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.

Humanoid Robots: Modeling and Control provides systematic presentation of the models used in the analysis, design and control of humanoid robots. The book starts with a historical overview of the field, a summary of the current state of the art achievements and an outline of the related fields of research. It moves on to explain the theoretical foundations in terms of kinematic, kineto-static and dynamic relations. Further on, a detailed overview of biped balance control approaches is presented. Models and control algorithms for cooperative object manipulation with a multi-finger hand, a dual-arm and a multi-robot system are also discussed. One of the chapters is devoted to selected topics from the area of motion generation and control and their applications. The final chapter focuses on simulation environments, specifically on the step-by-step design of a simulator using the Matlab (R) environment and tools. This book will benefit readers with an advanced level of understanding of robotics, mechanics and control such as graduate students, academic and industrial researchers and professional engineers. Researchers in the related fields of multi-legged robots, biomechanics, physical therapy and physics-based computer animation of articulated figures can also benefit from the models and computational algorithms presented in the book.

Creating Precision Robots: A Project-Based Approach to the Study of Mechatronics and Robotics shows how to use a new "Cardboard Engineering" technique for the handmade construction of three precision microcomputer controlled robots that hit, throw and shoot. Throughout the book, the authors ensure that mathematical concepts and physical principles are not only rigorously described, but also go hand-in-hand with the design and constructional techniques of the working robot. Detailed theory, building plans and instructions, electric circuits and software algorithms are also included, along with the importance of tolerancing and the correct use of numbers in programming. The book is designed for students and educators who need a detailed description, mathematical analysis, design solutions, engineering drawings, electric circuits and software coding for the design and construction of real bench-top working robots.

Robots That Talk and Listen provides a forward-looking examination of speech and language in robots from technical, functional, and social perspectives. Contributors address cultural foundations as well as the linguistic skills and technologies that robots need to function effectively in real-world settings. Among the most difficult and complex is the ability to understand and use language. Speech-enabled automata are already serving as interactive toys, teacher's aides, and research assistants. These robots will soon be joined by personal companions, industrial co-workers, and military support automata. The social impact of these and other robots extends well beyond the specific tasks they perform. Contributors tackle the most knotty of those issues, notably acceptance of advanced, speech-enabled robots and developing ethical and moral controls for robots. Topics in this book include: * Language and Beyond: The True Meaning of "Speech Enabled" * Robots in Myth and Media * Enabling Robots to Converse * Language Learning by Automata * Handling Noisy Settings * Empirical Studies of Robots in Real-World Environments * Acceptance of Intelligent Robots * Managing Robots that Can Lie and Deceive * Envisioning a World Shared with Intelligent Robots

Wearable Technology in Medicine and Health Care provides readers with the most current research and information on the clinical and biomedical applications of wearable technology. Wearable devices provide applicability and convenience beyond many other means of technical interface and can include varying applications, such as personal entertainment, social communications and personalized health and fitness. The book covers the rapidly expanding development of wearable systems, thus enabling clinical and medical applications, such as disease management and rehabilitation. Final chapters discuss the challenges inherent to these rapidly evolving technologies.

The present book includes a set of selected extended papers from the 12th International Conference on Informatics in Control, Automation and Robotics (ICINCO 2015), held in Colmar, France, from 21 to 23 July 2015. The conference brought together researchers, engineers and practitioners interested in the application of informatics to Control, Automation and Robotics. Four simultaneous tracks will be held, covering Intelligent Control Systems, Optimization, Robotics, Automation, Signal Processing, Sensors, Systems Modelling and Control, and Industrial Engineering, Production and Management. Informatics applications are pervasive in many areas of Control, Automation and Robotics. ICINCO 2015 received 214 submissions, from 42 countries, in all continents. After a double blind paper review performed by the Program Committee, 14% were accepted as full papers and thus selected for oral presentation. Additional papers were accepted as short papers and posters. A further selection was made after the Conference, based also on the assessment of presentation quality and audience interest, so that this book includes the extended and revised versions of the very best papers of ICINCO 2015. Commitment to high quality standards is a major concern of ICINCO that will be maintained in the next editions, considering not only the stringent paper acceptance ratios but also the quality of the program committee, keynote lectures, participation level and logistics.

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.

Cooperative and Graph Signal Processing: Principles and Applications presents the fundamentals of signal processing over networks and the latest advances in graph signal processing. A range of key concepts are clearly explained, including learning, adaptation, optimization, control, inference and machine learning. Building on the principles of these areas, the book then shows how they are relevant to understanding distributed communication, networking and sensing and social networks. Finally, the book shows how the principles are applied to a range of applications, such as Big data, Media and video, Smart grids, Internet of Things, Wireless health and Neuroscience. With this book readers will learn the basics of adaptation and learning in networks, the essentials of detection, estimation and filtering, Bayesian inference in networks, optimization and control, machine learning, signal processing on graphs, signal processing for distributed communication, social networks from the perspective of flow of information, and how to apply signal processing methods in distributed settings.

This book investigates Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) with a payload capacity of one metric ton for transportation. The authors provide a large variety of perspectives-from economics to technical realization. With the focus on such heavy-lift cargo UAS, the authors consider recently established methods for approval and certification, which they expect to be disruptive for unmanned aviation. In particular, the Specific Operations Risk Assessment (SORA) and its impact on the presented technological solutions and operational concepts are studied. Starting with the assumption of an operation over sparsely populated areas and below common air traffic, diverse measures to further reduce operational risks are proposed. Operational concepts derived from logistics use-cases set the context for an in-depth analysis including aircraft and system design, safe autonomy as well as airspace integration and datalinks. Results from simulations and technology demonstrations are presented as a proof of concept for solutions proposed in this book.

This book provides methodologies for designing and implementing guidance algorithms for autonomous vehicles. These algorithms make important decision regarding how to steer and drive a ground vehicle in order to safely stay on an intended path, thereby making the vehicle driverless. The design tools provided in this book enable the reader to develop highly practical and real-world implementable guidance algorithms that will deliver high-accuracy driving for field vehicles. (They are equally applicable for on-road vehicles.) The book covers a variety of vehicle types, including wheeled vehicles, tracked vehicles, wheeled and tracked vehicles towing trailers, and four-wheel-steer and four-wheel-drive vehicles. It also covers active trailers that are driven and steered. Vehicles used in agriculture, mining and road construction are subjected to unpredictable and significant disturbances. The robust control methodologies presented can successfully compensate for these disturbances, as confirmed by the experimental results presented. Though the majority of the methodologies presented are based on sliding-mode controllers, other robust control methodologies are also discussed. To help the reader decide which controller is best suited for his/her choice of vehicle, experimental results are presented in a comparative format.

Novel perspectives on machine behaviour as it relates to behavioural science. A framework of terminology to empower discussion of AI within behavioural science. A compelling definition of hypernudging developed from AI and behavioural science principles.

This book offers an in-depth and recent account of the research in Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies and how it is impacting and shaping the field of international human resource management (IHRM). Grounded in contemporary developments in the field of technological change and the Future of Work and the fourth industrial revolution (4IR), the book lays down a solid foundation by offering a comprehensive review of the field of AI and IHRM. It includes empirical research, including case studies of global MNEs and conceptual chapters focusing on the impact of AI on IHRM practices and therefore business-level outcomes of productivity, efficiency, and effectiveness through the adoption of AI-assisted HR applications. The chapters in this volume evaluate individual IHRM practices and study how they impact employee-level outcomes of job satisfaction, personalization, employee commitment and so on. Finally, the book concludes by identifying current gaps in the literature and offers directions for future research for scholars to develop and advance future research agendas in the field. This volume will be of great use to researchers, academics and students in the fields of business and management, especially those with a particular interest in new age technologies of operating business. The chapters in this book, except for Conclusion, were originally published as a special issue of The International Journal of Human Resource Management.

This book addresses major challenges faced by farmers and the technological solutions based on Internet of Things (IoT). A major challenge in agriculture is cultivating and supplying high-quality produce at the best. Currently, around 50% of global farm produce never reaches the end consumer due to wastage and suboptimal prices. The book presents solutions that reduce the transport costs, improve the predictability of prices based on data analytics and the current market conditions, and reduce the number of middle steps and agents between the farmer and the end consumer. It discusses the design of an IoT-based monitoring system to analyze crop environments and a method to improve the efficiency of decision-making by analyzing harvest statistics. Further, it explores climate-smart methods, known as smart agriculture, that have been adopted by a number of Indian farmers.

Human Inspired Dexterity in Robotic Manipulation provides up-to-date research and information on how to imitate humans and realize robotic manipulation. Approaches from both software and hardware viewpoints are shown, with sections discussing, and highlighting, case studies that demonstrate how human manipulation techniques or skills can be transferred to robotic manipulation. From the hardware viewpoint, the book discusses important human hand structures that are key for robotic hand design and how they should be embedded for dexterous manipulation. This book is ideal for the research communities in robotics, mechatronics and automation.

Walking machines have potential advantages over traditional vehicles, and they have already succeeded in carrying out many tasks that wheeled or tracked robots cannot handle. Nevertheless, their use in industry and services is currently limited in scope. Quadrupedal Locomotion: An Introduction to the Control of Four-legged Robots brings together some of the methods and techniques in this emerging field that have recently been developed in an effort to deal with the problems that currently prevent legged robots being more widely used for real applications.

Quadrupedal Locomotion: An Introduction to the Control of Four-legged Robots illustrates the appropriate algorithms and methods through a discussion of simulation and experiments that have been tested on a real machine, the SILO4 walking robot. Data from the experiments can be found on-line at http: //www.iai.csic.es/users/silo4/. This book is divided into two parts: the first part, Walking Measurements and Algorithms, introduces the historical development of quadrupeds, their advantages/disadvantages and potential uses, and the trade-off between quadrupeds and hexapods. The second part, Control Techniques, concentrates on general techniques that have been specifically applied to legged robots, including kinematic and dynamic models, soft computing techniques to increase speed, virtual sensors that help reduce the electronic burden of the machine, and software simulators to study and test certain robot properties.

As the first book to focus specifically on quadrupeds, Quadrupedal Locomotion: An Introduction to the Control of Four-legged Robots will be suitable for researchers, postgraduates and senior undergraduates inthe field of robotics as well as engineers working in industry.

The text covers recent advances in artificial intelligence, smart computing, and their applications in augmenting medical and health care systems. It will serve as an ideal reference text for graduate students and academic researchers in diverse engineering fields including electrical, electronics and communication, computer, and biomedical. The book- Presents architecture, characteristics, and applications of artificial intelligence and smart computing in health care systems Highlight privacy issues faced in health care and health informatics using artificial intelligence and smart computing technologies. Discusses nature-inspired computing algorithms for the brain-computer interface. Covers graph neural network application in the medical domain. Provides insights into the state-of-the-art Artificial Intelligence and Smart Computing enabling and emerging technologies. This book text discusses recent advances and applications of artificial intelligence and smart technologies in the field of healthcare. It highlights privacy issues faced in health care and health informatics using artificial intelligence and smart computing technologies. It covers nature-inspired computing algorithms such as genetic algorithms, particle swarm optimization algorithms, and common scrambling algorithms to study brain-computer interfaces. It will serve as an ideal reference text for graduate students and academic researchers in the fields of electrical engineering, electronics and communication engineering, computer engineering, and biomedical engineering.

This book covers a variety of problems, and offers solutions to some, in: Statistical state and parameter estimation in nonlinear stochastic dynamical system in both the classical and quantum scenarios Propagation of electromagnetic waves in a plasma as described by the Boltzmann Kinetic Transport Equation Classical and Quantum General Relativity It will be of use to Engineering undergraduate students interested in analysing the motion of robots subject to random perturbation, and also to research scientists working in Quantum Filtering.

- The author is one of the most influential AI reseachers of recent decades. - Written in an accessible language, the book provides a probing account of AI today and proposes a new narrative to connect and make sense of events that happened in the recent tumultuous past and enable us to think soberly about the road ahead. - The book is divided into ten carefully crafted and easily-digestible chapters, each grapples with an important question for AI, ranging from the scientific concepts that underpin the technology to wider implications for society, using real examples wherever possible.

This book offers a timely and comprehensive snapshot of research and developments in the field of control engineering. Covering a wide range of theoretical and practical issues, the contributions describes a number of different control approaches, such adaptive control, fuzzy and neuro-fuzzy control, remote and robust control systems, real time an fault tolerant control, among others. Sensors and actuators, measurement systems, renewable energy systems, aerospace systems as well as industrial control and automation, are also comprehensively covered. Based on the proceedings of the 14th APCA International Conference on Automatic Control and Soft Computing, held on July 1-3, 2020, in Braganca, Portugal, the book offers a timely and thoroughly survey of the latest research in the field of control, and a source of inspiration for researchers and professionals worldwide.

This book is the fifth volume in the successful book series Robot Operating System: The Complete Reference. The objective of the book is to provide the reader with comprehensive coverage on the Robot Operating System (ROS), which is currently considered to be the primary development framework for robotics applications, and the latest trends and contributing systems. The content is divided into six parts. Pat I presents for the first time the emerging ROS 2.0 framework, while Part II focuses on multi-robot systems, namely on SLAM and Swarm coordination. Part III provides two chapters on autonomous systems, namely self-driving cars and unmanned aerial systems. In turn, Part IV addresses the contributions of simulation frameworks for ROS. In Part V, two chapters explore robotic manipulators and legged robots. Finally, Part VI presents emerging topics in monocular SLAM and a chapter on fault tolerance systems for ROS. Given its scope, the book will offer a valuable companion for ROS users and developers, helping them deepen their knowledge of ROS capabilities and features.