Based on lecture notes on a space robotics course, this book offers a pedagogical introduction to the mechanics of space robots. After presenting an overview of the environments and conditions space robots have to work in, the author discusses a variety of manipulatory devices robots may use to perform their tasks. This is followed by a discussion of robot mobility in these environments and the various technical approaches. The last two chapters are dedicated to actuators, sensors and power systems used in space robots. This book fills a gap in the space technology literature and will be useful for students and for those who have an interest in the broad and highly interdisciplinary field of space robotics, and in particular in its mechanical aspects.

This textbook draws on the authors' experience gained by teaching courses for engineering students on e.g. vehicle mechanics, vehicle system design, and chassis design; and on their practical experience as engineering designers for vehicle and chassis components at a major automotive company. The book is primarily intended for students of automotive engineering, but also for all technicians and designers working in this field. Other enthusiastic engineers will also find it to be a useful technical guide. The present volume (The Automotive Chassis - Volume 1: Component Design) focuses on automotive chassis components, such as:* the structure, which is usually a ladder framework and supports all the remaining components of the vehicle;* the suspension for the mechanical linkage of the wheels;* the wheels and tires;* the steering system;* the brake system; and* the transmission system, used to apply engine torque to the driving wheels. This thoroughly revised and updated second edition presents recent developments, particularly in brake, steering, suspension and transmission subsystems. Special emphasis is given to modern control systems and control strategies.

This book is an introduction to automotive engineering, to give freshmen ideas about this technology. The text is subdivided in parts that cover all facets of the automobile, including legal and economic aspects related to industry and products, product configuration and fabrication processes, historic evolution and future developments.

The first part describes how motor vehicles were invented and evolved into the present product in more than 100 years of development. The purpose is not only to supply an historical perspective, but also to introduce and discuss the many solutions that were applied (and could be applied again) to solve the same basic problems of vehicle engineering. This part also briefly describes the evolution of automotive technologies and market, including production and development processes.

The second part deals with the description and function analysis of all car subsystems, such as:

. vehicle body,

. chassis, including wheels, suspensions, brakes and steering mechanisms,

. diesel and gasoline engines,

. electric motors, batteries, fuel cells, hybrid propulsion systems,

. driveline, including manual and automatic gearboxes.

This part addresses also many non-technical issues that influence vehicle design and production, such as social and economic impact of vehicles, market, regulations, particularly on pollution and safety.

In spite of the difficulty in forecasting the paths that will be taken by automotive technology, the third part tries to open a window on the future. It is not meant to make predictions that are likely to be wrong, but to discuss the trends of automotive research and innovation and to see the possible paths that may be taken to solve the many problems that are at present open or we can expect for the future.

The book is completed by two appendices about the contribution of computers in designing cars, particularly the car body and outlining fundamentals of vehicle mechanics, including aerodynamics, longitudinal (acceleration and braking) and transversal (path control) motion.

This textbook draws on the authors' experience gained by teaching courses for engineering students on e.g. vehicle mechanics, vehicle system design, and chassis design; and on their practical experience as engineering designers for vehicle and chassis components at a major automotive company. The book is primarily intended for students of automotive engineering, but also for all technicians and designers working in this field. Other enthusiastic engineers will also find it to be a useful technical guide. The present volume (The Automotive Chassis - Volume 2: System Design) focuses on the automotive chassis as a system, providing readers with the knowledge needed to integrate the individual components described in Volume 1 in a complex system that satisfies customers' expectations. Special emphasis is given to factors influencing system performance, including: - the influence of the powertrain on vehicle performance. Conventional, hybrid and electric powertrains are considered; - factors influencing vehicles' handling performance; - factors influencing vehicles' comfort performance; and - factors influencing vehicles' stability and strategies for accident avoidance (active safety). In addition, this second volume thoroughly covers topics that are usually neglected in other books about the automotive chassis, such as: - the basics of vehicle aerodynamics; - internal combustion engines, electric motors and batteries; and - mathematical modeling tools. This thoroughly revised second edition has been updated to reflect the latest advances in electric and hybrid vehicles, electronic control systems and autonomous driving.

The possibility that humans are not alone in the Universe and might in the future come in close contact with other intelligences is one of the most intriguing questions of human history and has deep implications for our understanding of the Universe and ourselves. In this book the subject is dealt with in an interdisciplinary way, giving the scientific and technological implications, discussing the philosophical and religious connotations and rebuffing the pseudo-scientific statements. Based on our current scientific understanding of the Universe, the possibility of extraterrestrial life is discussed, summarizing cosmic, chemical and biological evolution. What we now know of the Universe suggests that life is common and extraterrestrial intelligent life is a possibility. The problem of searching for extraterrestrial intelligent beings is often reduced to radio telescope technology or the possibility of decoding a possible message. In many cases the idea of ETIs is loaded with anthropomorphism. The author discusses problems such as: what is intelligence? What is consciousness? Should we expect ETIs to be conscious beings and other philosophical issues? also examined and the possibilities of true contact with other intelligent beings are considered. At the heart of this book is an examination of the viability of future astronautics which would enable closer human contact with ETI than through radio messages taking thousands of years to reach their destination. The possibility of faster-than-light space travel is considered. The book addresses readers with an interest in general science, but also those with a humanist background, interested in the great philosophical debate about human nature, in particular the question of whether there is other intelligent life in the Universe, and the author counterbalances recent theories such as 'rare earth'.

Addressing important practical aspects of nonlinear vibration analysis, this book presents cases rarely discussed in the existing literature yet are of considerable interest to researchers and practical engineers, such as rotor dynamics and torsional vibration of engines. The book can be used not only as a reference, but also as a graduate-level text, as it develops the subject from its foundations and contains problems and solutions for each chapter. The book begins with a discussion of vibrations in linear systems with one degree of freedom, providing a mathematical and physical basis for the subsequent chapters. Linear systems with many degrees of freedom serve to introduce the modal analysis of vibrations as well as some useful computational procedures. The book then turns to continuous linear systems, discussing both analytical solutions that provide physical insights as well as discretization techniques that supply tools for actual computation. The discussion of nonlinear vibrations includes a treatment of chaotic vibrations and other new insights. The book concludes with detailed discussions of the dynamics of rotating and reciprocating machinery.

Mechanical engineering,and engineering discipline born of the needs of the industrial revolution, is once again asked to do its substantial share in the call for industrial renewal. The general call is urgent as we face p- found issues of productivity and competitiveness that require engineering solutions, among others. The Mechanical Engineering Series is a series f- turing graduate texts and research monographs intended to address the need for information in contemporary areas of mechanical engineering. The series is conceived as a comprehensive one that covers a broad range of concentrations important to mechanical engineering graduate - ucation and research. We are fortunate to have a distinguished roster of series editors, each an expert in one of the areas of concentration. The names of the series editors are listed on page vi of this volume. The areas of concentration are applied mechanics, biomechanics, computational - chanics, dynamic systems and control, energetics, mechanics of materials, processing, thermal science, and tribology. Preface After15yearssincethepublicationofVibrationofStructuresandMachines and three subsequent editions a deep reorganization and updating of the material was felt necessary. This new book on the subject of Vibration dynamics and control is organized in a larger number of shorter chapters, hoping that this can be helpful to the reader. New materialhas been added and many points have been updated. A larger number of examples and of exercises have been included.

The aim of the book is to be a reference book in automotive technology, as far as automotive chassis (i.e. everything that is inside a vehicle except the engine and the body) is concerned. The book is a result of a decade of work heavily sponsored by the FIAT group (who supplied material, together with other automotive companies, and sponsored the work). The first volume deals with the design of automotive components and the second volume treats the various aspects of the design of a vehicle as a system.

This work serves as a reference concerning the automotive chassis, i.e. everything that is inside a vehicle except the engine and the body. It is the result of a decade of work mostly done by the FIAT group, who supplied material, together with other automotive companies, and sponsored the work. The first volume deals with the design of automotive components and the second volume treats the various aspects of the design of a vehicle as a system.

Road Vehicle Dynamics supplies students and technicians working in industry with both the theoretical background of mechanical and automotive engineering, and the know-how needed to perform numerical simulations. Bringing together the foundations of the discipline and its recent developments in a single text, the book is structured in three parts: it begins with a historical overview of road vehicles; then deals with the forces exchanged between the vehicle and the road, and the vehicle and the air; and finally, deals with the dynamic behavior of the vehicle in normal driving conditions with some extensions towards conditions encountered in high-speed racing. Coverage of contemporary automatic controls is included in this edition.

The aim of the book is to give an up-to-date review of rotor dynamics, dealing with basic topics as well as a number of specialized topics usually available only in journal articles. Part I deals with the classical topics of rotor dynamics, the dynamic behavior of linear, steady state rotating machines; simple models as well systems with many degrees of freedom obtained from finite element models. Part II, advanced rotor dynamics deals with some specialized topics on rotors, bearings, discs and blades. The accompanying CD-ROM includes a simplified version of the DYNROT code and two short videos.

The book starts with an historical overview of road vehicles. The first part deals with the forces exchanged between the vehicle and the road and the vehicle and the air with the aim of supplying the physical facts and the relevant mathematical models about the forces which dominate the dynamics of the vehicle.The second part deals with the dynamic behaviour of the vehicle in normal driving conditions with some extensions towards conditions encountered in high-speed racing driving.

This textbook draws on the authors' experience gained by teaching courses for engineering students on e.g. vehicle mechanics, vehicle system design, and chassis design; and on their practical experience as engineering designers for vehicle and chassis components at a major automotive company. The book is primarily intended for students of automotive engineering, but also for all technicians and designers working in this field. Other enthusiastic engineers will also find it to be a useful technical guide. The present volume (The Automotive Chassis - Volume 2: System Design) focuses on the automotive chassis as a system, providing readers with the knowledge needed to integrate the individual components described in Volume 1 in a complex system that satisfies customers' expectations. Special emphasis is given to factors influencing system performance, including: - the influence of the powertrain on vehicle performance. Conventional, hybrid and electric powertrains are considered; - factors influencing vehicles' handling performance; - factors influencing vehicles' comfort performance; and - factors influencing vehicles' stability and strategies for accident avoidance (active safety). In addition, this second volume thoroughly covers topics that are usually neglected in other books about the automotive chassis, such as: - the basics of vehicle aerodynamics; - internal combustion engines, electric motors and batteries; and - mathematical modeling tools. This thoroughly revised second edition has been updated to reflect the latest advances in electric and hybrid vehicles, electronic control systems and autonomous driving.

This book is an introduction to automotive engineering, to give freshmen ideas about this technology. The text is subdivided in parts that cover all facets of the automobile, including legal and economic aspects related to industry and products, product configuration and fabrication processes, historic evolution and future developments. The first part describes how motor vehicles were invented and evolved into the present product in more than 100 years of development. The purpose is not only to supply an historical perspective, but also to introduce and discuss the many solutions that were applied (and could be applied again) to solve the same basic problems of vehicle engineering. This part also briefly describes the evolution of automotive technologies and market, including production and development processes. The second part deals with the description and function analysis of all car subsystems, such as: · vehicle body, · chassis, including wheels, suspensions, brakes and steering mechanisms, · diesel and gasoline engines, · electric motors, batteries, fuel cells, hybrid propulsion systems, · driveline, including manual and automatic gearboxes. This part addresses also many non-technical issues that influence vehicle design and production, such as social and economic impact of vehicles, market, regulations, particularly on pollution and safety. In spite of the difficulty in forecasting the paths that will be taken by automotive technology, the third part tries to open a window on the future. It is not meant to make predictions that are likely to be wrong, but to discuss the trends of automotive research and innovation and to see the possible paths that may be taken to solve the many problems that are at present open or we can expect for the future. The book is completed by two appendices about the contribution of computers in designing cars, particularly the car body and outlining fundamentals of vehicle mechanics, including aerodynamics, longitudinal (acceleration and braking) and transversal (path control) motion.

This work serves as a reference concerning the automotive chassis, i.e. everything that is inside a vehicle except the engine and the body. It is the result of a decade of work mostly done by the FIAT group, who supplied material, together with other automotive companies, and sponsored the work. The first volume deals with the design of automotive components and the second volume treats the various aspects of the design of a vehicle as a system.

Mechanical engineering,and engineering discipline born of the needs of the industrial revolution, is once again asked to do its substantial share in the call for industrial renewal. The general call is urgent as we face p- found issues of productivity and competitiveness that require engineering solutions, among others. The Mechanical Engineering Series is a series f- turing graduate texts and research monographs intended to address the need for information in contemporary areas of mechanical engineering. The series is conceived as a comprehensive one that covers a broad range of concentrations important to mechanical engineering graduate - ucation and research. We are fortunate to have a distinguished roster of series editors, each an expert in one of the areas of concentration. The names of the series editors are listed on page vi of this volume. The areas of concentration are applied mechanics, biomechanics, computational - chanics, dynamic systems and control, energetics, mechanics of materials, processing, thermal science, and tribology. Preface After15yearssincethepublicationofVibrationofStructuresandMachines and three subsequent editions a deep reorganization and updating of the material was felt necessary. This new book on the subject of Vibration dynamics and control is organized in a larger number of shorter chapters, hoping that this can be helpful to the reader. New materialhas been added and many points have been updated. A larger number of examples and of exercises have been included.

Sometime in the not-too-distant future ... unbeknownst to Earth, the Galaxy is home to a number of spacefaring societies. This confederation enforces a strict protocol forbidding any contact with civilizations that have not yet achieved both a substantial spacefaring capability and sufficient maturity to control the technology explosion before triggering their own extinction. While this policy is intended to only bring in peaceful new members, matters change entirely when the confederation is threatened by some unknown entity - is the menace real or imagined? The confederation decides to break with the rules and sends a delegate to Earth to hire one of the supposedly belligerent Earthlings to investigate and to revive the confederation's long-unused starfleet. The Earthman agrees, but demands a high price: should he succeed, the confederation will have to accept Earth as a new member. As the threat becomes ever more acute, the question soon becomes which mission will prove harder - saving the confederation or convincing it to accept the deal! The extensive appendix, written in non-technical language, reviews the scientific and technological topics underlying the plot - ranging from the Fermi paradox, space travel and artificial/collective intelligence to theories on possible universal convergences in technological and biological development.

The aim of the book is to be a reference book in automotive technology, as far as automotive chassis (i.e. everything that is inside a vehicle except the engine and the body) is concerned. The book is a result of a decade of work heavily sponsored by the FIAT group (who supplied material, together with other automotive companies, and sponsored the work). The first volume deals with the design of automotive components and the second volume treats the various aspects of the design of a vehicle as a system.

Addressing important practical aspects of nonlinear vibration analysis, this book presents cases rarely discussed in the existing literature yet are of considerable interest to researchers and practical engineers, such as rotor dynamics and torsional vibration of engines. The book can be used not only as a reference, but also as a graduate-level text, as it develops the subject from its foundations and contains problems and solutions for each chapter. The book begins with a discussion of vibrations in linear systems with one degree of freedom, providing a mathematical and physical basis for the subsequent chapters. Linear systems with many degrees of freedom serve to introduce the modal analysis of vibrations as well as some useful computational procedures. The book then turns to continuous linear systems, discussing both analytical solutions that provide physical insights as well as discretization techniques that supply tools for actual computation. The discussion of nonlinear vibrations includes a treatment of chaotic vibrations and other new insights. The book concludes with detailed discussions of the dynamics of rotating and reciprocating machinery.

This interdisciplinary book probes the subject of extraterrestrial intelligent life, offering scientific and technological implications, discussing the philosophical and religious connotations and rebuffing pseudo-scientific assertions such as 'rare earth'. The author discusses such philosophical questions as: What is intelligence? What is consciousness? Should we expect ETIs to be conscious beings? Also discussed is the viability of future astronautics which would enable closer human contact with ETI.

This textbook draws on the authors' experience gained by teaching courses for engineering students on e.g. vehicle mechanics, vehicle system design, and chassis design; and on their practical experience as engineering designers for vehicle and chassis components at a major automotive company. The book is primarily intended for students of automotive engineering, but also for all technicians and designers working in this field. Other enthusiastic engineers will also find it to be a useful technical guide. The present volume (The Automotive Chassis - Volume 1: Component Design) focuses on automotive chassis components, such as:* the structure, which is usually a ladder framework and supports all the remaining components of the vehicle;* the suspension for the mechanical linkage of the wheels;* the wheels and tires;* the steering system;* the brake system; and* the transmission system, used to apply engine torque to the driving wheels. This thoroughly revised and updated second edition presents recent developments, particularly in brake, steering, suspension and transmission subsystems. Special emphasis is given to modern control systems and control strategies.

What future possibilities for space travel are the most likely to succeed? What are the greatest challenges and advantages of space travel for humankind? What are the potential moral and ethical implications of our space explorations? Space, the Final Frontier imaginatively illustrates the possibilities that the exploration and subsequent exploitation of space opens up for humankind. Giancarlo Genta and Michael Rycroft delve into the factors that encourage space travel and speculate on the future of human expansion into space, including: the value and importance of having humans in space; the human exploration and colonization of our solar system; robotic exploration of the outer planets, their satellites and asteroids; the future possibility that humans may leave our solar system; the prospects and implications of our meeting other intelligent beings in space; the likelihood, consequences, and benefits of future space technologies. This insightful and visionary look at the future of human space exploration will appeal to all readers fascinated by space. Giancarlo Genta is Professor in the Department of Mechanics at the Technical University of Turin, Italy. He obtained degrees in Aeronautical Engineering and Aerospace Engineering from the same university, and his current research in applied mechanics is linked to the construction of machines. He has published a large number of research papers and eight previous books including Vibrations of Structures and Machines: Practical Aspects (Springer-Verlag New York, 1993, 1994, 1998) and Motor Vehicle Dynamics: Modelling and Simulation (World Scientific Publishing Company, 1997). Michael Rycroft is a visiting professor at the International Space University in Strasbourg, France, and at De Montfort University in Leicester, UK. For eleven years he was Head of the Atmospheric Sciences Division at the British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, and he also spent four years as Professor of Aerospace at Cranfield University. He has acted as Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics, Managing Editor of Surveys in Geophysics, and also The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Space (2002).

This book covers the possible manned mission to Mars first discussed in the 1950s and still a topic of much debate, addressing historic and future plans to visit the Red Planet. Considering the environmental dangers and the engineering and design needed for a successful trip, it covers every aspect of a possible mission and outpost. The chapters explain the motivations behind the plan to go to Mars, as well as the physical factors that astronauts on manned missions will face on Mars and in transit. The author provides a comprehensive exposure to the infrastructure needs on Mars itself, covering an array of facilities including power sources, as well as addressing earth-based communication networks that will be necessary. Mechanisms for return to Earth are also addressed. As the reality of a manned Mars voyage becomes more concrete, the details are still largely up in the air. This book presents an overview of proposed approaches past, present, and future, both from NASA and, increasingly, from other space agencies and private companies. It clearly displays the challenges and the ingenious solutions involved in reaching Mars with human explorers.

The 24th century: humankind has become a spacefaring civilization, colonizing the solar system and beyond. While no alien forms of life have yet been encountered in this expansion into space, colonists suddenly encounter machines of alien origin - huge robots able to reproduce themselves. Called replicators by the colonists, they seem to have but a single goal: to destroy all organic life they come in contact with.
Since the colonial governments have no means to fight this menace directly, they instead promise huge rewards to whoever destroys a replicator. As a result, the frontier attracts a new kind of adventurers, the Hunters, who work to find and destroy the replicators. Mike Edwards, a skilled young maintenance technician and robotics expert at a faraway outpost, will not only become one of them - but be the very first one to unlock the secret behind the replicators origin and mission.
The scientific and technical aspects underlying the plot - in particular space travel, robotics and self-replicating spacecraft - are introduced and discussed by the author in an extensive non-technical appendix."