This book gathers the proceedings of the 2018 International Conference on Digital Science (DSIC'18), held in Budva, Montenegro, on October 19 - 21, 2018. DSIC'18 was an international forum for researchers and practitioners to present and discuss the latest innovations, trends, results, experiences and concerns in Digital Science. The main goal of the Conference was to efficiently disseminate original findings in the natural and social sciences, art & the humanities. The contributions address the following topics: Digital Agriculture & Food Technology Digital Art & Humanities Digital Economics Digital Education Digital Engineering Digital Environmental Sciences Digital Finance, Business & Banking Digital Health Care, Hospitals & Rehabilitation Digital Media Digital Medicine, Pharma & Public Health Digital Public Administration Digital Technology & Applied Sciences Digital Virtual Reality

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 proceedings volume comprises the latest achievements in research and development in educational robotics presented at the 9th International Conference on Robotics in Education (RiE) held in Qawra, St. Paul's Bay, Malta, during April 18-20, 2018. Researchers and educators will find valuable methodologies and tools for robotics in education that encourage learning in the fields of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) through the design, creation and programming of tangible artifacts for creating personally meaningful objects and addressing real-world societal needs. This also involves the introduction of technologies ranging from robotics platforms to programming environments and languages. Extensive evaluation results are presented that highlight the impact of robotics on the students' interests and competence development. The presented approaches cover the whole educative range from elementary school to the university level in both formal as well as informal settings.

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 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 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 presents the outcomes of the 8th International Conference in Methodologies and Intelligent Systems for Technology Enhanced Learning held in Toledo (Spain) hosted by the University of Castilla-La Mancha from 20 th to 22nd June 2018. Further expanding the topics of the previous editions, the conference provided an open forum for discussing intelligent systems for technology enhanced learning (TEL) and their roots in novel learning theories, empirical methodologies for their design or evaluation, stand-alone and web-based solutions and maker spaces, and also fostering entrepreneurship and increasing business startup ideas. It brought together researchers and developers from industry, the education field and the academic world to report on the latest scientific research, technical advances and methodologies.

This book is the fourth volume of the sub series of the Lecture Notes in Mobility dedicated to Road Vehicle Automation. lts chapters have been written by researchers, engineers and analysts from all around the globe. Topics covered include public sector activities, human factors and challenges, ethical, legal, energy and technology perspectives, vehicle systems development, as well as transportation infrastructure and planning. The book is based on the Automated Vehicles Symposium which took place in San Francisco, California (USA) in July 2016.

This book explores the outcomes on flow control research activities carried out within the framework of two EU-funded projects focused on training-through-research of Marie Sklodowska-Curie doctoral students. The main goal of the projects described in this monograph is to assess the potential of the passive- and active-flow control methods for reduction of fuel consumption by a helicopter. The research scope encompasses the fields of structural dynamics, fluid flow dynamics, and actuators with control. Research featured in this volume demonstrates an experimental and numerical approach with a strong emphasis on the verification and validation of numerical models. The book is ideal for engineers, students, and researchers interested in the multidisciplinary field of flow control.

This volume offers eleven philosophical investigations into our future relations with social robots--robots that are specially designed to engage and connect with human beings. The contributors present cutting edge research that examines whether, and on which terms, robots can become members of human societies. Can our relations to robots be said to be "social"? Can robots enter into normative relationships with human beings? How will human social relations change when we interact with robots at work and at home? The authors of this volume explore these questions from the perspective of philosophy, cognitive science, psychology, and robotics. The first three chapters offer a taxonomy for the classification of simulated social interactions, investigate whether human social interactions with robots can be genuine, and discuss the significance of social relations for the formation of human individuality. Subsequent chapters clarify whether robots could be said to actually follow social norms, whether they could live up to the social meaning of care in caregiving professions, and how we will need to program robots so that they can negotiate the conventions of human social space and collaborate with humans. Can we perform joint actions with robots, where both sides need to honour commitments, and how will such new commitments and practices change our regional cultures? The authors connect research in social robotics and empirical studies in Human-Robot Interaction to recent debates in social ontology, social cognition, as well as ethics and philosophy of technology. The book is a response to the challenge that social robotics presents for our traditional conceptions of social interaction, which presuppose such essential capacities as consciousness, intentionality, agency, and normative understanding. The authors develop insightful answers along new interdisciplinary pathways in "robophilosophy," a new research area that will help us to shape the "robot revolution," the distinctive technological change of the beginning 21st century.

This book introduces readers to essential technology assessment and forecasting tools, demonstrating their use on the basis of multiple cases. As organizations in the high-tech industry need to be able to assess emerging technologies, the book presents cases in which formal decision-making models are developed, providing a framework for decision-making in the context of technology acquisition and development. Applications of different technology forecasting tools are also discussed for a range of technologies and sectors, providing a guide to keep R&D organizations abreast of technological trends that affect their business. As such, the book offers a valuable the theoretical and practical reference guide for R&D managers responsible for emerging and future technologies.

This book provides a thorough overview of cutting-edge research on electronics applications relevant to industry, the environment, and society at large. It covers a broad spectrum of application domains, from automotive to space and from health to security, while devoting special attention to the use of embedded devices and sensors for imaging, communication and control. The book is based on the 2016 ApplePies Conference, held in Rome, Italy in September 2016, which brought together researchers and stakeholders to consider the most significant current trends in the field of applied electronics and to debate visions for the future. Areas addressed by the conference included information communication technology; biotechnology and biomedical imaging; space; secure, clean and efficient energy; the environment; and smart, green and integrated transport. As electronics technology continues to develop apace, constantly meeting previously unthinkable targets, further attention needs to be directed toward the electronics applications and the development of systems that facilitate human activities. This book, written by industrial and academic professionals, represents a valuable contribution in this endeavor.

This book introduces non-identifier-based adaptive control (with and without internal model) and its application to the current, speed and position control of mechatronic systems such as electrical synchronous machines, wind turbine systems, industrial servo systems, and rigid-link, revolute-joint robots. In mechatronics, there is often only rough knowledge of the system. Due to parameter uncertainties, nonlinearities and unknown disturbances, model-based control strategies can reach their performance or stability limits without iterative controller design and performance evaluation, or system identification and parameter estimation. The non-identifier-based adaptive control presented is an alternative that neither identifies the system nor estimates its parameters but ensures stability. The adaptive controllers are easy to implement, compensate for disturbances and are inherently robust to parameter uncertainties and nonlinearities. For controller implementation only structural system knowledge (like relative degree, input-to-state stable zero dynamics and known sign of the high-frequency gain) is required. Moreover, the presented controllers guarantee reference tracking with prescribed asymptotic or transient accuracy, i.e. the tracking error eventually tends to or for all time evolves within an a priori specified region. The book presents the theory, modeling and application in a general but detailed and self-contained manner, making it easy to read and understand, particularly for newcomers to the topics covered

Foreword.- List of Contributors.- Part 1: Agile and Turbulence-Suitable Processes for Knowledge and Technology Intensive Organizations.- Part 2: Next-Generation Teaching and Learning Concepts for Universities and the Economy.- Part 3: Cognitive IT-Supported Processes for Heterogeneous and Cooperative Systems.- Part 4: Target Group-Adapted User Models for Innovation and Technology Development Processes.- Part 5: Semantic Networks and Ontologies for Complex Value Chains and Virtual Environments.

This book describes approaches to solving the problems of developing the central nervous system of robots (CNSR) based on smart electromechanical systems (SEMS) modules, principles of construction of the various modules of the central nervous system and variants of mathematical software CNSR in control systems for intelligent robots. It presents the latest advances in theory and practice at the Russian Academy of Sciences. Developers of intelligent robots to solve modern problems in robotics are increasingly addressing the use of the bionic approach to create robots that mimic the complexity and adaptability of biological systems. These have smart electromechanical system (SEMS), which are used in various cyber-physical systems (CPhS), and allow the functions of calculation, control, communications, information storage, monitoring, measurement and control of parameters and environmental parameters to be integrated. The behavior of such systems is based on the information received from the central nervous system of the robot (CNSR) on the state of the environment and system state. Recent advances in computer science, measuring and computing techniques have stimulated the practical realization of the CNSR, providing a fundamentally new approach to the methods and algorithms of formation of appropriate robot behavior. Intelligent robots with CNSR occupy a special place among the highly efficient robotic systems with parallel structures and play an important role in modern automated industries, and this timely book is a valuable resource for specialists in the field of robotics and control, as well as for students majoring in "Robots", "System analysis and management", and "Automation and control".

Experimental Robotics XV is the collection of papers presented at the International Symposium on Experimental Robotics, Roppongi, Tokyo, Japan on October 3-6, 2016. 73 scientific papers were selected and presented after peer review. The papers span a broad range of sub-fields in robotics including aerial robots, mobile robots, actuation, grasping, manipulation, planning and control and human-robot interaction, but shared cutting-edge approaches and paradigms to experimental robotics. The readers will find a breadth of new directions of experimental robotics. The International Symposium on Experimental Robotics is a series of bi-annual symposia sponsored by the International Foundation of Robotics Research, whose goal is to provide a forum dedicated to experimental robotics research. Robotics has been widening its scientific scope, deepening its methodologies and expanding its applications. However, the significance of experiments remains and will remain at the center of the discipline. The ISER gatherings are a venue where scientists can gather and talk about robotics based on this central tenet.

This book documents the state of the art in the field of ambient assisted living (AAL), highlighting the impressive potential of novel methodologies and technologies to enhance well-being and promote active ageing. The coverage is wide ranging, with sections on assistive devices, elderly people monitoring, home rehabilitation, ICT solutions for AAL, living with chronic conditions, robotic assistance for the elderly, sensing technologies for AAL, and smart housing. The book comprises a selection of the best papers presented at the 7th Italian Forum on Ambient Assisted Living (ForitAAL 2016), which was held in Pisa, Italy, in June 2016 and brought together end users, technology teams, and policy makers to develop a consensus on how to improve provision for elderly and impaired people. Readers will find that the expert contributions offer clear insights into the ways in which the most recent exciti ng advances may be expected to assist in addressing the needs of the elderly and those with chronic conditions.

This book aims at gathering roboticists, control theorists, neuroscientists, and mathematicians, in order to promote a multidisciplinary research on movement analysis. It follows the workshop " Geometric and Numerical Foundations of Movements " held at LAAS-CNRS in Toulouse in November 2015[1]. Its objective is to lay the foundations for a mutual understanding that is essential for synergetic development in motion research. In particular, the book promotes applications to robotics --and control in general-- of new optimization techniques based on recent results from real algebraic geometry.

This book discusses processes and procedures in information/data processing and management. The global market is becoming more and more complex with an increased availability of data and information, and as a result doing business with information is becoming more popular, with a significant impact on modern society immensely. This means that there is a growing need for a common understanding of how to create, access, use and manage business information. As such this book explores different aspects of data and information processing, including information generation, representation, structuring, organization, storage, retrieval, navigation, human factors in information systems, and the use of information. It also analyzes the challenges and opportunities of doing business with information, and presents various perspectives on business information managing.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the First Robotic Grasping and Manipulation Challenge, RGMC 2016, held at IROS 2016, Daejeon, South Korea, in October 2016.The 13 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and are describing the rules, results, competitor systems and future directions of the inaugural competition. The competition was designed to allow researchers focused on the application of robot systems to compare the performance of hand designs as well as autonomous grasping and manipulation solutions across a common set of tasks. The competition was comprised of three tracks that included hand-in-hand grasping, fully autonomous grasping, and simulation.

This book provides a decentralized approach for the identification and control of robotics systems. It also presents recent research in decentralized neural control and includes applications to robotics. Decentralized control is free from difficulties due to complexity in design, debugging, data gathering and storage requirements, making it preferable for interconnected systems. Furthermore, as opposed to the centralized approach, it can be implemented with parallel processors. This approach deals with four decentralized control schemes, which are able to identify the robot dynamics. The training of each neural network is performed on-line using an extended Kalman filter (EKF). The first indirect decentralized control scheme applies the discrete-time block control approach, to formulate a nonlinear sliding manifold. The second direct decentralized neural control scheme is based on the backstepping technique, approximated by a high order neural network.The third control scheme applies a decentralized neural inverse optimal control for stabilization. The fourth decentralized neural inverse optimal control is designed for trajectory tracking. This comprehensive work on decentralized control of robot manipulators and mobile robots is intended for professors, students and professionals wanting to understand and apply advanced knowledge in their field of work.

The book focuses on original approaches intended to support the development of biologically inspired cognitive architectures. It bridges together different disciplines, from classical artificial intelligence to linguistics, from neuro- and social sciences to design and creativity, among others. The chapters, based on contributions presented at the Ninth Annual Meeting of the BICA Society, held in on August 23-24, 2018, in Prague, Czech Republic, discuss emerging methods, theories and ideas towards the realization of general-purpose humanlike artificial intelligence or fostering a better understanding of the ways the human mind works. All in all, the book provides engineers, mathematicians, psychologists, computer scientists and other experts with a timely snapshot of recent research and a source of inspiration for future developments in the broadly intended areas of artificial intelligence and biological inspiration.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 13th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Symbolic Computation, AISC 2018, held in Suzhou, China, in September 2018. The 13 full papers presented together with 5 short and 2 invited papers were carefully reviewed and selected from 31 submissions. The AISC conference is an important forum when it comes to ensuring that ideas, theoretical insights, methods and results from traditional AI can be discussed and showcased, while fostering new links with other areas of AI such as probabilistic reasoning and deep learning.

This book focuses on emerging issues following the integration of artificial intelligence systems in our daily lives. It focuses on the cognitive, visual, social and analytical aspects of computing and intelligent technologies, highlighting ways to improve technology acceptance, effectiveness, and efficiency. Topics such as responsibility, integration and training are discussed throughout. The book also reports on the latest advances in systems engineering, with a focus on societal challenges and next-generation systems and applications for meeting them. It also discusses applications in smart grids and infrastructures, systems engineering education as well as defense and aerospace. The book is based on both the AHFE 2018 International Conference on Human Factors in Artificial Intelligence and Social Computing, Software and Systems Engineering, The Human Side of Service Engineering and Human Factors in Energy, July 21-25, 2018, Loews Sapphire Falls Resort at Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida, USA.