The present book includes a set of selected papers from the fourth "International Conference on Informatics in Control Automation and Robotics" (ICINCO 2009), held in Milan, Italy, from 2 to 5 July 2009. The conference was organized in three simultaneous tracks: "Intelligent Control Systems and Optimization", "Robotics and Automation" and "Systems Modeling, Signal Processing and Control". The book is based on the same structure. ICINCO received 365 paper submissions, not including those of workshops, from 55 countries, in all continents. After a double blind paper review performed by the Program Committee only 34 submissions were accepted as full papers and thus selected for oral presentation, leading to a full paper acceptance ratio of 9%. Additional papers were accepted as short papers and posters. A further refinement was made after the conference, based also on the assessment of presentation quality, so that this book includes the extended and revised versions of the very best papers of ICINCO 2009. Commitment to high quality standards is a major concern of ICINCO that will be maintained in the next editions of this conference, including not only the stringent paper acceptance ratios but also the quality of the program committee, keynote lectures, workshops and logistics.

The atomic force microscope (AFM) has been successfully used to perform nanorobotic manipulation operations on nanoscale entities such as particles, nanotubes, nanowires, nanocrystals, and DNA since 1990s. There have been many progress on modeling, imaging, teleoperated or automated control, human-machine interfacing, instrumentation, and applications of AFM based nanorobotic manipulation systems in literature. This book aims to include all of such state-of-the-art progress in an organized, structured, and detailed manner as a reference book and also potentially a textbook in nanorobotics and any other nanoscale dynamics, systems and controls related research and education. Clearly written and well-organized, this text introduces designs and prototypes of the nanorobotic systems in detail with innovative principles of three-dimensional manipulation force microscopy and parallel imaging/manipulation force microscopy.

The first Workshop on Mechanisms, Transmissions and Applications -- MeTrApp-2011 was organized by the Mechatronics Department at the Mechanical Engineering Faculty, "Politehnica" University of Timisoara, Romania, under the patronage of the IFToMM Technical Committees Linkages and Mechanical Controls and Micromachines. The workshop brought together researchers and students who work in disciplines associated with mechanisms science and offered a great opportunity for scientists from all over the world to present their achievements, exchange innovative ideas and create solid international links, setting the trend for future developments in this important and creative field. The topics treated in this volume are mechanisms and machine design, mechanical transmissions, mechatronic and biomechanic applications, computational and experimental methods, history of mechanism and machine science and teaching methods.

The physical processes which initiate and maintain motion have been a major concern of serious investigation throughout the evolution of scientific thought. As early as the fifth century B. C. questions regarding motion were presented as touchstones for the most fundamental concepts about existence. Such wide ranging philosophical issues are beyond the scope of this book, however, consider the paradox of the flying arrow attri buted to Zeno of Elea: An arrow is shot from point A to point B requiring a sequence of time instants to traverse the distance. Now, for any time instant, T, of the sequence the arrow is at a position, Pi' and at Ti+! the i arrow is at Pi+i> with Pi ::I-P+* Clearly, each Ti must be a singular time i 1 unit at which the arrow is at rest at Pi because if the arrow were moving during Ti there would be a further sequence, Til' of time instants required for the arrow to traverse the smaller distance. Now, regardless of the level to which this recursive argument is applied, one is left with the flight of the arrow comprising a sequence of positions at which the arrow is at rest. The original intent of presenting this paradox has been interpreted to be as an argument against the possibility of individuated objects moving in space.

In the past decade a critical mass of work that uses fuzzy logic for autonomous vehicle navigation has been reported. Unfortunately, reports of this work are scattered among conference, workshop, and journal publications that belong to different research communities (fuzzy logic, robotics, artificial intelligence, intelligent control) and it is therefore not easily accessible either to the new comer or to the specialist. As a result, researchers in this area may end up reinventing things while being unaware of important existing work. We believe that research and applications based on fuzzy logic in the field of autonomous vehicle navigation have now reached a sufficient level of maturity, and that it should be suitably reported to the largest possible group of interested practitioners, researches, and students. On these grounds, we have endeavored to collect some of the most representative pieces of work in one volume to be used as a reference. Our aim was to provide a volume which is more than "yet another random collection of papers," and gives the reader some added value with respect to the individual papers. In order to achieve this goal we have aimed at: * Selecting contributions which are representative of a wide range of prob lems and solutions and which have been validated on real robots; and * Setting the individual contributions in a clear framework, that identifies the main problems of autonomous robotics for which solutions based on fuzzy logic have been proposed.

Robot intelligence has become a major focus of intelligent robotics. Recent innovation in computational intelligence including fuzzy learning, neural networks, evolutionary computation and classical Artificial Intelligence provides sufficient theoretical and experimental foundations for enabling robots to undertake a variety of tasks with reasonable performance. This book reflects the recent advances in the field from an advanced knowledge processing perspective; there have been attempts to solve knowledge based information explosion constraints by integrating computational intelligence in the robotics context.

Hopping, climbing and swimming robots, nano-size neural networks, motorless walkers, slime mould and chemical brains - "Artificial Life Models in Hardware" offers unique designs and prototypes of life-like creatures in conventional hardware and hybrid bio-silicon systems. Ideas and implementations of living phenomena in non-living substrates cast a colourful picture of state-of-art advances in hardware models of artificial life.

Intended for self-study, this second volume presents a systematic approach for deriving model equations of planar and spatial mechanisms. The necessary theoretical foundations have been laid in the first volume. The focus is on the application of the modeling methodology to various examples of rigid-body mechanisms, simple planar ones as well as more challenging spatial problems. A rich variety of joint models, active constraints, as well as active and passive force elements is treated. The book is intended for self-study by working engineers and students concerned with the control of mechanical systems, i.e. robotics, mechatronics, vehicles, and machine tools. Its examples can be used as models for university lectures.

Since the late 1960s, there has been a revolution in robots and industrial automation, from the design of robots with no computing or sensorycapabilities (first-generation), to the design of robots with limited computational power and feedback capabilities (second-generation), and the design of intelligent robots (third-generation), which possess diverse sensing and decision making capabilities. The development of the theory of intelligent machines has been developed in parallel to the advances in robot design. This theory is the natural outcome of research and development in classical control (1950s), adaptive and learning control (1960s), self-organizing control (1970s) and intelligent control systems (1980s). The theory of intelligent machines involves utilization and integration of concepts and ideas from the diverse disciplines of science, engineering and mathematics, and fields like artificial intelligence, system theory and operations research. The main focus and motivation is to bridge the gap between diverse disciplines involved and bring under a common cover several generic methodologies pertaining to what has been defined as machine intelligence. Intelligent robotic systems are a specific application of intelligent machines. They are complex computer controlled robotic systems equipped with a diverse set of visual and non visual sensors and possess decision making and problem solving capabilities within their domain of operation. Their modeling and control is accomplished via analytical and heuristic methodologies and techniques pertaining to generalized system theory and artificial intelligence. Intelligent Robotic Systems: Theory, Design and Applications, presents and justifies the fundamental concepts and ideas associated with the modeling and analysis of intelligent robotic systems. Appropriate for researchers and engineers in the general area of robotics and automation, Intelligent Robotic Systems is both a solid reference as well as a text for a graduate level course in intelligent robotics/machines.

In recent yearswe haveseen considerableadvances in the development of - manoid robots, that is robots with an anthropomorphic design. Such robots should be capable of autonomously performing tasks for their human users in changing environments by adapting to these and to the circumstances at hand. To do so, they as well as any kind of autonomous robot need to have some way of understanding the world around them. We humans do so by our senses, both our far senses vision and hearing (smelling too) and our near senses touch and taste. Vision plays a special role in the way it simulta- ously tells us "where" and "what" in a direct way. It is therefore an accepted factthatto developautonomousrobots,humanoidornot,itisessentialto- clude competent systems for visual perception. Such systems should embody techniques from the ?eld of computer vision, in which sophisticated com- tational methods for extracting information from visual imagery have been developed over a number of decades. However, complete systems incorpor- ing such advanced techniques, while meeting the requirements of real-time processing and adaptivity to the complexity that even our everyday envir- ment displays, are scarce. The present volume takes an important step for ?lling this gap by presenting methods and a system for visual perception for a humanoid robot with speci?c applications to manipulation tasks and to how the robot can learn by imitating the human.

Robotics is a modern interdisciplinary field that has emerged from the marriage of computerized numerical control and remote manipulation. Today's robotic systems have intelligence features, and are able to perform dexterous and intelligent human-like actions through appropriate combination of learning, perception, planning, decision making and control. This book presents advanced concepts, techniques and applications reflecting the experience of a wide group of specialists in the field. Topics include: kinematics, dynamics, path planning and tracking, control, mobile robotics, navigation, robot programming, and sophisticated applications in the manufacturing, medical, and other areas.

Spiking neural networks (SNN) are biologically inspired computational models that represent and process information internally as trains of spikes. This monograph book presents the classical theory and applications of SNN, including original author's contribution to the area. The book introduces for the first time not only deep learning and deep knowledge representation in the human brain and in brain-inspired SNN, but takes that further to develop new types of AI systems, called in the book brain-inspired AI (BI-AI). BI-AI systems are illustrated on: cognitive brain data, including EEG, fMRI and DTI; audio-visual data; brain-computer interfaces; personalized modelling in bio-neuroinformatics; multisensory streaming data modelling in finance, environment and ecology; data compression; neuromorphic hardware implementation. Future directions, such as the integration of multiple modalities, such as quantum-, molecular- and brain information processing, is presented in the last chapter. The book is a research book for postgraduate students, researchers and practitioners across wider areas, including computer and information sciences, engineering, applied mathematics, bio- and neurosciences.

Parallel robots are closed-loop mechanisms presenting very good performances in terms of accuracy, velocity, rigidity and ability to manipulate large loads. They have been used in a large number of applications ranging from astronomy to flight simulators and are becoming increasingly popular in the field of machine-tool industry. This book presents a complete synthesis of the latest results on the possible mechanical architectures, analysis and synthesis of this type of mechanism. It is intended to be used by students (with over 150 exercises and numerous internet addresses), researchers (with over 650 references and anonymous ftp access to the code of some algorithms presented in this book) and engineers (for which practical results, mistakes to avoid, and applications are presented). Since the publication of the first edition (2000) there has been an impressive increase in terms of study and use of this kind of structure that are reported in this book. This second edition has been completely overhauled. The initial chapter on kinematics has been split into Inverse Kinematics and Direct Kinematics. A new chapter on calibration was added. The other chapters have also been rewritten to a large extent. The reference section has been updated to include around 45% new works that appeared after the first edition.

This thesis proposes an effective methodology for enhancing the perceptual capabilities and achieving interaction control of the iCub humanoid robot. The method is based on the integration of measurements from different sensors (force/torque, inertial and tactile sensors) distributed along the robot's kinematic chain. Humanoid robots require a substantial amount of sensor information to create their own representations of the surrounding environment. Tactile perception is of primary importance for the exploration process. Also in humans, the tactile system is completely functional at birth. In humanoid robotics, the measurements of forces and torques that the robot exchanges with its surroundings are essential for safe interaction with the environment and with humans. The approach proposed in this thesis can successfully enhance the perceptual capabilities of robots by exploiting only a limited number of both localized and distributed sensors, providing a feasible and convenient solution for achieving active compliance control of humanoid robots.

Predictive Intelligence in Biomedical and Health Informatics focuses on imaging, computer-aided diagnosis and therapy as well as intelligent biomedical image processing and analysis. It develops computational models, methods and tools for biomedical engineering related to computer-aided diagnostics (CAD), computer-aided surgery (CAS), computational anatomy and bioinformatics. Large volumes of complex data are often a key feature of biomedical and engineering problems and computational intelligence helps to address such problems. Practical and validated solutions to hard biomedical and engineering problems can be developed by the applications of neural networks, support vector machines, reservoir computing, evolutionary optimization, biosignal processing, pattern recognition methods and other techniques to address complex problems of the real world.

As the use and relevance of robotics for countless scientific purposes grows all the time, research into the many diverse elements of the subject becomes ever more important and in demand. This volume examines in depth the most topical, complex issues of modelling and identification in robotics. The book is divided into three main parts. The !first part is devoted to robot dynamics modelling and identification of robot and load parameters, incorporating friction torques, discussing identification schemes, and presenting simulations and experiment al results of robot and load dynamic parameters identification. A general concept of robot programming language for research and educational purposes is examined and there is a detailed outline of its basic structures along with hardware requirements, which both constitute an open robot controller architecture. Finally a hybrid controller is derived, and several experimental results of this system are outlined. This impressive discussion of the topic covers both the theoretical and practical, illustrated throughout by examples and experimental results, and will be of value to anyone researching or practising within the field of robotics, automation and system i dentification or to control engineers.

Especially designed as self-sustaining oscillating systems, resonant robotic systems use the natural modes of oscillation of electromechanical modules for their movements. In fact, manipulator systems built on these principles demonstrate record-breaking characteristics in performance. The authors summarize the results and experience of research on, and development of, resonant robotic systems. For the readers convenience, a presentation of design concepts is followed by solutions to new dynamical and control problems. The book is intended for designers, researchers and graduate students.

This monograph provides comprehensive guidelines on the current and future trends of innovative simulation systems. In particular, their important components, such as augmented reality and unmanned vehicles are presented. The book consists of three parts. Each part presents good practices, new methods, concepts of systems and new algorithms. Presented challenges and solutions are the results of research and conducted by the contributing authors. The book describes and evaluates the current state of knowledge in the field of innovative simulation systems. Throughout the chapters there are presented current issues and concepts of systems, technology, equipment, tools, research challenges and current, past and future applications of simulation systems. The book is addressed to a wide audience: academic staff, representatives of research institutions, employees of companies and government agencies as well as students and graduates of technical universities in the country and abroad. The book can be a valuable source of information for constructors and developers of innovative simulation systems and their components. Scientists and researchers involved in mechanics, control algorithms, image processing, computer vision or data fusion can find many valuable suggestions and solutions.

Digital Industry can provide the framework for examining the challenges of future production technology. This book describes some of the various aspects that can, and may, influence future manufacturing. Computational intelligence techniques, cyber-physical systems, virtual and cloud-based manufacturing and man-machine interaction are studied and some of the most recent research completed by international experts in industry and academia is considered. Case studies provide practical solutions.

Distributed robotics is a rapidly growing, interdisciplinary research area lying at the intersection of computer science, communication and control systems, and electrical and mechanical engineering. The goal of the Symposium on Distributed Autonomous Robotic Systems (DARS) is to exchange and stimulate research ideas to realize advanced distributed robotic systems.

This volume of proceedings includes 43 original contributions presented at the Tenth International Symposium on Distributed Autonomous Robotic Systems (DARS 2010), which was held in November 2010 at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland. The selected papers in this volume are authored by leading researchers from Asia, Europa, and the Americas, thereby providing a broad coverage and perspective of the state-of-the-art technologies, algorithms, system architectures, and applications in distributed robotic systems. The book is organized into four parts, each representing one critical and long-term research thrust in the multi-robot community: distributed sensing (Part I); localization, navigation, and formations (Part II); coordination algorithms and formal methods (Part III); modularity, distributed manipulation, and platforms (Part IV). "

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.

How will artificial intelligence change our world within twenty years?

AI will be the defining development of the twenty-first century. Within two decades, aspects of daily human life will be unrecognizable. AI will generate unprecedented wealth, revolutionize medicine and education through human-machine symbiosis, and create brand new forms of communication and entertainment. However, AI will also challenge the organizing principles of our economic and social order and bring new risks in the form of autonomous weapons and smart technology that inherits human bias. AI is at a tipping point, and people need to wake up-both to AI's radiant pathways and its existential perils for life as we know it.

In this provocative, utterly original work of "scientific fiction," Kai-Fu Lee, the former president of Google China and bestselling author of AI Superpowers, joins forces with celebrated novelist Chen Qiufan to imagine our AI world in 2041 in ten gripping short stories.

Gazing toward a not-so-distant horizon, AI 2041 offers urgent insights into our collective future and reminds us that we are the authors of our own destiny.

This book highlights relevant studies and applications in the area of robotics, which reflect the latest research, from interdisciplinary theoretical studies and computational algorithm development, to representative applications. It presents chapters on advanced control, such as fuzzy, neural, backstepping, sliding mode, adaptive, predictive, diagnosis and fault tolerant control etc. and addresses topics including cloud robotics, cable-driven robots, two-wheeled robots, mobile robots, swarm robots, hybrid vehicle, and drones. Each chapter employs a uniform structure: background, motivation, quantitative development (equations), case studies/illustration/tutorial (simulations, experiences, curves, tables, etc.), allowing readers to easily tailor the techniques to their own applications.