This journal subline serves as a forum for stimulating and disseminating innovative research ideas, theories, emerging technologies, empirical investigations, state-of-the-art methods, and tools in all different genres of edutainment, such as game-based learning and serious games, interactive storytelling, virtual learning environments, VR-based education, and related fields. It covers aspects from educational and game theories, human-computer interaction, computer graphics, artificial intelligence, and systems design. The 19 papers presented in the 14th issue were organized in topical sections named: 3D modeling and visualization; image; e-learning and games; and miscellaneous.

This book showcases new theoretical findings and techniques in the field of intelligent systems and control. It presents in-depth studies on a number of major topics, including: Multi-Agent Systems, Complex Networks, Intelligent Robots, Complex System Theory and Swarm Behavior, Event-Triggered Control and Data-Driven Control, Robust and Adaptive Control, Big Data and Brain Science, Process Control, Intelligent Sensor and Detection Technology, Deep learning and Learning Control, Guidance, Navigation and Control of Aerial Vehicles, and so on. Given its scope, the book will benefit all researchers, engineers, and graduate students who want to learn about cutting-edge advances in intelligent systems, intelligent control, and artificial intelligence.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the Third International Conference on Love and Sex with Robots, LSR 2017, held in December 2017, in London, UK. The 12 revised papers presented together with 2 keynotes were carefully reviewed and selected from a total of 83 submissions. One of the biggest challenges of the Love and Sex with Robots conference is to engage a wider scientific community in the discussions of the multifaceted topic, which has only recently established itself as an academic research topic within, but not limited to, the disciplines of artificial intelligence, human-computer interaction, robotics, biomedical science and robot ethics etc.

This book focuses on the importance of human factors in the development of safe and reliable unmanned systems. It discusses current challenges such as how to improve the perceptual and cognitive abilities of robots, develop suitable synthetic vision systems, cope with degraded reliability in unmanned systems, predict robotic behavior in case of a loss of communication, the vision for future soldier-robot teams, human-agent teaming, real-world implications for human-robot interaction, and approaches to standardize both the display and control of technologies across unmanned systems. Based on the AHFE 2019 International Conference on Human Factors in Robots and Unmanned Systems, held on July 24-28, 2019, Washington D.C., USA, this book fosters new discussions and stimulates new advances in the development of more reliable, safer, and highly functional devices for carrying out automated and concurrent tasks.

This book discusses the latest advances in digital modeling systems (DMSs) and additive manufacturing (AM) technologies. It covers applications of networked technologies, ubiquitous computing, new materials and hybrid production systems, discussing how they are changing the processes of conception, modeling and production of products and systems of product. The book emphasizes ergonomic and sustainability issues, as well as timely topics such as DMSs and AM in Industry 4.0, DMSs and AM in developing countries, DMSs and AM in extreme environments, thus highlighting future trends and promising scenarios for further developing those technologies. Based on the AHFE 2019 International Conference on Additive Manufacturing, Modeling Systems and 3D Prototyping, held on July 24-28, 2019, in Washington D.C., USA, the book is intended as source of inspiration for researchers, engineers and stakeholders, and to foster interdisciplinary and international collaborations between them.

The integration of robotic systems and artificial intelligence into healthcare settings is accelerating. As these technological developments interact socially with children, the elderly, or the disabled, they may raise concerns besides mere physical safety; concerns that include data protection, inappropriate use of emotions, invasion of privacy, autonomy suppression, decrease in human interaction, and cognitive safety. Given the novelty of these technologies and the uncertainties surrounding the impact of care automation, it is unclear how the law should respond. This book investigates the legal and regulatory implications of the growing use of personal care robots for healthcare purposes. It explores the interplay between various aspects of the law, including safety, data protection, responsibility, transparency, autonomy, and dignity; and it examines different robotic and AI systems, such as social therapy robots, physical assistant robots for rehabilitation, and wheeled passenger carriers. Highlighting specific problems and challenges in regulating complex cyber-physical systems in concrete healthcare applications, it critically assesses the adequacy of current industry standards and emerging regulatory initiatives for robots and AI. After analyzing the potential legal and ethical issues associated with personal care robots, it concludes that the primarily principle-based approach of recent law and robotics studies is too abstract to be as effective as required by the personal care context. Instead, it recommends bridging the gap between general legal principles and their applicability in concrete robotic and AI technologies with a risk-based approach using impact assessments. As the first book to compile both legal and regulatory aspects of personal care robots, this book will be a valuable addition to the literature on robotics, artificial intelligence, human-robot interaction, law, and philosophy of technology.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Social Robotics, ICSR 2018, held in Qingdao, China, in November 2018.The 60 full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 79 submissions. The theme of the 2018 conference is: Social Robotics and AI. In addition to the technical sessions, ICSR 2018 included 2 workshops:Smart Sensing Systems: Towards Safe Navigation and Social Human-Robot Interaction of Service Robots.

This book presents the proceedings of the 28th International Conference on Robotics in Alpe-Adria-Danube Region, RAAD 2019, held at the Fraunhofer Zentrum and the Technische Universitat in Kaiserslautern, Germany, on 19-21 June 2019. The conference brought together academic researchers in robotics from 20 countries, mainly affiliated to the Alpe-Adria-Danube Region and covered all major areas of robotic research, development and innovation as well as new applications and current trends. Offering a comprehensive overview of the ongoing research in the field of robotics, the book is a source of information and inspiration for researchers wanting to improve their work and gather new ideas for future developments. It also provides researchers with an innovative and up-to-date perspective on the state of the art in this area.

This book constitutes the proceedings of the 10th International Symposium on Cyberspace Safety and Security, CSS 2018, held in Amalfi, Italy, in October 2018. The 25 full papers presented in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from 79 submissions. The papers focus on cybersecurity; cryptography, data security, and biometric techniques; and social security, ontologies, and smart applications.

This book gathers the Proceedings of the International Conference on Mechatronics and Intelligent Robotics (ICMIR2017), held in Kunming, China, on May 20-21, 2017. The book covers a total of 172 papers, which have been divided into seven different sections: Intelligent Systems, Intelligent Sensors & Actuators, Robotics, Mechatronics, Modeling & Simulation, Automation & Control, and Robot Vision. ICMIR2017 provided a vital forum for discussing the latest and most innovative ideas from both the industrial and academic worlds, and for sharing best practices in the fields of mechanical engineering, mechatronics, automatic control, electrical engineering, finite element analysis and computational engineering. The main focus of the conference was on promoting interaction between academia and industry, allowing the free exchange of ideas and challenges faced by these two key stakeholders and encouraging future collaboration between the members of these groups. The proceedings cover new findings in the following areas of research and will offer readers valuable insights: Mechatronics Intelligent mechatronics, robotics and biomimetics; Novel and unconventional mechatronic systems; Modeling and control of mechatronics systems; Elements, structures and mechanisms of micro and nano systems; Sensors, wireless sensor networks and multi-sensor data fusion; Biomedical and rehabilitation engineering, prosthetics and artificial organs; Artificial Intelligence (AI), neural networks and fuzzy logic in mechatronics and robotics; Industrial automation, process control and networked control systems; Telerobotics, Human-Computer Interaction; and Human-Robot Interaction. Robotics Artificial Intelligence; Bio-inspired robotics; Control algorithms and control systems; Design theories and principles; Evolutional robotics; Field robotics; Force sensors, accelerometers, and other measuring devices; Healthcare robotics; Human-Robot Interaction; Kinematics and dynamics analysis; Manufacturing robotics; Mathematical and computational methodologies in robotics; Medical robotics; Parallel robots and manipulators; Robotic cognition and emotion; Robotic perception and decisions; Sensor integration, fusion, and perception; and Social robotics.

This book reports on cutting-edge research and technologies in the field of advanced manufacturing and materials, with a special emphasis on unconventional machining process, rapid prototyping and biomaterials. Based on the International Conference on Manufacturing Engineering and Materials (ICMEM 2018), held in Novy Smokovec, Slovakia on 18-22 June 2018, it covers advances in various disciplines, which are expected to increase the industry's competitiveness with regard to sustainable development and preservation of the environment and natural resources. Condition monitoring, industrial automation, and diverse fabrication processes such as welding, casting and molding, as well as tribology and bioengineering, are just a few of the topics discussed in the book's wealth of authoritative contributions.

The special session on Decision Economics (DECON) is a scientific forum held annually, which is focused on sharing ideas, projects, research results, models, and experiences associated with the complexity of behavioural decision processes and socio-economic phenomena. In 2018, DECON was held at Campus Tecnologico de la Fabrica de Armas, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Toledo, Spain, as part of the 15th International Conference on Distributed Computing and Artificial Intelligence. For the third consecutive year, this book have drawn inspiration from Herbert A. Simon's interdisciplinary legacy and, in particular, is devoted to designs, models, and techniques for boundedly rational decisions, involving several fields of study and expertise. It is worth noting that the recognition of relevant decision-making takes place in a range of critical subject areas and research fields, including economics, finance, information systems, small and international business management, operations, and production. Therefore, decision-making issues are of fundamental importance in all branches of economics addressed with different methodological approaches. As a matter of fact, the study of decision-making has become the focus of intense research efforts, both theoretical and applied, forming a veritable bridge between theory and practice as well as science and business organisations, whose pillars are based on insightful cutting-edge experimental, behavioural, and computational approaches on the one hand, and celebrating the value of science as well as the close relationship between economics and complexity on the other. In this respect, the international scientific community acknowledges Herbert A. Simon's research endeavours to understand the processes involved in economic decision-making and their implications for the advancement of economic professions. Within the field of decision-making, indeed, Simon has become a mainstay of bounded rationality and satisficing. His rejection of the standard (unrealistic) decision-making models adopted by neoclassical economists inspired social scientists worldwide with the purpose to develop research programmes aimed at studying decision-making empirically, experimentally, and computationally. The main achievements concern decision-making for individuals, firms, markets, governments, institutions, and, last but not least, science and research. This book of selected papers tackles these issues that Simon broached in a professional career spanning more than sixty years. The Editors of this book dedicated it to Herb.

This three-volume set of books highlights major advances in the development of concepts and techniques in the area of new technologies and architectures of contemporary information systems. Further, it helps readers solve specific research and analytical problems and glean useful knowledge and business value from the data. Each chapter provides an analysis of a specific technical problem, followed by a numerical analysis, simulation and implementation of the solution to the real-life problem. Managing an organisation, especially in today's rapidly changing circumstances, is a very complex process. Increased competition in the marketplace, especially as a result of the massive and successful entry of foreign businesses into domestic markets, changes in consumer behaviour, and broader access to new technologies and information, calls for organisational restructuring and the introduction and modification of management methods using the latest advances in science. This situation has prompted many decision-making bodies to introduce computer modelling of organisation management systems. The three books present the peer-reviewed proceedings of the 39th International Conference "Information Systems Architecture and Technology" (ISAT), held on September 16-18, 2018 in Nysa, Poland. The conference was organised by the Computer Science and Management Systems Departments, Faculty of Computer Science and Management, Wroclaw University of Technology and Sciences and University of Applied Sciences in Nysa, Poland. The papers have been grouped into three major parts: Part I-discusses topics including but not limited to Artificial Intelligence Methods, Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining, Big Data, Knowledge Based Management, Internet of Things, Cloud Computing and High Performance Computing, Distributed Computer Systems, Content Delivery Networks, and Service Oriented Computing. Part II-addresses topics including but not limited to System Modelling for Control, Recognition and Decision Support, Mathematical Modelling in Computer System Design, Service Oriented Systems and Cloud Computing, and Complex Process Modelling. Part III-focuses on topics including but not limited to Knowledge Based Management, Modelling of Financial and Investment Decisions, Modelling of Managerial Decisions, Production Systems Management and Maintenance, Risk Management, Small Business Management, and Theories and Models of Innovation.

This book gathers the Proceedings of the International Conference on Mechatronics and Intelligent Robotics (ICMIR2017), held in Kunming, China, on May 20-21, 2017. The book covers a total of 172 papers, which have been divided into seven different sections: Intelligent Systems, Intelligent Sensors & Actuators, Robotics, Mechatronics, Modeling & Simulation, Automation & Control, and Robot Vision. ICMIR2017 provided a vital forum for discussing the latest and most innovative ideas from both the industrial and academic worlds, and for sharing best practices in the fields of mechanical engineering, mechatronics, automatic control, electrical engineering, finite element analysis and computational engineering. The main focus of the conference was on promoting interaction between academia and industry, allowing the free exchange of ideas and challenges faced by these two key stakeholders and encouraging future collaboration between the members of these groups. The proceedings cover new findings in the following areas of research and will offer readers valuable insights: Mechatronics Intelligent mechatronics, robotics and biomimetics; Novel and unconventional mechatronic systems; Modeling and control of mechatronics systems; Elements, structures and mechanisms of micro and nano systems; Sensors, wireless sensor networks and multi-sensor data fusion; Biomedical and rehabilitation engineering, prosthetics and artificial organs; Artificial Intelligence (AI), neural networks and fuzzy logic in mechatronics and robotics; Industrial automation, process control and networked control systems; Telerobotics, Human-Computer Interaction; and Human-Robot Interaction. Robotics Artificial Intelligence; Bio-inspired robotics; Control algorithms and control systems; Design theories and principles; Evolutional robotics; Field robotics; Force sensors, accelerometers, and other measuring devices; Healthcare robotics; Human-Robot Interaction; Kinematics and dynamics analysis; Manufacturing robotics; Mathematical and computational methodologies in robotics; Medical robotics; Parallel robots and manipulators; Robotic cognition and emotion; Robotic perception and decisions; Sensor integration, fusion, and perception; and Social robotics.

The 15th International Symposium on Distributed Computing and Artificial Intelligence 2018 (DCAI 2018) is a forum to present applications of innovative techniques for studying and solving complex problems. The exchange of ideas between scientists and technicians from both the academic and industrial sector is essential to facilitate the development of systems that can meet the ever-increasing demands of today's society. The present edition brings together past experience, current work and promising future trends associated with distributed computing, artificial intelligence and their application in order to provide efficient solutions to real problems.This symposium is organized by the University of Castilla-La Mancha, the Osaka Institute of Technology and the University of Salamanca. The present edition was held in Toledo, Spain, from 20th - 22nd June, 2018.

This book highlights a set of selected, revised and extended papers from the 7th International Conference on Simulation and Modeling Methodologies, Technologies and Applications (SIMULTECH 2017), held in Madrid, Spain, on July 26 to 28, 2017. The conference brought together researchers, engineers and practitioners whose work involves methodologies in and applications of modeling and simulation. The papers showcased here represent the very best papers from the Conference, and report on a broad range of new and innovative solutions.

This book presents cutting-edge research on innovative human systems integration and human-machine interaction, with an emphasis on artificial intelligence and automation, as well as computational modeling and simulation. It covers a wide range of applications in the area of design, construction and operation of products, systems and services, including lifecycle development and human-technology interaction. The book describes advanced methodologies and tools for evaluating and improving interface usability, new models, and case studies and best practices in virtual, augmented and mixed reality systems, with a special focus on dynamic environments. It also discusses various factors concerning the human user, hardware, and artificial intelligence software. Based on the proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Intelligent Human Systems Integration (IHSI 2019), held on February 7-10, 2019, in San Diego, California, USA, the book also examines the forces that are currently shaping the nature of computing and cognitive systems, such as the need to reduce hardware costs; the importance of infusing intelligence and automation; the trend toward hardware miniaturization and power reduction; the need for a better assimilation of computation in the environment; and social concerns regarding access to computers and systems for people with special needs. It offers a timely survey and a practice-oriented reference guide for policy- and decision-makers, human factors engineers, systems developers and users alike.

This book reports on topics at the interface between manufacturing and materials engineering, with a special emphasis on smart and sustainable manufacturing. It describes innovative research in design engineering and manufacturing technology, covering the development and characterization of advanced materials alike. It also discusses key aspects related to ICT in engineering education. Based on the 5th International Conference on Design, Simulation, Manufacturing: The Innovation Exchange (DSMIE-2022), held on June 7-10, 2022, in Poznan, Poland, this first volume of a 2-volume set provides academics and professionals with extensive information on trends and technologies, and challenges and practice-oriented experience in all the above-mentioned areas.

The book includes the Proceedings of the Artificial Intelligence on Fashion and Textiles conference 2018 which provides state-of-the-art techniques and applications of AI in the fashion and textile industries. It is essential reading for scientists, researchers and R&D professionals working in the field of AI with applications in the fashion and textile industry; managers in the fashion and textile enterprises; and anyone with an interest in the applications of AI. Over the last two decades, with the great advancement of computer technology, academic research in artificial intelligence (AI) and its applications in fashion and textile supply chain has been becoming a very hot topic and has received greater attention from both academics and industrialists. A number of AI-related techniques has been successfully employed and proven to handle the problems including fashion sales forecasting, supply chain optimization, planning and scheduling, textile material defect detection, fashion and textile image recognition, fashion image and style retrieval, human body modeling and fitting, etc.

Gilbert Muller introduces the foundations of Business Process Management as well as Case-based Reasoning and presents a novel approach to assist the complex, time-consuming, and error-prone task of workflow modeling. By means of methods from artificial intelligence, in particular from the field of Case-based Reasoning, he shows how workflows can be automatically constructed according to a query specified by the user. Thus, the modeling process can be supported substantially, which addresses a highly relevant problem in many workflow domains.

This book constitutes the proceedings of the 20th International Conference on Speech and Computer, SPECOM 2018, held in Leipzig, Germany, in September 2018. The 79 papers presented in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from 132 submissions. The papers present current research in the area of computer speech processing, including recognition, synthesis, understanding and related domains like signal processing, language and text processing, computational paralinguistics, multi-modal speech processing or human-computer interaction.

This book constitutes the proceedings of the Third International Conference on Interactive Collaborative Robotics, ICR 2018, held in Leipzig, Germany, in September 2018, as a satellite event of the 20th International Conference on Speech and Computer, SPECOM 2018. The 30 papers presented in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from 51 submissions. The papers presents challenges of human-robot interaction, robot control and behavior in social robotics and collaborative robotics, as well as applied robotic and cyberphysical systems.

This book constitutes the proceedings of the 6th Conference on Information Technologies and Communication of Ecuador "TIC-EC", held in Riobamba City from November 21 to 23, 2018, and organized by Universidad Nacional del Chimborazo (UNACH) and its Engineering School, and the Ecuadorian Corporation for the Development of Research and Academia (CEDIA). Considered as one of the most important ICT conferences in Ecuador, it brought together international scholars and practitioners to discuss the development, issues and projections of the use of information and communication technologies in multiple fields of application. Presenting high-quality, peer-reviewed papers, the book discusses the following topics: * Communication networks * Software engineering * Computer sciences * Architecture * Intelligent territory management * IT management * Web technologies * ICT in education * Engineering, industry, and construction with ICT support * Entrepreneurship and innovation at the Academy: a business perspective The authors would like to express their sincere gratitude to the invited speakers for their inspirational talks, to the authors for submitting their work to this conference, and the reviewers for sharing their experience during the selection process.

This book constitutes the refereed joint proceedings of the First International Workshop on OR 2.0 Context-Aware Operating Theaters, OR 2.0 2018, 5th International Workshop on Computer Assisted Robotic Endoscopy, CARE 2018, 7th International Workshop on Clinical Image-Based Procedures, CLIP 2018, and the First International Workshop on Skin Image Analysis, ISIC 2018, held in conjunction with the 21st International Conference on Medical Imaging and Computer-Assisted Intervention, MICCAI 2018, in Granada, Spain, in September 2018. The 11 full papers presented at OR 2.0 2018, the 5 full papers presented at CARE 2018, the 8 full papers presented at CLIP 2018, and the 10 full papers presented at ISIC 2018 were carefully reviewed and selected. The OR 2.0 papers cover a wide range of topics such as machine vision and perception, robotics, surgical simulation and modeling, multi-modal data fusion and visualization, image analysis, advanced imaging, advanced display technologies, human-computer interfaces, sensors. The CARE papers cover topics to advance the field of computer-assisted and robotic endoscopy. The CLIP papers cover topics to fill gaps between basic science and clinical applications. The ISIC papers cover topics to facilitate knowledge dissemination in the field of skin image analysis, as well as to host a melanoma detection challenge, raising awareness and interest for these socially valuable tasks.

This book showcases new theoretical findings and techniques in the field of intelligent systems and control. It presents in-depth studies on a number of major topics, including: Multi-Agent Systems, Complex Networks, Intelligent Robots, Complex System Theory and Swarm Behavior, Event-Triggered Control and Data-Driven Control, Robust and Adaptive Control, Big Data and Brain Science, Process Control, Intelligent Sensor and Detection Technology, Deep learning and Learning Control, Guidance, Navigation and Control of Aerial Vehicles, and so on. Given its scope, the book will benefit all researchers, engineers, and graduate students who want to learn about cutting-edge advances in intelligent systems, intelligent control, and artificial intelligence.