hearing, thinking, speaking, etc., and institute these traits in robots. The most essential feature necessary for robots to achieve is that of integrative multimedia understanding (IMU) which occurs naturally in humans. It allows us to assimilate pieces of information expressed through different modes such as speech, pictures, gestures, etc. The book describes how robots acquire traits like natural language understanding (NLU) as the central part of IMU. Mental image directed semantic theory (MIDST) is its core, and is based on the hypothesis that NLU is essentially the processing of mental image associated with natural language expressions, namely, mental-image based understanding (MBU). MIDST is intended to model omnisensory mental image in human and to afford a knowledge representation system in order for integrative management of knowledge subjective to cognitive mechanisms of intelligent entities such as humans and robots based on a mental image model visualized as 'Loci in Attribute Spaces' and its description language Lmd (mental image description language) to be employed for predicate logic with a systematic scheme for symbol-grounding. This language works as an interlingua among various kinds of information media, and has been applied to several versions of the intelligent system interlingual understanding model aiming at general system (IMAGES). Its latest version, i.e. conversation management system (CMS) simulates MBU and comprehends the user's intention through dialogue to find and solve problems, and finally, provides a response in text or animation. The book is aimed at researchers and students interested in artificial intelligence, robotics, and cognitive science. Based on philosophical considerations, the methodology will also have an appeal in linguistics, psychology, ontology, geography, and cartography. Key Features: Describes the methodology to provide robots with human-like capability of natural language understanding (NLU) as the central part of IMU Uses methodology that also relates to linguistics, psychology, ontology, geography, and cartography Examines current trends in machine translation

This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the area of robot mechanisms, primarily considering industrial manipulators and humanoid arms. The book is intended for both teaching and self-study. Emphasis is given to the fundamentals of kinematic analysis and the design of robot mechanisms. The coverage of topics is untypical. The focus is on robot kinematics. The book creates a balance between theoretical and practical aspects in the development and application of robot mechanisms, and includes the latest achievements and trends in robot science and technology.

You have been tasked with increasing productivity and increasing quality, while at the same time lowering the cost of your manufacturing processes. The solution is to automate ... but how? Identifying a manufacturing process that can be automated is often a daunting task. It requires a team approach to qualifying, validating, and then finally, implementing a program. This book takes you through the best practices for each step, regardless of the application type or the industry segment. It will show you how to achieve the system expectations that were planned for and benchmarked, and it will also help identify the most common pitfalls - all without having to eliminate employees. Provides a broad, semi-detailed review of various robotic applications based on process, including machine tending for CNC machine, press brake tending, deburring, grinding, dispensing, and welding. Incorporates existing articles, as well as the author's own knowledge to describe points of interest and background. Illustrates points by featuring using an interview format between the author and the user or expert providing opinion and insight. Features numerous illustrations, drawings, and charts in every chapter. Uses case studies to describe points and features North American based examples. Chapter 1 - Why Automate the Small and Medium Sized Manufacturers (SMMs)? Productivity can Save the Factory Industrial Robots Reduce Labor Costs and Increase Productivity Partnering with your customer and supplier to reduce costs Justifying Robotic Automation The ROI Power of Industrial Robotics Additional Benefits of Implementing Industrial RoboticsApplying Present Value Tools to Evaluate the Robot Investment Resources Manufacturers Need to Become Familiar With Chapter 2 - Implementing Robotic Automation - Getting Started Robotic Implementation is Always a Team Effort Ingredients of the Robotic System Judging a Good Project from a Bad Project Gather the Right Details Criteria for Arc Welding Criteria for Tending Machines Criteria for Press Tending Criteria for Palletizing/De-Palletizing Data Criteria for Material Removal Constants and Variables of a Robot System Chapter 3 - Robotics and Risk Risk and Cost Hidden Risk Risk of Your Own Managers and Personnel Managing What You Control Risk of Technology Chapter 4 - Setting Expectations for Success Tools for Validating the Robotic Process Proof of Concept Case Studies Chapter 5 - Writing the Right Specifications Defining Elements of the Scope of Work Scope of Work Example - Robotic Finishing Cylinder Head Line Case Study Scope of Work Example -Robotic Press Tending Case Study Chapter 6 - Lean Manufacturing With Robotics for Low Volume, Small Batch Runs Man vs. MachineChangeover for Small Batches Suggestions for the Design of a Robotic Work-Cell Automating the machining process - Case Study Automating the welding process for small batch runs Automating the material removal process for small batch runs Automating small batch runs for press tending and palletizing Automating the palletizing process for small batch runs Tools for small batch and high changeover production Chapter 7 - Lean Manufacturing with Robotics for High Volume, Large Batch Runs Robotic Machine Tending for High Production Running Lights Out Job Shop vs. OEM Robotic Cellular Manufacturing

The last decade has seen the emergence of a unified approach for product design which attempts to combine traditionally distinct tasks such as design, management, marketing, analysis, manufacture and materials. Often called "Concurrent Engineering" or "Simultaneous Engineering", this new philosophy aims at improving cost competitiveness by reducing waste of time, money, and other resources inherent in the iterative traditional methods. In view of the importance of this new philosophy, concurrent engineering was selected as the theme for the conference on which this text is based. The main objective of the conference was to bring together researchers and practitioners from government, industries and academia interested in the multi-disciplinary and inter-organizational productivity aspects of advanced manufacturing systems utilizing CAD/CAM, CAE, CIM, parametric technology, AI, robotics, and AGV technology. A selection of the papers presented at the conference are presented in this, and a companion volume, and emphasize aspects of concurrent engineering and flexible automation. This book of proceedings on robotics, automation and production engineering is intended for researchers and practitioners from government, industries and academia interested in advanced manufacturing systems.

Cognitive Computing is a new topic which aims to simulate human thought processes using computers that self-learn through data mining, pattern recognition, and natural language processing. This book focuses on the applications of Cognitive Computing in areas like Robotics, Blockchain, Deep Learning, and Wireless Technologies. This book covers the basics of Green Computing, discusses Cognitive Science methodologies in Robotics, Computer Science, Wireless Networks, and Deep Learning. It goes on to present empirical data and research techniques, modelling techniques and offers a data-driven approach to decision making and problem solving. This book is written for researchers, academicians, undergraduate and graduate students, and industry persons who are working on current applications of Cognitive Computing.

This book provides theoretical and practical knowledge on AI and swarm intelligence. It provides a methodology for EA (evolutionary algorithm)-based approach for complex adaptive systems with the integration of several meta-heuristics, e.g., ACO (Ant Colony Optimization), ABC (Artificial Bee Colony), and PSO (Particle Swarm Optimization), etc. These developments contribute towards better problem-solving methodologies in AI. The book also covers emerging uses of swarm intelligence in applications such as complex adaptive systems, reaction-diffusion computing, and diffusion-limited aggregation, etc. Another emphasis is its real-world applications. We give empirical examples from real-world problems and show that the proposed approaches are successful when addressing tasks from such areas as swarm robotics, silicon traffics, image understanding, Vornoi diagrams, queuing theory, and slime intelligence, etc. Each chapter begins with the background of the problem followed by the current state-of-the-art techniques of the field, and ends with a detailed discussion. In addition, the simulators, based on optimizers such as PSO and ABC complex adaptive system simulation, are described in detail. These simulators, as well as some source codes, are available online on the author's website for the benefit of readers interested in getting some hands-on experience of the subject. The concepts presented in this book aim to promote and facilitate the effective research in swarm intelligence approaches in both theory and practice. This book would also be of value to other readers because it covers interdisciplinary research topics that encompass problem-solving tasks in AI, complex adaptive systems, and meta-heuristics.

In this book, we have set up a unified analytical framework for various human-robot systems, which involve peer-peer interactions (either space-sharing or time-sharing) or hierarchical interactions. A methodology in designing the robot behavior through control, planning, decision and learning is proposed. In particular, the following topics are discussed in-depth: safety during human-robot interactions, efficiency in real-time robot motion planning, imitation of human behaviors from demonstration, dexterity of robots to adapt to different environments and tasks, cooperation among robots and humans with conflict resolution. These methods are applied in various scenarios, such as human-robot collaborative assembly, robot skill learning from human demonstration, interaction between autonomous and human-driven vehicles, etc. Key Features: Proposes a unified framework to model and analyze human-robot interactions under different modes of interactions. Systematically discusses the control, decision and learning algorithms to enable robots to interact safely with humans in a variety of applications. Presents numerous experimental studies with both industrial collaborative robot arms and autonomous vehicles.

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.

This work was created from the statement "But, all you have to do is make the robot recognize its surroundings. Salamanders do it, and how complex are they?" Little did we know what a long path was started with those simple words. This book is a small step on that path, which we hope leads to robots that can serve as true and useful assistants to humans. At the least, we hope for some help with the tasks that are described by the 3 d**** words (dull, dirty, or dangerous). Fair warning, this work is a synthesis of ideas from many disciplines. As such, we have depended on the work of many other researchers and philosophers. The heart of this work, the lens model, comes from the work of Egon Brunswik. Even though he died in the 1950's, his ideas are still strong enough to resonate into the 2000's and into our robot. Another researcher who's work has greatly in?uenced this work is Walter Freeman, Professor Emeritus of Neurobiology at the University of California, Berkeley. We have relied heavily on his work on preafference and attention to guide the development of our robot. In addition, we have used research from a myriad of different ?elds. Our huge thanks to all the researchers who's work we used to synthesize this new theory. Denver, CO Louise F. Gunderson July 2008 James P.

'If you want to see what that future might look like, Duncan's book is a fun place to start' NPR 'Intensely readable, downright terrifying, and surprisingly uplifting' Vanity Fair '5 books not to miss . . . A fascinating work of imaginative futurology' USA Today One of Time magazine's '32 Books You Need to Read This Summer' - 'a riveting read' One of David Baldacci and Elizabeth Acevedo's best summer reads, on USA Today's Today programme 'A refreshing variation on the will-intelligent-robots-bring-Armageddon genre . . . this colourful mixture of expert futurology and quirky speculation does not disappoint' Kirkus Reviews What robot and AI systems are being built and imagined right now? What do they say about us, their creators? Will they usher in a fantastic new future, or destroy us? What do some of our greatest thinkers, from physicist Brian Greene and futurist Kevin Kelly to inventor Dean Kamen, geneticist George Church, and filmmaker Tiffany Shlain, anticipate about our human-robot future? For even as robots and AI intrigue us and make us anxious about the future, our fascination with robots has always been about more than the potential of the technology - it's also about what robots tell us about being human. From present-day Facebook and Amazon bots to near-future 'intimacy' bots and 'the robot that swiped my job' bots, bestselling American popular science writer David Ewing Duncan's Talking to Robots is a wonderfully entertaining and insightful guide to possible future scenarios about robots, both real and imagined. Featured bots include robot drivers; doc bots; politician bots; warrior bots; sex bots; synthetic bio bots; dystopic bots that are hopefully just bad dreams; and ultimately, God Bot (as described by physicist Brian Greene). These scenarios are informed by discussions with well-known thinkers, engineers, scientists, artists, philosophers and others, who share with us their ideas, hopes and fears about robots. David spoke with, among others, Kevin Kelly, David Baldacci, Brian Greene, Dean Kamen, Craig Venter, Stephanie Mehta, David Eagleman, George Poste, George Church, General R. H. Latiff, Robert Seigel, Emily Morse, David Sinclair, Ken Goldberg, Sunny Bates, Adam Gazzaley, Tim O'Reilly, Tiffany Shlain, Eric Topol and Juan Enriquez. These discussions, along with some reporting on bot-tech, bot-history and real-time societal and ethical issues with robots, are the launch pads for unfurling possible bot futures that are informed by how people and societies have handled new technologies in the past. The book describes how robots work, but its primary focus is on what our fixation with bots and AI says about us as humans: about our hopes and anxieties; our myths, stories, beliefs and ideas about beings both real and artificial; and our attempts to attain perfection. We are at a pivotal moment when our ancient infatuation with human-like beings with certain attributes or superpowers - in mythology, religion and storytelling - is coinciding with our ability to actually build some of these entities.

During the past decade, high-performance computer graphics have found application in an exciting and expanding range of new domains. Among the most dramatic developments has been the incorporation of real-time interactive manipulation and display for human figures. Though actively pursued by several research groups, the problem of providing a synthetic or surrogate human for engineers and designers already familiar with computer-aided design techniques was most comprehensively solved by Norman Badler's Computer Graphics Laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania. The breadth of that effort as well as the details of its methodology and software environment are presented in this volume. The book is intended for human factors engineers interested in understanding how a computer-graphics surrogate human can augment their analyses of designed environments. It will also inform design engineers of the state of the art in human figure modeling, and hence of the human-centered design central to the emergent concept of concurrent engineering. In fulfilling these goals, the book additionally documents for the entire computer graphics community a major research effort in the interactive control of articulated human figures.

Despite increasing scholarly attention to artificial intelligence (AI), studies at the intersection of AI and communication remain ripe for exploration, including investigations of the social, political, cultural, and ethical aspects of machine intelligence, interactions among agents, and social artifacts. This book tackles these unexplored research areas with special emphasis on conditions, components, and consequences of cognitive, attitudinal, affective, and behavioural dimensions toward communication and AI. In doing so, this book epitomizes communication, journalism and media scholarship on AI and its social, political, cultural, and ethical perspectives. Topics vary widely from interactions between humans and robots through news representation of AI and AI-based news credibility to privacy and value toward AI in the public sphere. Contributors from such countries as Brazil, Netherland, South Korea, Spain, and United States discuss important issues and challenges in AI and communication studies. The collection of chapters in the book considers implications for not only theoretical and methodological approaches, but policymakers and practitioners alike. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Communication Studies.

The book offers an insight on artificial neural networks for giving a robot a high level of autonomous tasks, such as navigation, cost mapping, object recognition, intelligent control of ground and aerial robots, and clustering, with real-time implementations. The reader will learn various methodologies that can be used to solve each stage on autonomous navigation for robots, from object recognition, clustering of obstacles, cost mapping of environments, path planning, and vision to low level control. These methodologies include real-life scenarios to implement a wide range of artificial neural network architectures. Includes real-time examples for various robotic platforms. Discusses real-time implementation for land and aerial robots. Presents solutions for problems encountered in autonomous navigation. Explores the mathematical preliminaries needed to understand the proposed methodologies. Integrates computing, communications, control, sensing, planning, and other techniques by means of artificial neural networks for robotics.

IAENG Transactions on Engineering Technologies contains forty-nine revised and extended research articles, written by prominent researchers participating in the conference. Topics covered include circuits, engineering mathematics, control theory, communications systems, systems engineering, manufacture engineering, computational biology, chemical engineering, and industrial applications. This book offers the state of art of tremendous advances in engineering technologies and physical science and applications, and also serves as an excellent source of reference for researchers and graduate students working with/on engineering technologies and physical science and applications.

Build your own intelligent agent system...

Intelligent agent technology is a tool of modern computer science that can be used to engineer complex computer programmes that behave rationally in dynamic and changing environments. Applications range from small programmes that intelligently search the Web buying and selling goods via electronic commerce, to autonomous space probes.

This powerful technology is not widely used, however, as developing intelligent agent software requires high levels of training and skill. The authors of this book have developed and tested a methodology and tools for developing intelligent agent systems. With this methodology ("Prometheus") developers can start agent-oriented designs and implementations easily from scratch saving valuable time and resources.

"Developing Intelligent Agent Systems" not only answers the questions "what are agents?" and "why are they useful?" but also the crucial question: "how do I design and build intelligent agent systems?" The book covers everything a practitioner needs to know to begin to effectively use this technology - including an introduction to the notion of agents, a description of the concepts involved, and a software engineering methodology.

Read on for: a practical step-by-step introduction to designing and building intelligent agent systems.a full life-cycle methodology for developing intelligent agent systems covering specification, analysis, design and implementation of agents."PDT: Prometheus Design Tool" - software support for the "Prometheus" design process.the example of an electronic bookstore to illustrate the design process throughout the book.

Electronic resources including the Prometheus Design Tool (PDT), can be found at: "http: //www.cs.rmit.edu.au/agents/prometheus"

This book is aimed at industrial software developers, software engineers and at advanced undergraduate students. It assumes knowledge of basic software engineering but does not require knowledge of Artificial Intelligence or of mathematics. Familiarity with Java will help in reading the examples in chapter 10.