This book covers three main types of agricultural systems: the use of robotics, drones (unmanned aerial vehicles), and satellite-guided precision farming methods. Some of these are well refined and are currently in use, while others are in need of refinement and are yet to become popular. The book provides a valuable source of information on this developing field for those involved with agriculture and farming and agricultural engineering. The book is also applicable as a textbook for students and a reference for faculty.

First published in 1987, the seven chapters that comprise this book review contemporary work on the geometric side of robotics. The first chapter defines the fundamental goal of robotics in very broad terms and outlines a research agenda each of whose items constitutes a substantial area for further research. The second chapter presents recently developed techniques that have begun to address the geometric side of this research agenda and the third reviews several applied geometric ideas central to contemporary work on the problem of motion planning. The use of Voronoi diagrams, a theme opened in these chapters, is explored further later in the book. The fourth chapter develops a theme in computational geometry having obvious significance for the simplification of practical robotics problems - the approximation or decomposition of complex geometric objects into simple ones. The final chapters treat two examples of a class of geometric 'reconstruction' problem that have immediate application to computer-aided geometric design systems.

This book covers a variety of topics in the field of mechatronics engineering, with a special focus on innovative control systems and automation concepts for a wide range of applications. Based on a set of papers presented at the 2nd International Conference "Innovation in Engineering", ICIE, held in Minho, Portugal, on June 28-30, 2022, the chapters report on cutting-edge control algorithms for mobile robots, automatic monitoring systems and intelligent predictive maintenance techniques. They cover advanced scheduling, risk-assessment and decision-making strategies, and their applications in industrial production, training and education, and service organizations. This volume, which belongs to a three-volume set, provides engineering researchers and professionals with a timely overview and extensive information on trends and technologies behind the future developments of mechatronics systems in the era of Industry 4.0.

Fundamentals of Robotics presents the basic concepts of robots to engineering and technology students and to practicing engineers who want to grasp the fundamentals in the growing field of robotics.

This book summarizes the technology and economics of robotics. It aims to provide sufficient data background so that the technologists can help in deciding about a corporate investment in robotics.

This study deals with an underexplored area of the emerging technologies debate: robotics in the healthcare setting. The author explores the role of care and develops a value-sensitive ethical framework for the eventual employment of care robots. Highlighting the range of positive and negative aspects associated with the initiative to design and use care robots, it draws out essential content as a guide to future design both reinforcing this study's contemporary relevance, and giving weight to its prescriptions. The book speaks to, and is meant to be read by, a range of disciplines from science and engineering to philosophers and ethicists.

This is the first volume in the Cognitive Computation Trends book series, summarising our understanding on the neural correlate of memory, perception-representation, action, language, emotion and consciousness and their mutual interactions. Integrating research in the field of the Neuroscience, Robotics and Virtual Reality, this book is an original and attainable resource that has not been developed in any other writing. In 5 chapters, the author considers that representations are based on allegorical traces and are consciously and/or unconsciously embrained, and that the creation of robots is the expression of the mind. Whole-body virtual motion is thought of as the archetypal expression of virtual reality. Therefore, visual reality is analysed in a context of visuo-vestibular and somesthetic conflict while mixed and augmented reality are scrutinised in a context of visuo-vestibular and somesthetic interaction. This monograph is an indispensable handbook for students and investigators engaged in history of science, philosophy, psychology, neuroscience, engineering and those interested in there interconnections. The ambition of the book is to give students and investigators ideas on which they can build their future research in this new blooming area.

From the toaster that burns our breakfast to the video recorder that wipes out our favourite movie, we've all had that feeling that a machine is out to get us. So can a machine really be conscious? Can it feel feelings? Well even the humble thermostat knows when it gets too hot - and it can do something about it too. But can a machine think thoughts? When IBM's super-fast computer Deep Blue can beat the world champion at chess, it makes you hesitate. Does it have a personality? How would you know? In this collection of essays we hear from an international array of computer scientists and brain scientists who are actively working from both the machine and human ends of things to bridge the gap between the mind and the machine.

Advances in technology have enabled animators and video game designers to design increasingly realistic, human-like characters in animation and games. Although it was intended that this increased realism would allow viewers to appreciate the emotional state of characters, research has shown that audiences often have a negative reaction as the human likeness of a character increases. This phenomenon, known as the Uncanny Valley, has become a benchmark for measuring if a character is believably realistic and authentically human like. This book is an essential guide on how to overcome the Uncanny Valley phenomenon when designing human-like characters in digital applications. In this book, the author provides a synopsis of literature about the Uncanny Valley phenomenon and explains how it was introduced into contemporary thought. She then presents her theories on its possible psychological causes based on a series of empirical studies. The book focuses on how aspects of facial expression and speech can be manipulated to overcome the Uncanny Valley in character design. The Uncanny Valley in Games and Animation presents a novel theory that goes beyond previous research in that the cause of the Uncanny Valley is based on a perceived lack of empathy in a character. This book makes an original, scholarly contribution to our current understanding of the Uncanny Valley phenomenon and fills a gap in the literature by assessing the biological and social roots of the Uncanny Valley and its implications for computer-graphics animation.

The rise of artificial intelligence and its countless branches have caused many professional industries to rethink their traditional methods of practice and develop new techniques to keep pace with technological advancement. The continued use of intelligent technologies in the professional world has propelled researchers to contemplate future opportunities and challenges that artificial intelligence may withhold. Significant research is a necessity for understanding future trends of artificial intelligence and the preparation of prospective issues. Analyzing Future Applications of AI, Sensors, and Robotics in Society provides emerging research exploring the potential uses and future challenges of intelligent technological advancements and their impact in education, finance, politics, business, healthcare, and engineering. Featuring coverage on a broad range of topics such as neuronal networks, cognitive computing, and e-health, this book is ideally designed for practitioners, researchers, scientists, executives, strategists, policymakers, academicians, government officials, developers, and students seeking current research on future societal uses of intelligent technology.

In this book, the design of two new planar patterns for camera calibration of intrinsic parameters is addressed and a line-based method for distortion correction is suggested. The dynamic calibration of structured light systems, which consist of a camera and a projector is also treated. Also, the 3D Euclidean reconstruction by using the image-to-world transformation is investigated. Lastly, linear calibration algorithms for the catadioptric camera are considered, and the homographic matrix and fundamental matrix are extensively studied. In these methods, analytic solutions are provided for the computational efficiency and redundancy in the data can be easily incorporated to improve reliability of the estimations. This volume will therefore prove valuable and practical tool for researchers and practioners working in image processing and computer vision and related subjects.

Climbing and Walking Robots provides robotic solutions for new challenging fields. Important research and technical development effort must be undertaken so that actual capabilities and performances of robots can be enlarged and improved. One of the major issues to achieve this goal is mobility. Wheeled and tracked platforms have limitations when it comes to moving in unstructured environments, and something more adaptable is required. In these situatios a climbing or a walking robot is somehow being recognized as an advanced and promising solution. The interest in climbing and walking robots has increased over recent years and there is a growing need to widen the applications base for this area of technology. Current applications for such machines include hazardous cnvironments such as nuclear, outer space, underwater, and humanitarian demining, and also agriculture, construction, ship building and repairing, petrochemical, and others related industries. This third international conference on Climbing and Walking Robots (Clawar) brings together papers from leading international academic researchers and working in this area of robotics. All aspects of Clawar machines are dealt with, ranging across the whole spectrum of technologies needed to produce good robotic designs. Topics covered include: - Best practice in climbing and walking robots; - Design methodologies; - Locomotion; - System modelling and simulation; - Control, stability, and motion planning; - Novel actuators and sensors; - Perception, navigation, and tele-opcration; - Applications; What is Clawar? Clawer is an Ec thematic network on climbing and walking robots including the support technologies for mobile robotic vehicles. The network has been cstablished to bring together core rescarch groups, industrial users, and robot manufacturers who are engaged in work on climbing and walking robots and associated technologies.

The science and technology of biomechanics and robotics promise to be some of the most influential research directions of the twenty-first century. Biomechanics and Robotics goes beyond the individual areas of biomechanics, robotics, biomedical engineering, biomechatronics, and biologically inspired robotics to provide the first unified textbook on the subject. It offers a "big picture" look at the state-of-the-art science and technology. With numerous figures, references, and exercises, the book presents a pedagogical introduction to a variety of topics, reviews historical developments, and gives up-to-date insights on modern-day biomechanics and robotics.

This book offers a timely report on an emerging topic in the field of wearable assistive technology: the design and development of robotic extra fingers. After a concise review of the state of the art and a description of earlier prototypes, it discusses the authors' efforts to address issues such as portability and wearability of the devices, including strategies to reduce fatigue and to integrate the motion of the extra fingers with that of the human hand. The book also explores optimized control algorithms and the design of wearable sensorimotor interfaces, and presents a set of tests carried out on healthy subjects and chronic stroke patients. Merging concepts from robotics, biomechanics, human factors and control theory and offering an overview of supernumerary robotic fingers, including the challenges, this book will inspire researchers involved in the development of wearable robotic devices and interfaces based on the principles of wearability, safety, ergonomics and user comfort.

This book seeks to critically engage with emerging issues and debates within the construction industry, but from the perspective of developing economies. Themes such as the 4th industrial revolution, management of pandemics, sustainability, diversity and inclusion, collaboration, skills development, and behavioural studies are at the cutting edge of research and development in developed countries, however, they remain problematic for industries and environments which are yet to understand the emerging growth patterns of their economies. The successful integration and diffusion of these themes into developing nations' environments and cultures must be synchronized with their current developmental agenda. By acknowledging and understanding the difficulty and diversity of construction administrations that exist in different countries, this book can help construction professionals in developing countries to adopt technologies, policies and products which are proving successful in developed nations. Useful reading for researchers and practitioners in both developed and developing countries alike, this book gives an insight and understanding of emerging areas in developing countries.

This text discusses the applications and optimization of emerging smart technologies in the field of healthcare. It further explains different modeling scenarios of the latest technologies in the health care system and compare the results to better understand the nature and progress of the disease in the human body that leads to early diagnosis and better cure of disease and treatment with the help of distributed technology. Covers the implementation models using technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, deep learning with distributed systems for better diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Gives in-depth review of the technological advancements like advanced sensing technologies like Plasmonic sensors, usage of RFIDs and electronic diagnostic tools in the field of healthcare engineering Discusses possibilities of augmented reality and virtual reality interventions for providing unique solutions in medical science, clinical research, psychology, and neurological disorders Highlights the future challenges and risks involved in the application of smart technologies like Cloud computing, fog computing, IOT and distributed computing in heathcare. Confers to utilize the AI and ML and associated aids in healthcare sectors in the post Covid 19 to revitalize the medical set up Contributions included in the book will motivate the technological developers and researchers to develop new algorithms and protocols in healthcare field. It will serve as the vast place for knowledge regarding healthcare health care delivery, health care management, health care in governance, and health monitoring approaches using distributed environments. It will serve as an ideal reference text for graduate students and researchers in diverse engineering fields including electrical, electronics and communication, computer, and biomedical.

It is useful to highlight how we rely on historical research on the potential of technology in order to problematize and make sense of the prominent role of technology in the UN's framework for sustainable development and the Sustainable Development Goals. The book follows an interdisciplinary approach wherein the contributors come from the disciplines of computer science, law, philosophy, political science, economy, sociology, amongst others.

This open access book reports on cutting-edge electrical engineering and microelectronics solutions to foster and support digitalization in the semiconductor industry. Based on the outcomes of the European project iDev40, which were presented at the two first conference editions of the European Advances in Digital Transformation Conference (EADCT 2018 and EADTC 2019), the book covers different, multidisciplinary aspects related to digital transformation, including technological and industrial developments, as well as human factors research and applications. Topics include modeling and simulation methods in semiconductor operations, supply chain management issues, employee training methods and workplaces optimization, as well as smart software and hardware solutions for semiconductor manufacturing. By highlighting industrially relevant developments and discussing open issues related to digital transformation, the book offers a timely, practice-oriented guide to graduate students, researchers and professionals interested in the digital transformation of manufacturing domains and work environments.

"IT Convergence and Services"is proceedings of the 3rd FTRA International Conference on Information Technology Convergence and Services (ITCS-11) and the FTRA International Conference on Intelligent Robotics, Automations, telecommunication facilities, and applications (IRoA-11). The topics of ITCS and IRoA cover the current hot topics satisfying the world-wide ever-changing needs.

The ITCS-11 will be the most comprehensive conference focused on the various aspects of advances in information technology convergence, applications, and services. The ITCS-11 will provide an opportunity for academic and industry professionals to discuss the latest issues and progress in the area of ITCS. In addition, the conference will publish high quality papers which are closely related to the various theories, modeling, and practical applications in ITCS. The main scope of ITCS-11 is as follows.

Computational Science and Applications
Electrical and Electronics Engineering and Technology
Manufacturing Technology and Services
Management Information Systems and Services
Electronic Commerce, Business and Management
Vehicular Systems and Communications
Bio-inspired Computing and Applications
IT Medical Engineering
Modeling and Services for Intelligent Building, Town, and City

The IRoA is a major forum for scientists, engineers, and practitioners throughout the world to present the latest research, results, ideas, developments and applications in all areas of intelligent robotics and automations. The main scope of IRoA-11 is as follows.

Intelligent Robotics & Perception systems
Automations & Control
Telecommunication Facilities
Artificial Intelligence

The IRoA is a major forum for scientists, engineers, and practitioners throughout the world to present the latest research, results, ideas, developments and applications in all areas of intelligent robotics and automations. The main scope of IRoA-11 is as follows.

Intelligent Robotics & Perception systems
Automations & Control
Telecommunication Facilities
Artificial Intelligence"

The development of computer science is now so rapid that we, the readers, in-creasingly receive technology news about new solutions and applications which very often straddle the border between the real and the virtual worlds. Computer science is also the area in which cognitive science is witnessing a renaissance, be-cause its combination with technical sciences has given birth to a broad scientific discipline called cognitive informatics. And it is this discipline which has become the main theme of this monograph, which is also to serve as a kind of guide to cognitive informatics problems. This book is the result of work on systems for the cognitive analysis and inter-pretation of various data. The purpose of such an analytical approach is to show that for an in-depth analysis of data, the layers of semantics contained in these sets must be taken into account. The interdisciplinary nature of the solutions proposed means that the subject of cognitive systems forming part of cognitive informatics becomes a new challenge for the research and application work carried out. The authors of this monograph hope that it will guide Readers on an interesting and accurate journey through the intricacies of information and cognitive science.

In the coming decades robots and artificial intelligence will fundamentally change our world. In doing so they offer the hope of a golden future, one where the elderly are looked after by companion robots, where the disabled can walk, robot security protects us all, remote rural areas have access to the best urban facilities and there is almost limitless prosperity. But there are dangers. There are fears in the labour market that robots will replace jobs, leaving many unemployed, and increase inequality. In relying too much on robots, people may reduce their human contact and see their cognitive abilities decline. There are even concerns, reflected in many science fiction films, that robots may eventually become competitors with humans for survival. This book looks at both the history of robots, in science and in fiction, as well as the science behind robots. Specific chapters analyse the impact of robots on the labour market, people's attitudes to robots, the impact of robots on society, and the appropriate policies to pursue to prepare our world for the robot revolution. Overall the book strikes a cautionary tone. Robots will change our world dramatically and they will also change human beings. These important issues are examined from the perspective of an economist, but the book is intended to appeal to a wider audience in the social sciences and beyond.

A concise, accessible introduction to robots, what they can do, what they can't, and what their increasing encroachment into our lives might mean for us Since the turn of the millennium a quiet revolution has been underway. Millions of autonomous robots with some level of intelligence are now in domestic use, mainly as vacuum cleaners. Driverless cars - which are nothing less than autonomous robots - are starting to appear on our streets. There is a huge effort underway in industry and universities to develop the next generation of more intelligent, autonomous, mobile robots. Accompanying these arrivals has been a steady stream of inflammatory articles in the media raising concerns over the impending spectre of super-intelligent robots, along with stories about how most jobs will soon be lost to robots. Here, using the Question-and-Answer format, Phil Husbands gives a balanced and broad introduction to robotics and the current state of the field, analysing where it has come from, and where it might go in the future. He begins with the history of robotics and its complex relationship with popular culture, and then moves on to discuss the technology underlying robots in an engaging, non-technical way, exploring the limits of what robots can actually do now and what they might be able to do in the future. Naturally these machines, which often seem to display life-like properties, are attracting great attention. Do they pose a threat or an unprecedented opportunity? And although the 'singularity' may not be something to worry about, there are certainly ethical issues needing consideration as robots with some intelligence are used increasingly across many sectors. Husbands considers both these ethical problems and also the wider socio-political challenges that robots are already creating, and the larger ones they might bring in the future.