- the book provides a short and accessible introduction to AI for learners - it examines seven different educational roles and settings, from AI as a peer to AI as a tutor and AI as textbook, among others - it considers both opportunities and risks: technological developments as well as ethical considerations

This open access book focuses on robot introspection, which has a direct impact on physical human-robot interaction and long-term autonomy, and which can benefit from autonomous anomaly monitoring and diagnosis, as well as anomaly recovery strategies. In robotics, the ability to reason, solve their own anomalies and proactively enrich owned knowledge is a direct way to improve autonomous behaviors. To this end, the authors start by considering the underlying pattern of multimodal observation during robot manipulation, which can effectively be modeled as a parametric hidden Markov model (HMM). They then adopt a nonparametric Bayesian approach in defining a prior using the hierarchical Dirichlet process (HDP) on the standard HMM parameters, known as the Hierarchical Dirichlet Process Hidden Markov Model (HDP-HMM). The HDP-HMM can examine an HMM with an unbounded number of possible states and allows flexibility in the complexity of the learned model and the development of reliable and scalable variational inference methods. This book is a valuable reference resource for researchers and designers in the field of robot learning and multimodal perception, as well as for senior undergraduate and graduate university students.

This book presents interdisciplinary research that pursues the mutual enrichment of neuroscience and robotics. Building on experimental work, and on the wealth of literature regarding the two cortical pathways of visual processing - the dorsal and ventral streams - we define and implement, computationally and on a real robot, a functional model of the brain areas involved in vision-based grasping actions. Grasping in robotics is largely an unsolved problem, and we show how the bio-inspired approach is successful in dealing with some fundamental issues of the task. Our robotic system can safely perform grasping actions on different unmodeled objects, denoting especially reliable visual and visuomotor skills. The computational model and the robotic experiments help in validating theories on the mechanisms employed by the brain areas more directly involved in grasping actions. This book offers new insights and research hypotheses regarding such mechanisms, especially for what concerns the interaction between the dorsal and ventral streams. Moreover, it helps in establishing a common research framework for neuroscientists and roboticists regarding research on brain functions.

Precision Motion Systems: Modeling, Control, and Applications presents basic dynamics and the control knowledge needed for the daily challenges of researchers and professionals working in the field. The book explains accurate dynamics and control algorithms, along with experimental validation of precision systems in industrial, medical, airborne and spaceborne applications. By using the proposed experimental designs, readers will be able to make further developments and validations.

This volume presents the latest research and industrial applications in the areas of mechanism science, robotics and dynamics. The respective contributions cover such topics as computational kinematics, control issues in mechanical systems, mechanisms for medical rehabilitation, mechanisms for minimally invasive techniques, cable robots, design issues for mechanisms and robots, and the teaching and history of mechanisms. Written by leading researchers and engineers, and selected by means of a rigorous international peer-review process, the papers highlight numerous exciting ideas that will spur novel research directions and foster multidisciplinary collaborations. They reflect the outcomes of the 8th European Conference on Mechanism Science (EuCoMeS) in 2020.

This proceedings book presents papers from the 10th Cambridge Workshops on Universal Access and Assistive Technology. The CWUAAT series of workshops have celebrated a long history of interdisciplinarity, including design disciplines, computer scientists, engineers, architects, ergonomists, ethnographers, ethicists, policymakers, practitioners, and user communities. This reflects the wider increasing realisation over the long duration of the series that design for inclusion is not limited to technology, engineering disciplines, and computer science but instead requires an interdisciplinary approach. The key to this is providing a platform upon which the different disciplines can engage and see each other's antecedents, methods, and point of view. This proceedings book of the 10th CWUAAT conference presents papers in a variety of topics including Reconciling usability, accessibility, and inclusive design; Designing inclusive assistive and rehabilitation systems; Designing cognitive interaction with emerging technologies; Designing inclusive architecture; Data mining and visualising inclusion; Legislation, standards, and policy in inclusive design; Situational inclusive interfaces; and The historical perspective: 20 years of CWUAAT. CWUAAT has always aimed to be inclusive in the fields that it invites to the workshop. We must include social science, psychologies, anthropologies, economists, politics, governance, and business. This requirement is now energised by imminent new challenges arising from techno-social change. In particular, artificial intelligence, wireless technologies, and the Internet of Things generate a pressing need for more socially integrated projects with operational consequences on individuals in the built environment and at all levels of design and society. Business cases and urgent environmental issues such as sustainability and transportation should now be a focus point for inclusion in an increasingly challenging world. This proceedings book continues the goal of designing for inclusion, as set out by the CWUAAT when it first started.

This book shares important findings on the application of robotics in industry using advanced mechanisms, including software and hardware. It presents a collection of recent trends and research on various advanced computing paradigms such as soft computing, robotics, smart automation, power control, and uncertainty analysis. The book constitutes the proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Application of Robotics in Industry using Advanced Mechanisms (ARIAM2019), which offered a platform for sharing original research findings, presenting innovative ideas and applications, and comparing notes on various aspects of robotics. The contributions highlight the latest research and industrial applications of robotics, and discuss approaches to improving the smooth functioning of industries. Moreover, they focus on designing solutions for complex engineering problems and designing system components or processes to meet specific needs, with due considerations for public health and safety, including cultural, societal, and environmental considerations. Taken together, they offer a valuable resource for researchers, scientists, engineers, professionals and students alike.

These proceedings showcase the best papers selected from more than 500 submissions, and introduce readers to the hottest research topics and the latest developmental trends in the theory and application of MMESE. The integrated and advanced science research topic Man-Machine-Environment System Engineering (MMESE) was first established in China by Professor Shengzhao Long in 1981, with direct support from one of the greatest modern Chinese scientists, Xuesen Qian. In a letter to Long from October 22nd, 1993, Qian wrote: "You have created a very important modern science and technology in China!" MMESE primarily focuses on the relationship between Man, Machine and Environment, studying the optimum combination of man-machine-environment systems. In this system, "Man" refers to working people as the subject in the workplace (e.g. operators, decision-makers); "Machine" is the general name for any object controlled by Man (including tools, machinery, computers, systems and technologies), and "Environment" describes the specific working conditions under which Man and Machine interact (e.g. temperature, noise, vibration, hazardous gases etc.). The three main goals of optimizing man-machine-environment systems are to ensure safety, efficiency and economy. These proceedings present interdisciplinary studies on essential concepts and methods from physiology, psychology, system engineering, computer science, environmental science, management, education, and other related disciplines. As such, they offer a valuable resource for all researchers and professionals whose work involves interdisciplinary areas touching on MMESE subjects.

This open access book assesses the potential of data-driven methods in industrial process monitoring engineering. The process modeling, fault detection, classification, isolation, and reasoning are studied in detail. These methods can be used to improve the safety and reliability of industrial processes. Fault diagnosis, including fault detection and reasoning, has attracted engineers and scientists from various fields such as control, machinery, mathematics, and automation engineering. Combining the diagnosis algorithms and application cases, this book establishes a basic framework for this topic and implements various statistical analysis methods for process monitoring. This book is intended for senior undergraduate and graduate students who are interested in fault diagnosis technology, researchers investigating automation and industrial security, professional practitioners and engineers working on engineering modeling and data processing applications. This is an open access book.

This monograph covers theoretical and practical aspects of the problem of autonomous guiding of unmanned aerial manipulators using visual information. For the estimation of the vehicle state (position, orientation, velocity, and acceleration), the authors propose a method that relies exclusively on the use of low-cost and highrate sensors together with low-complexity algorithms. This is particularly interesting for applications in which on board computation with low computation power is needed. Another relevant topic covered in this monograph is visual servoing. The authors present an uncalibrated visual servo scheme, capable of estimating at run time, the camera focal length from the observation of a tracked target. The monograph also covers several control techniques, which achieve a number of tasks, such as robot and arm positioning, improve stability and enhance robot arm motions. All methods discussed in this monograph are demonstrated in simulation and through real robot experimentation. The text is appropriate for readers interested in state estimation and control of aerial manipulators, and is a reference book for people who work in mobile robotics research in general.

This book introduces readers to using the simple but effective Zhang-gradient (ZG) method to solve tracking-control problems concerning various nonlinear systems, while also highlighting the applications of the ZG method to tracking control for practical systems, e.g. an inverted-pendulum-on-a-cart (IPC) system and a two-wheeled mobile robot (showing its potential applications). In addition to detailed theoretical analyses of ZG controllers, the book presents a wealth of computer simulations to demonstrate the feasibility and efficacy of the controllers discussed (as well as the method itself). More importantly, the superiority of ZG controllers in overcoming the division-by-zero (DBZ) problem is also illustrated. Given its scope and format, the book is well suited for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as academic and industrial researchers in the fields of neural dynamics/neural networks, nonlinear control, computer mathematics, time-varying problem solving, modeling and simulation, analog hardware, and robotics.

This book presents an introduction to the analysis of general movements in 3D space, especially for movements of the human body. It is based on the lecture notes of a class on 3D Kinematics, which the author has been holding in the Master Degree Program of his home institution, the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria. The lecture introduces the mathematics underlying the measurement and analysis of 3D movements. The target audience primarily comprises research experts in the field, but the book may also be beneficial for graduate students alike.

When Sony began their robot research project in 1993, it is doubtful even their brightest marketing minds could have suspected how popular their Entertainment Robot would become, nor could they have expected that sales of the first AIBO would earn a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. Sony's AIBO is not a kid's toy; it is computer hardware in a cute case running a sophisticated software program. Owning an AIBO is very much like having a bio pet without the mess. Of course, how many real dogs or cats can read your email to you or upload photographs to their own online blog? AIBO appeals to people of all ages throughout the globe many of whom are participants in online communities dedicated to AIBO. This book is written for the first time AIBO owner as well as the AIBO enthusiast. It contains tips to avoid scams when buying used AIBOs, resources for downloadable programs, links to AIBO sites and resources, and photographs of AIBOs provided by AIBO owners.

Machines will gradually become programmed using computers which have the knowledge of how the objects in the world relate to one another. This book capitalizes on the fact that products which are manufactured can be designed on the computer and that information about the product such as its physical shape provide powerful information to reason about how to develop the process plan for their manufacture. This book explores the whole aspect of using the principles of how parts behave naturally to automatically generate programs that govern how to produce them. The last decade saw tremendous work on how machines can be programmed to perform a variety of tasks automatically. Robotics has witnessed the most work on programming techniques. But it was not until the emergence of the advanced CAD system as a proper source of information representation about objects which are to be manipulated by the robot that it became viable for automated processors to generate robot programs without human interface. It became possible for objects to be described and for principles about how they interact in the world to be developed. The functions which the features designed into the objects serve for the objects can be adequately represented and used in reasoning about the manufacturing of the parts using the robot. This book describes the necessary principles which must be developed for a robot to generate its own programs with the knowledge of the world in the CAD system.

This book studies how autonomous aerial robots physically interact with the surrounding environment. Intended to promote the advancement of aerial physical interaction, it analyzes a particular class of aerial robots: tethered aerial vehicles. By examining specific systems, while still considering the challenges of the general problem, it will help readers acquire the knowledge and expertise needed for the subsequent development of more general methods applicable to aerial physical interaction. The formal analysis covers topics ranging from control, state estimation, and motion planning, to experimental validation. Addressing both theoretical and technical aspects, the book is intended for a broad academic and industrial readership, including undergraduate students, researchers and engineers. It can be used as a teaching reference, or as the basis for product development.

Covers all the aspects of a flapping-wing vehicles needed to design one and understand how/why it flies. Explains related engineering practice including fabrication, materials, and manufacturing. Includes CFD analysis of 3D wing profile. Discusses image-based control of group of Ornithopters. Explores indigenous PCB design for achieving altitude and attitude control.

- Includes industrial case studies - Includes chapters on cyber physical systems, machine learning, deep learning, cyber security, robotics, smart manufacturing and predictive analytics - surveys current trends and challenges in metaheuristics and industry 4.0

Introduces a new web-based optimizer for Geometric algebra algorithms; Supports many programming languages as well as hardware; Covers the advantages of High-dimensional algebras; Includes geometrically intuitive support of quantum computing

This book reports on advanced topics in the areas of wearable robotics research and practice. It focuses on new technologies, including neural interfaces, soft wearable robots, sensors and actuators technologies, discussing industrially and medically-relevant issues, as well as legal and ethical aspects. It covers exemplary case studies highlighting challenges related to the implementation of wearable robots for different purposes, and describing advanced solutions. Based on the 5th International Symposium on Wearable Robotics, WeRob2020, and on WearRacon Europe 2020, which were both held online on October 13-16, 2020, the book addresses a large audience of academics and professionals working in for the government, in the industry, and in medical centers, as well as end-users alike. By merging together engineering, medical, ethical and industrial perspectives, it offers a multidisciplinary, timely snapshot of the field of wearable technologies.

This edited book comprises papers about the impacts, benefits and challenges of connected and automated cars. It is the third volume of the LNMOB series dealing with Road Vehicle Automation. The book comprises contributions from researchers, industry practitioners and policy makers, covering perspectives from the U.S., Europe and Japan. It is based on the Automated Vehicles Symposium 2015 which was jointly organized by the Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) and the Transportation Research Board (TRB) in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in July 2015. The topical spectrum includes, but is not limited to, public sector activities, human factors, ethical and business aspects, energy and technological perspectives, vehicle systems and transportation infrastructure. This book is an indispensable source of information for academic researchers, industrial engineers and policy makers interested in the topic of road vehicle automation.

This book is a collection of papers presented at XIV International Scientific Conference "INTERAGROMASH 2021", held at Don State Technical University, Rostov-on-Don, Russia, during 24-26 February 2021. The research results presented in this book cover applications of unmanned aerial systems, satellite-based applications for precision agriculture, proximal and remote sensing of soil and crop, spatial analysis, variable-rate technology, embedded sensing systems, drainage optimization and variable rate irrigation, wireless sensor networks, Internet of things, robotics, guidance and automation, software and mobile apps for precision agriculture, decision support for precision agriculture and data mining for precision agriculture.

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. It covers a broad range of topics, with sections on technological sensors and platforms, social robotics for assistance, assistance and care applications, health and medical support methodologies and technologies, as well as the analysis, modelling and design of AAL services. The book comprises a selection of the best papers presented at the 8th Italian Forum on Ambient Assisted Living (ForitAAL 2017), which was held in Genoa, Italy, in June 2017 and brought together researchers, technology teams and professional associations, as well as representatives of the Italian regions and advisors to the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research, with the goal of developing a consensus on how to improve provisions for the elderly and impaired. The respective contributions offer valuable insights into how the latest advances can help address the needs of the elderly and those with chronic health conditions. They also underscore the need for AAL to continue moving toward multidisciplinary integration, so as to embrace the various disciplines that place the user of services at the centre of the design process.

This book presents the theoretical research and application results of a study on flexible mechatronics (flexonics). Formulating distributed models in both time and spatial domains using a geometric approach, it presents a simple yet practical field-based sensing method for robotics and manufacturing, and illustrates its applications with examples such as exoskeletons, mobile sensor network and intelligent sensing.The book is of interest to researchers, engineers and graduate students in robotics, manufacturing and automation engineering who wish to learn the core principles, theories, technologies, and applications of flexonics.

This book is the volume of the proceedings for the 17th Edition of ISER. The goal of ISER (International Symposium on Experimental Robotics) symposia is to provide a single-track forum on the current developments and new directions of experimental robotics. The series has traditionally attracted a wide readership of researchers and practitioners interested to the advances and innovations of robotics technology. The 54 contributions cover a wide range of topics in robotics and are organized in 9 chapters: aerial robots, design and prototyping, field robotics, human-robot interaction, machine learning, mapping and localization, multi-robots, perception, planning and control. Experimental validation of algorithms, concepts, or techniques is the common thread running through this large research collection. Chapter "A New Conversion Method to Evaluate the Hazard Potential of Collaborative Robots in Free Collisions" is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.