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.

This book provides the reader with a clear and precise description of robotics and other systems for home automation currently on the market, and discusses their interoperability and perspectives for the near future. It shows the different standards and the development platforms used by the main service robots in an international environment. This volume provides a scientific basis for the user who is looking for the best option to suit his or her needs from the available alternatives to integrate modern technology in the digital home.

Intravascular Ultrasound: From Acquisition to Advanced Quantitative Analysis covers topics of the whole imaging pipeline, ranging from the definition of the clinical problem and image acquisition systems to image processing and analysis, including the assisted clinical-decision making procedures and treatment planning (stent deployment and follow up). Atherosclerosis, a disease of the vessel wall that produces vessel narrowing and obstruction, is the major cause of cardiovascular diseases, such as heart attack or stroke. This book covers all aspects of this imaging tool that allows for the visualization of internal vessel structures and the quantification and characterization of coronary plaque.

Humans have always been fascinated with the concept of artificial life and the construction of machines that look and behave like people. As the field of robotics evolves, it demands continuous development of successful systems with high-performance characteristics for practical applications. Advanced Mechanics in Robotic Systems illustrates original and ambitious mechanical designs and techniques for developing new robot prototypes with successful mechanical operational skills. Case studies are focused on projects in mechatronics that have high growth expectations: humanoid robots, robotics hands, mobile robots, parallel manipulators, and human-centred robots. A good control strategy requires good mechanical design, so a chapter has also been devoted to the description of suitable methods for control architecture design. Readers of Advanced Mechanics in Robotic Systems will discover novel designs for relevant applications in robotic fields, that will be of particular interest to academic and industry-based researchers.

This book provides a review of the state-of-the-art of agricultural robotics in different aspects of PA, the goals, and the gaps. The book introduces the area of Agricultural Robotics for Precision Agriculture (PA) specifically the conditions and limitations for implementing robots in this field and presents the concepts, principles, required abilities, components, characteristics and performance measures, conditions, and rules for robots in PA.

This book introduces readers to the shell structure, operating principle, manufacturing process, and control theory for cylindrical vibratory gyroscopes. The cylindrical vibratory gyroscope is an important type of Coriolis vibratory gyroscope that holds considerable potential for development and application. The main aspects addressed include: operating principle and structure, theoretical analysis and modeling, dynamic analysis and modeling, manufacturing process, parameter testing methods, closed-loop control, and the error compensation mechanism in cylindrical vibratory gyroscopes.

This book is the sixth volume of the successful book series on Robot Operating System: The Complete Reference. The objective of the book is to provide the reader with comprehensive coverage of the Robot Operating Systems (ROS) and the latest trends and contributed systems. ROS is currently considered as the primary development framework for robotics applications. There are seven chapters organized into three parts. Part I presents two chapters on the emerging ROS 2.0 framework; in particular, ROS 2.0 is become increasingly mature to be integrated into the industry. The first chapter from Amazon AWS deals with the challenges that ROS 2 developers will face as they transition their system to be commercial-grade. The second chapter deals with reactive programming for both ROS1 and ROS. In Part II, two chapters deal with advanced robotics, namely on the usage of robots in farms, and the second deals with platooning systems. Part III provides three chapters on ROS navigation. The first chapter deals with the use of deep learning for ROS navigation. The second chapter presents a detailed tuning guide on ROS navigation and the last chapter discusses SLAM for ROS applications. I believe that this book is a valuable companion for ROS users and developers to learn more ROS capabilities and features.

This volume Future Control and Automation- Volume 1 includes best papers selected from 2012 2nd International Conference on Future Control and Automation (ICFCA 2012) held on July 1-2, 2012, Changsha, China. Future control and automation is the use of control systems and information technologies to reduce the need for human work in the production of goods and services. This volume can be divided into five sessions on the basis of the classification of manuscripts considered, which is listed as follows: Identification and Control, Navigation, Guidance and Sensor, Simulation Technology, Future Telecommunications and Control

This book aims at investigating PDE modeling and vibration control of some typical mechanical distributed parameter systems. Several control methods are proposed to realize stabilization of the closed-loop system with the help of mathematical tools and stability analysis methods. Besides, some common engineering problems, such as input and output constraints, are also involved in the control design. This book offers a comprehensive introduction of mechanical distributed parameter systems, including PDE modeling, controller design and stability analysis. The related fundamental mathematical tools and analytical approaches involving in the PDE modeling and controller are also provided, which broadens its reach to readers.

This book shows how a conventional multi-layered approach can be used to control a snake robot on a desired path while moving on a flat surface. To achieve robustness to unknown variations in surface conditions, it explores various adaptive robust control methods. The authors propose a sliding-mode control approach designed to achieve robust maneuvering for bounded uncertainty with a known upper bound. The control is modified by addition of an adaptation law to alleviate the overestimation problem of the switching gain as well as to circumvent the requirement for knowledge regarding the bounds of uncertainty. The book works toward non-conservativeness, achieving efficient tracking in the presence of slowly varying uncertainties with a specially designed framework for time-delayed control. It shows readers how to extract superior performance from their snake robots with an approach that allows robustness toward bounded time-delayed estimation errors. The book also demonstrates how the multi-layered control framework can be simplified by employing differential flatness for such a system. Finally, the mathematical model of a snake robot moving inside a uniform channel using only side-wall contact is discussed. The model has further been employed to demonstrate adaptive robust control design for such a motion. Using numerous illustrations and tables, Adaptive Robust Control for Planar Snake Robots will interest researchers, practicing engineers and postgraduate students working in the field of robotics and control systems.

This book features selected papers presented at the 15th International Conference on Electromechanics and Robotics "Zavalishin's Readings" - ER(ZR) 2020, held in Ufa, Russia, on 15-18 April 2020. 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.

This book presents best selected papers presented at the First Global Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Applications (GCAIA 2020), organized by the University of Engineering & Management, Jaipur, India, during 8-10 September 2020. The proceeding will be targeting the current research works in the domain of intelligent systems and artificial intelligence.

This book presents the proceedings of the 5th IFToMM Symposium on Mechanism Design for Robotics, MEDER 2021, held in Poitiers, France, 23-25 June 2021. It gathers contributions by researchers from several countries on all major areas of robotic research, development and innovation, as well as new applications and current trends. The topics covered include: theoretical and computational kinematics, mechanism design, experimental mechanics, mechanics of robots, control issues of mechanical systems, machine intelligence, innovative mechanisms and applications, linkages and manipulators, micro-mechanisms, dynamics of machinery and multi-body systems. Given its scope, the book offers a source of information and inspiration for researchers seeking to improve their work and gather new ideas for future developments.

The second edition of this handbook provides a state-of-the-art overview on the various aspects in the rapidly developing field of robotics. Reaching for the human frontier, robotics is vigorously engaged in the growing challenges of new emerging domains. Interacting, exploring, and working with humans, the new generation of robots will increasingly touch people and their lives. The credible prospect of practical robots among humans is the result of the scientific endeavour of a half a century of robotic developments that established robotics as a modern scientific discipline. The ongoing vibrant expansion and strong growth of the field during the last decade has fueled this second edition of the Springer Handbook of Robotics. The first edition of the handbook soon became a landmark in robotics publishing and won the American Association of Publishers PROSE Award for Excellence in Physical Sciences & Mathematics as well as the organization's Award for Engineering & Technology. The second edition of the handbook, edited by two internationally renowned scientists with the support of an outstanding team of seven part editors and more than 200 authors, continues to be an authoritative reference for robotics researchers, newcomers to the field, and scholars from related disciplines. The contents have been restructured to achieve four main objectives: the enlargement of foundational topics for robotics, the enlightenment of design of various types of robotic systems, the extension of the treatment on robots moving in the environment, and the enrichment of advanced robotics applications. Further to an extensive update, fifteen new chapters have been introduced on emerging topics, and a new generation of authors have joined the handbook's team. A novel addition to the second edition is a comprehensive collection of multimedia references to more than 700 videos, which bring valuable insight into the contents. The videos can be viewed directly augmented into the text with a smartphone or tablet using a unique and specially designed app. Springer Handbook of Robotics Multimedia Extension Portal: http://handbookofrobotics.org/

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 book comprises select proceedings of the International Conference on Emerging Trends for Smart Grid Automation and Industry 4.0 (ICETSGAI4.0 2019). The contents discuss the recent trends in smart grid technology and related applications. The topics covered include data analytics for smart grid operation and control, integrated power generation technologies, green technologies as well as advances in microgrid operation and planning. The book highlights the enhancement in technology in the field of smart grids, and how IoT, big data, robotics and automation, artificial intelligence, and wide area measurement have become prerequisites for the fourth industrial revolution, also known as Industry 4.0. The book can be a valuable reference for researchers and professionals interested in smart grid automation incorporating features of Industry 4.0.

This volume of the series ARENA2036 compiles the outcomes of the first Stuttgart Conference on Automotive Production (SCAP2020). It contains peer-reviewed contributions from a theoretical as well as practical vantage point and is topically structured according to the following four sections: It discusses (I) Novel Approaches for Efficient Production and Assembly Planning, (II) Smart Production Systems and Data Services, (III) Advances in Manufacturing Processes and Materials, and (IV) New Concepts for Autonomous, Collaborative Intralogistics. Given the restrictive circumstances of 2020, the conference was held as a fully digital event divided into two parts. It opened with a pre-week, allowing everyone to peruse the scientific contributions at their own pace, followed by a two-day live event that enabled experts from the sciences and the industry to engage in various discussions. The conference has proven itself as an insightful forum that allowed for an expertly exchange regarding the pivotal Advances in Automotive Production and Technology.

The aim of this textbook is to provide undergraduate students with an introduction to the basic theoretical models of computability, and to develop some of the model's rich and varied structure. Students who have already some experience with elementary discrete mathematics will find this a well-paced first course, and a number of supplementary chapters introduce more advanced concepts. The first part of the book is devoted to finite automata and their properties. Pushdown automata provide a broader class of models and enable the analysis of context-free languages. In the remaining chapters, Turing machines are introduced and the book culminates in discussions of effective computability, decidability, and Gödel's incompleteness theorems. Plenty of exercises are provided, ranging from the easy to the challenging. As a result, this text will make an ideal first course for students of computer science.

Climbing robot is a challenging research topic that has gained much attention from researchers. Most of the robots reported in the literature are designed to climb on manmade structures, but seldom robots are designed for climbing natural environment such as trees. Trees and manmade structures are very different in nature. It brings different aspects of technical challenges to the robot design. In this book, you can find a collection of the cutting edge technologies in the field of tree-climbing robot and the ways that animals climb. It provides a valuable reference for robot designers to select appropriate climbing methods in designing tree-climbing robots for specific purposes. Based on the study, a novel bio-inspired tree-climbing robot with several breakthrough performances has been developed and presents in this book. It is capable of performing various actions that is impossible in the state-of-the-art tree-climbing robots, such as moving between trunk and branches. This book also proposes several approaches in autonomous tree-climbing, including the sensing methodology, cognition of the environment, path planning and motion planning on both known and unknown environment.

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 book offers a comprehensive reference guide for modeling humanoid robots using intelligent and fuzzy systems. It provides readers with the necessary intelligent and fuzzy tools for controlling humanoid robots by incomplete, vague, and imprecise information or insufficient data, where classical modeling approaches cannot be applied. The respective chapters, written by prominent researchers, explain a wealth of both basic and advanced concepts including fuzzy control, metaheuristic-based control, neutrosophic control, etc. To foster reader comprehension, all chapters include relevant numerical examples or case studies. Taken together, they form an excellent reference guide for researchers, lecturers, and postgraduate students pursuing research on humanoid robots. Moreover, by extending all the main aspects of humanoid robots to its intelligent and fuzzy counterparts, the book presents a dynamic snapshot of the field that is expected to stimulate new directions, ideas, and developments.

Robot-assisted healthcare offers benefits for repetitive, intensive and task specific training compared to traditional manual manipulation performed by physiotherapists. However, a majority of existing rehabilitation devices use rigid actuators such as electric motors or hydraulic cylinders which cannot guarantee the safety of patients; novel soft robots combining soft and compliant actuators with stiff skeletons offer a better alternative. This book focuses on the development of these soft robotics for rehabilitation purposes. Topics covered include an introduction to soft robots and the state of the art of their use in healthcare; concept and modelling of a soft rehabilitation actuator - the Peano muscle; design of the reactive Peano muscle; soft wrist rehabilitation robot; development and control of a soft ankle rehabilitation robot (SARR); design, modelling and control strategies of a gait rehabilitation exoskeleton (GAREX); and conclusions and future work. This book presents novel applications of mechatronics to provide better clinical rehabilitation services and new insights into emerging technologies utilized in soft robots for healthcare, and is essential reading for researchers and students working in these and related fields.