Product Description
Algorithms that control the computational processes relating sensors and actuators are indispensable for robot navigation and the perception of the world in which they move. Therefore, a deep understanding of how algorithms work to achieve this control is essential for the development of efficient and usable robots for a broad field of applications.

An interdisciplinary group of dedicated scientists gathers every two years to document the progress in algorithmic foundations of robotics. This volume addresses in particular the areas of control theory, computational and differential geometry in robotics, and applications to core problems such as motion planning, navigation, sensor-based planning, and manipulation. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A highly recommended addition to robotic studies reference
Algorithms control the computational processes relating the indispensable sensors and actuators required for robot navigation and environmental perception. A clear and thorough understanding of how algorithms work is fundamentally essential for developing efficient and usable robots. Capably edited by Bruce Randall Donald, Kevin Lynch, and Daniela Rus, Algorithmic And Computational Robotics: New Directions is drawn from an interdisciplinary group of scientists who contributed their findings, commentaries, and analysis to the Fourth Workshop on the Algorithmic Foundation of Robotics (WAFR 2000). This superbly presented text covers such issues as geometric algorithms, minimalist and underactuated robotics, robot controllability, manufacturing and assembly, holonomic and nonholonomic motion planning, manipulation planning, sensor-based planning, task-level planning, grasping, navigation, biometrics, medical robots, self-assembly, modular and reconfigurable robots, and distributed manipulation. Algorithmic And Computational Robotics is an impressive and highly recommended addition to robotic studies reference collections and reading lists. ... Read more

Product Description
Here's everything the robotics hobbyist needs to harness the power of the PICMicro MCU!

In this heavily-illustrated resource, author John Iovine provides plans and complete parts listsfor 11 easy-to-build robots each with a PICMicro"brain.The expertly written coverage of the PIC Basic Computer makes programming a snap -- and lots of fun. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Exelent seller
when I saw the book it said that it was used, i thought that it was in bad conditions, but was quite the opposite this was as if it had never been opened. Also the shipping was faster that i tought. The truth is that i am very satisfied with the purchase. I recommend this seller.

Another work from Iovine that's worth skipping...
Like many of John Iovine's works with McGraw Hill- this one's definitely a no-go. I don't know when I'll finally learn my lesson buying his books-but I'll say it now-never again.Incomplete schematics, errors, and general garden variety stuff which we've al seen before, and not even that much of it.But that's only my humble opinion...-Paul

Excellent through & through
Highly recommended for those somewhat new to PIC, Basic, and robotics.Keep it center-shelf eye-level.

Garbage!!!
I picked this book up and started reading the CMU camera chapter.The chapter lack depth and completeness.The author says nothing about how the image could be transmitted wirelessly to the PC or how the CMU camera communicates with the PIC.It seems that he is more concerned with selling the camera from his company Images SI than he is with writing a good book.The only useful thing that he mentioned is that you need to activate a software flourescent filter in a room that uses such lighting.But the price definately reflects the quality in this case!

An excellent way to get started in PIC robotics.
I've been programming PIC Microcontrollers (with PIC Basic Pro) for a while now.They're really an invaluable tool for the modern electronics hobbyist, and the PIC Basic language couldn't be easier to write with.That being said, this book does assume you have at least some minimal knowledge of Basic, but really you could get by without it (the very point of Basic is that it's supposed to read like plain English -- which it does!), as the function of nearly every line of code is explained.The first few chapters are even dedicated to showing a complete beginner how to compile and program everything and build a basic test circuit.Very helpful if you've never worked with PICs before.

But on to the real substance of the book -- the projects!There's six complete robotics projects here; ranging from primitive light-seeking robots (that recreate some of the first robots ever to be built, back when AI was a new idea) to a bipedal walker (meaning, it actually has legs and a gait like that of a human -- it doesn't just tilt and waddle to simulate "walking" as virtually every other one of these purported "bipedal" robots do), robotic arms (made from ordinary servomotors), a six-legged walker, speech recognition and a full-color vision system.Impressive!

Another nice thing is that every one of them can be built with basic, inexpensive tools (though pre-made circuit boards and kits are available, to make it even easier).The diagrams and illustrations are clear and concise; every detail of every step is shown -- you can't go wrong.

As I mentioned, the real walking action of the bipedal walker is quite impressive, but I'd like to say more about the vision system, or the CMU Camera.This is a small camera which outputs data serially, to either your PC or a PIC Micro.In this instance, the camera is mounted on top of a three-wheel robot which can, utilizing edge detection in the PIC, actually follow a given target!This may sound complex (and, I suppose, it is), but it's explained in a very easy-to-follow manner.And it's more than just "put this part here" -- the theory is explained in terms that make it easy to understand, too.This gives you the know-how to put these concepts to use in your own projects.

Finally, to address the criticisms of other reviewers -- no, the book doesn't teach you assembly (it says right on the cover "No Assembly Language Programming Required"); but that's just it -- you don't need it!PIC Basic does the same thing, faster and easier.Do you really want to write out hundreds of lines of cryptic assembly code for what you could accomplish with just a few lines of Basic?The nominal cost is well worth it when you consider the *very* significant time savings.

If you're interested in building your own robots, this book is an excellent way to get started. ... Read more

Product Description
Mobile robots range from the teleoperated Sojourner on the Mars Pathfinder mission to cleaning robots in the Paris Metro. Introduction to Autonomous Mobile Robots offers students and other interested readers an overview of the technology of mobility--the mechanisms that allow a mobile robot to move through a real world environment to perform its tasks--including locomotion, sensing, localization, and motion planning. It discusses all facets of mobile robotics, including hardware design, wheel design, kinematics analysis, sensors and perception, localization, mapping, and robot control architectures. The design of any successful robot involves the integration of many different disciplines, among them kinematics, signal analysis, information theory, artificial intelligence, and probability theory. Reflecting this, the book presents the techniques and technology that enable mobility in a series of interacting modules. Each chapter covers a different aspect of mobility, as the book moves from low-level to high-level details. The first two chapters explore low-level locomotory ability, examining robots' wheels and legs and the principles of kinematics. This is followed by an in-depth view of perception, including descriptions of many "off-the-shelf" sensors and an analysis of the interpretation of sensed data. The final two chapters consider the higher-level challenges of localization and cognition, discussing successful localization strategies, autonomous mapping, and navigation competence. Bringing together all aspects of mobile robotics into one volume, Introduction to Autonomous Mobile Robots can serve as a textbook for coursework or a working tool for beginners in the field. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Very Interesting projects but autonomous robots is still too slow to action as atheletes!
I got this book 1 or 2 months ago. But I might read it only one page because I have collected at least 380 textbook in my library! But this book has some interesting issue for me at least the name of the book which is the latest research direction for robot which can be acted as human but it may be too slow to perform useful task for real human. From my recognition this book has no mathematics exercises but it may be hidden in text somewhere in the book.

I hopethat sometime I might interest to read at least 1 or 2 page per day!

Useful Instructor's Reference
I'm using this as my primary reference for a university course I'm teaching at the advanced senior / beginning graduate level.It is helpful in that the material is organized well, and many of the important algorithms, equations, and methods are described in adequate detail. It is by no means a textbook in the regular sense. There are no problems or student exercises.(I am generating those as I go.)Some of the sections are very well written, others seem a bit poorly edited. There are a number of typos and composition errors that are annoying. It seems that, as with so many technical works these days, no one is really "minding the store" when it comes to final publication. Nevertheless, the overall result is a good, solid reference which can serve as a starting point for generating a set of class notes. The bibliography and web links are very helpful as well. I would suggest very carefully reviewing this book before adopting it as a required textbook for a class.

Good guide to computational robotics
This book is one of only a few of its kind. That is, it is a book that focuses on the computational issues in robotics rather than the all-too familiar hobbyist approach.
Chapter one is somewhat expendable, since it is simply a prosaic overview of the entire text. Chapter two talks about the theory of robot motion at a high level, with few helpful technical details. Chapter three, "Mobile Robot Kinematics", is where the book takes a dramatic upturn in quality. The computations of robot kinematics are discussed in detail for several kinds of robotic wheels. To really understand this chapter, the reader should already be familiar with dynamics and statics as well as the concepts of three dimensional rotation and matrices. For a companion to the kinematic material, I suggest Craig's "Introduction to Robotics: Mechanics and Control (3rd Edition)". It is much better than the reviewers say. Chapter four covers the various sensors used in robotics, as well as the mathematics needed in the integration of those sensors. The chapter concludes with some basic image processing and computer vision techniques. The material here is broad but somewhat shallow. I suggest that you already be familiar with basic image processing techniques and computer vision, or possibly have a copy of Gonzales & Woods "Digital Image Processing" handy, as well as a copy of Trucco & Verri's "Introductory Techniques for 3D Computer Vision". This is especially true if you wish to grasp some of the statistical techniques at the end of chapter four. Chapters five and six, on localization and navigation, respectively, are mathematically deep. The material on the Kalman Filter is somewhat oversimplified, and to truly grasp the subject of Kalman Filtering one will need to go to an outside source for a full tutorial. In my case, my instructor's notes were sufficient.
In summary, this is a very good book for someone who is mathematically mature enough to handle the computational aspects of mobile robotics. The reader should already understand dynamics, statics, numerical linear algebra, image processing, artificial intelligence, and computer vision. This book collects and connects all of these concepts well, but you will have to go digging elsewhere for the complete amount of detail required to perform all of the calculations for the methods described in this book. In short, computational robotics is a type of "capstone course" for engineers/computer scientists with the correct background and reference library, and for those engineers, this is the best guide published to date.

Great emphasis and overview
Having spent years working in this field, this book
in my opinion places the emphasis on one of the most
basic yet most important robotics problems of today:
mobility. It also addresses other broad issues related
to mobile robots. Despite the book's breadth, it is filled
with numerous great examples of functioning robots.
The robotics problems tackled by each chapter are
well explained and the exposition is deep enough for
the reader to truly understand the main issues and
the main solutions associated with each research challenge.
It is a book that in my opinion can be enjoyed by
both an expert and a complete novice in robotics.It's
fun to browse, yet if you want to delve into more detail on
any given topic you can. ... Read more

Product Description
A hands-on introduction to the field of robotics, this book will guide the hobbyist through the issues and challenges of building a working robot.Each chapter builds upon the previous one, extending a core robot project throughout the book.Examples of chapters include:Mechanical Platforms, Power Supplies, Adding Sense, Microcontrollers, Insect Robots, Pneumatics, More Behavior and Intelligence, Programming Projects, Robot Behaviors, and much more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Finally, an ATMEL based book!!
Good to know that there is a book out there that offers treatment of a more modern microcontroller (as opposed to PIC or 8051 controllers).

This book is full of great examples and psuedocode, from very basic circuits (get your feet wet!!) to the more complex fuzzy logic circuits.

I would have liked to have seen more time devoted to the fuzzy logic algorithms and explanations and less to blinking LEDs, but oh well.The author presents his own language "Fuzbol" which may or may not be useful to hobbyists...it has an interesting syntax that's vaguely C-like.

Overall, this is a well thought out book and far more useful than some of the other "classics" out there.A recommended purchase for hobbyists or students (more advanced might find this too simple).

Very good introduction to robotics
I used this book in conjunction with Gordon McComb's Robot Builder's Bonanza. The book provides step by step instructions for building a mobile robot and in doing so eliminates most of the apprehensions of a beginning robot builder. The book is somewhat specific and is not very detailed. The author however, is extermely helpful and responsive to questions and problems encountered. I e-mailed him numerous times and received immediate responses- the deciding factor in making this a five star book.

A Useful Supplementary Resource
Those familiar with Gordon McComb's 'Robot Builder's Bonanza' know that he interacts with and leverages off of developments in the hobby robotics community, soliciting ideas from readers and referring them to a plethora of resources outside of himself.Edwin Wise's 'Applied Robotics' is more of a one-man show.Whereas 'Bonanza' provides individual chapters devoted to describing three different MCUs, and allows the reader to use his / her own judgment in selecting one, Wise relies exclusively on the Atmel AT8515.Though very good, Atmel is not the most common choice among amateur roboticists, and this will limit the reader's ability to find kindred spirits in clubs or cyberspace when the inevitable questions arise.Nor is the AT8515 a beginner's MCU.All of the book's code samples are written in a single, proprietary programming language developed by the author himself, called Fuzbol.This language incorporates fuzzy logic capabilities as its primary feature, and for those interested in fuzzy logic, Wise provides a more complete introduction than I have seen elsewhere.However, "[m]ath in Fuzbol is very slow," Wise says on p. 165."[D]ivision is the worst, then multiplication.The slowest of all is real-valued math and it is best to avoid it unless necessary." In the preface, Wise refers to Applied Robotics as a beginner's guide, and as a book that may provide new ideas and techniques for the advanced builder.I would actually call this an intermediate-level hobbyist's guide.The advanced builder is familiar with almost all of the concepts addressed, while the bona fide beginner is likely to have difficulty with much of what lies beyond Chapter 6.Wise assumes his readers are familiar with computers and electronic circuits.If you do not know what 'edge-triggered' means, what a quad NOR gate is, or what a pullup is, you will need to do some remedial work with outside materials before you will understand this book. Wise's readers really should have ready access to a PC; Mac users are discouraged on p. 118.The program listings at the end of the book are designed to generate robotic behaviors such as 'aggression' (charging a light source), 'fear' (avoiding a light source), 'love', 'insecurity' and others.I really enjoyed Chapter 13, which treats pneumatics.Unlike other authors, Wise describes pneumatics in terms of circuits, providing interesting schematic conventions for air instead of electrons that I have not seen in other books.I also enjoyed Chapter 11, which deals mainly with sensors.Overall, I am pleased that I read the book.I would not personally rely upon it as a primary source, as I rely on 'Bonanza'.I am wary of its reliance on a single MCU, of its reliance on a proprietary language, and of the fact that readers who follow the book's guidelines ultimately produce only a system more or less identical to Wise's rather than one of their own design, but I value Applied Robotics as an addition to my library and as a reference source.

A great book for any hobbyist
This book is wonderful for the small time robot enthusiast. It starts from scratch, with the basics so anyone can follow along, and moves into more advanced and interesting robot behaviors. I built a small mobile robot andbought his kit, and now have a fully programmed robot that I can tinkerwith. It also includes a great programming language fuzBol that uses fuzzylogic, and some great ideas for future experiments.

Applied Robotics
A great book!Sure to warm the hearts of hardwarehackers everywhere. If you want to get into robotics and you would prefer to build a small robot of your own design rather than buying an off-the-shelf robot or kit then this book is for you. Well organized, engaging and clearly written thisbook will give you the information you need to engineer your own robot. Thebook includes a CD that contains a fuzzy logicprogramming language aswell as other software developement tools for the reccomended Atmel MCU.This seems like a real bargain in a meaty book that costs under 25 dollars.Edwin Wise also sells inexpensive kits containing electronic and mechanicalparts from his company website.If you love the smell of a hot solderingiron, buy this book! ... Read more

Product Description
BUILD A CAR ROBOT,SAVE THOU$AND$
(and master some of the most sophisticated concepts in robotics)

This thoughtful guide gives you complete, illustrated plans and instructions for building a 1:10-scale car robot that would cost thousands of dollars if bought off the shelf. But beyond hours of entertainment and satisfaction spent creating and operating an impressive and fun project, Mobile Robotic Car Design provides serious insight into the science and art of robotics. Written by robotics experts, this book gives you a solid background in electrical and mechanical theory, and the design savvy to conceptualize, enlarge, and build robotics projects of your own.

A WORKING CAR ROBOT—AND AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT MAKES IT WORK In these pages, robot designers Pushkin Kachroo and Patricia Mellodge will help you --

*Build an impressive robot vehicle that can regulate its own speed and direction, for a cost of about $1000.
*Give your robot car the ability to sense and respond to the environment
*Experiment with automatic cruise control that alters speed to meet conditions
*Learn what it takes to build a security robot that can patrol actively or passively
*Grasp the theory and principles behind robot design and operation
*Learn what makes servos, sensors, motors, and controls work
*Examine the source code for the PIC microcontroller and the DSP (digital signal processor)
*Find free code for the car's printed circuit board at the companion website
*Get a complete parts list and list of parts suppliers ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Best analisys I've seen on a robotics book.
Hello.

This book is one of the best I've seen and read so far.

I have several books on robot building (Gordon, Miles, Cook, Williams, Jones, Groover, Clark, Iovine, etc) and this book has captured every aspect that I was looking for.

The author explains the matter step by step througly thus giving the reader the sense that HE KNOWS what he's talking about (very important).

The other book similar to this one is "INDUSTRIAL ROBOTICS: TECHNOLOGY, PROGRAMMING, AND APPLICATIONS", though, a bit old (1986), has mathematical analisys and good examples overall.

But this book (Mobile Robotic Car Design) excels on the analisys part. And best of all, it introduces the reader to mathematical information that one CAN understand, using MATLAB.

The book is divided in two parts:

Part 1
Hardware Implementation.- This is dedicated on how to make the robotic car, the hardware,programming (PIC and DSP) and several techinques that one would see on other robo building books.

Part 2
Theory of mobile robots.- This is where the interesting part begins. The math and how it can be used in our favor.

The book is worth the money IF you're into every detail of design. It has good information if you're only triying to make a robot but it would definitely be TOO MUCH for many (the robot DNA series would do).

This book is recommended for engineers and hobbyist as stated on a review, but mostly for engineers.

On another note:
Jones book, "Robot programming", is a good book for people that already have a robotic car, it's a good companion for this book.

Mobile Robotic Car Design Great for Hobbyists and Engineers
While reading the book, I found it to be understandable and easy to follow.The diagrams and step-by-step process was very helpful in understanding the Mobile Robotic Car Design.I would highly recommend this book to people like hobbyists and engineers who would like a well designed platform to test their vehicle control experiments, obstacle avoidance, or anything else your imagination can come up with. ... Read more

Product Description
Accessible to all readers, including students of secondary school and amateur technology enthusiasts, Robotics, Mechatronics, and Artificial Intelligence simplifies the process of finding basic circuits to perform simple tasks, such as how to control a DC or step motor, and provides instruction on creating moving robotic parts, such as an "eye" or an "ear." Though many companies offer kits for project construction, most experimenters want to design and build their own robots and other creatures specific to their needs and goals. With this new book by Newton Braga, hobbyists and experimenters around the world will be able to decide what skills they want to feature in a project and then choose the right "building blocks" to create the ideal results.

In the past few years the technology of robotics, mechatronics, and artificial intelligence has exploded, leaving many people with the desire but not the means to build their own projects. The author's fascination with and expertise in the exciting field of robotics is demonstrated by the range of simple to complex project blocks he provides, which are designed to benefit both novice and experienced robotics enthusiasts. The common components and technology featured in the project blocks are especially beneficial to readers who need practical solutions that can be implemented easily by their own hands, without incorporating expensive, complicated technology.

Accessible to technicians and hobbyists with many levels of experience, and written to provide inexpensive and creative fun with robotics

Appeals to all sorts of technology enthusiasts, including those involved with electronics, computers, home automation, mechanics, and other areas. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Excellent Entry Level Text to Robotics
For anyone who is new to robotics or interfacing motors in general, this book will be well received.

What I liked about it is the way it encourages the use of electrical principles to achieve common robotics goals over microcontroller based control.(If you want your robot to come on at night and stay off during the day for example, just use a switching circuit with an LDR or similar device.Why program something that's not necessary).

There is a section on micro processors but it's rather rudimentary and to be honest could probably be skipped over.

The true value of this book comes from the hardware circuits which are instantly accessible out of the box.

I found it a handy reference with great simple circuits that would certainly save a student or casual experimenter a lot of time and hence the title of the book.

This book would be useful on the bookshelf of most robotics enthusiasts and for the price is highly recommended(there were great circuits in this book that could take 4 chapters in some books to get to the point.This book illustrates them in a page, simple straight forward and ready to go which is what this book is about).

If your after the finer points on robotics and prefer a more in depth break down of electrical cicuits (right down to transistor biasing calculations and designing your own switching circuits for complex feedback hardware then this book might not be for you), however even for the advanced robotics enthusiast I'm sure this would be a handy collection of circuits for quick easy reference.

I recommend it and if later on the author was to add a few chapters on programming interfaces for embedded controllers, this book would certainly get a 5 star rating.

Enjoy,
Sean A. Curtin

Don't believe the title
Robotics, Mechatronics and Artificial Intelligence may be an odd title for this book, as, while most of the circuit blocks are certainly usable in robotics, there are very few where a robot would be the primary use.There are circuits for anything from Touch Lamps and Light Dimmers through to the more robotic circuits like the particularly good chapter on H-Bridges.There are blocks which cover a good number of uses in robotics and mechatronics, but I don't know exactly where he gets the AI bit of his title.

One thing the title got exactly right though was 'Experimental Ciruit Blocks'.There were a number of errors in type but, more importantly if you're using this book as a reference, the schematics.Things like in the "how to use transistors" chapter he more than once mixes his PNP and NPN transistors.Nearly all of the blocks are fine, just keep on your toes.

Very useful ref of practical examples, but with errors
This is a good ref. for, in particular hobbyists and students, where a collection of useful practical examples can be found.However, I spotted quite a number of errors (both typing errors and errors in circuit diagrams such as wrong pin no., incorrect connection point or polarity).For inexperience users, following exactly some of the circuits may result in producing smoke factory.I would like to recommend to recheck and correct some of these errors.I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 stars partly because of these errors. ... Read more

Product Description

This books serves as an introduction to robotics analysis, the systems and sub-systems that constitute robots and robotic systems, and robotics applications. All of the fundamentals of robotics are covered—robotics analysis; including kinematics, kinetics and force control, and trajectory planning of robots; its sub-systems such as actuators, sensors, and vision systems; as well as robotics applications. Introduction to Robotics also includes many subjects related to mechatronics, microprocessor actuator control, integration of sensors, vision systems, and fuzzy logic. For practicing mechanical engineers, electronic and electric engineers, computer engineers, and engineering technologists who would like to learn about robotics.

Customer Reviews (3)

robotics & math
I was looking for an overview of robotics parts so I borrowed this form the library.While there was a lot of math, it was a good opportunity to review linear algebra from college. There was an appendix for people like me who have forgotten a lot.

The concepts were explained well for someone who didn't know them.I especially liked the degrees of freedom at the beginning.Later on, I started skimming.Once I got the concepts, I flipped through to the next chapter.If this were for a course, I'm sure that part would have been more useful.

EE483
This books is fairly easy to read, the class that I needed this book for is a senior level robotics class.The class itself is fairly confusing.This books is easy to read comparably to other texts I've had in the past.Quick and easy ordering. Prompt delivery.

Good and not so good (bad?)
It starts off well.The sections on kinematics and motion are okay, and even the dynamic analysis is not bad, though a bit light for electrical engineers.Then it takes a turn for the worse and gives a generalized picture of sensors and actuators and vision systems, which is okay if it has never been seen before, but for electrical engineers it is not needed.The section on fuzzy logic is interesting but it is dissapointing that there is not a section on real control systems.I hope that fuzzy logic is not a substitute for convention control as this book seems to imply.Paul's book has much more substance dispite its age.Still, for a survey of the topic or for the computer scientist, maybe it is not that bad of a text. ... Read more

Product Description
Robot motion planning has become a major focus of robotics. Research findings can be applied not only to robotics but to planning routes on circuit boards, directing digital actors in computer graphics, robot-assisted surgery and medicine, and in novel areas such as drug design and protein folding. This text reflects the great advances that have taken place in the last ten years, including sensor-based planning, probabalistic planning, localization and mapping, and motion planning for dynamic and nonholonomic systems. Its presentation makes the mathematical underpinnings of robot motion accessible to students of computer science and engineering, relating low-level implementation details to high-level algorithmic concepts. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Not perfect but better than anything else out there

The good news is that this book covers a range of topics in sufficient detail and accuracy
to give students a good understanding of the topic.

Here are some reasons I could not give it 5 stars.

First, the book is uneven. Some details don't seem to really go any place (such as some of the advanced
topics in configuration space). On the other hand, students what to know about SLAM, SLAM and well, more SLAM
(I do not know if I agree with student here... )
Also what about multi-robot systems? Flying robots (are they mobile robots? ).Legged robots?

Also, being an old-school trained robotics person, I thought the discussion kinematics and dynamics was inadequate
and could be beefed up. Perhaps the authors felt that it would take them too far off the main theme? I don't know,
but no D-H parameters? Really?


The text has about 2x as many words as it needs to cover the same material. It could benefit from tighter editing to make
the meaning clearer and the text less wordy.By way of analogy, in the software world K&R probably said everything
there was needed to be said, in a concise way, about C. But, there are many much more wordy books out there..

Oh, and lets see what else.. ahh the algorithms presented. My feeling is that some may obfuscate rather than elucidate.

However, given these defects, this bookhas a coverage which would be hard to match in several books, and I enjoyed reading it and learning from it...

Comprehensive coverage of the field
At the outset one might expect this book to be pure about motion planning or motion control. In reality the book is remarkably comprehensive in coverage of perception, planning and control with in-depth coverage of basic kinematics, basic planning mechanisms and applied estimation such as Kalman filters for robot perception. The book was written/edited by the first authors with in-depth coverage in particular chapters by the other authors. In the end it is a very coherent, up-to-date and comprehensive book. The book is written to have enough detail for a 1 term senior under-graduate or junior graduate course in robotics or as a reference for practitioners. Truly a great book

Great book on mobile robotics
This is a great book on mobile robotics, a lot of methods are explained in the book and its writing is clear and easy to understand. I have used it on several undergraduate and graduate courses that I have taken, I fully recommend it. ... Read more

Product Description
Evolutionary robotics is a new technique for the automatic creation of autonomous robots. Inspired by the Darwinian principle of selective reproduction of the fittest, it views robots as autonomous artificial organisms that develop their own skills in close interaction with the environment and without human intervention. Drawing heavily on biology and ethology, it uses the tools of neural networks, genetic algorithms, dynamic systems, and biomorphic engineering. The resulting robots share with simple biological systems the characteristics of robustness, simplicity, small size, flexibility, and modularity.In evolutionary robotics, an initial population of artificial chromosomes, each encoding the control system of a robot, is randomly created and put into the environment. Each robot is then free to act (move, look around, manipulate) according to its genetically specified controller while its performance on various tasks is automatically evaluated. The fittest robots then "reproduce" by swapping parts of their genetic material with small random mutations. The process is repeated until the "birth" of a robot that satisfies the performance criteria.This book describes the basic concepts and methodologies of evolutionary robotics and the results achieved so far. An important feature is the clear presentation of a set of empirical experiments of increasing complexity. Software with a graphic interface, freely available on a Web page, will allow the reader to replicate and vary (in simulation and on real robots) most of the experiments. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Evolutionary Robotics book transaction
Excellent transaction. Very fast delivery and the book is a really good condition! Thanks very much

Really great stuff
This is a not too technical book, introducing you to evolutionary robotics. It covers a lot of interesting work done in the field over the last few years.

Using genetic algorithms it is possible to construct the brain of a robot ( Neural network ), and even (though harder) the hardware itself. The book gives an introduction to genetic algortihms & artificial neural networks, but the reader should still be somewhat familiar with these concepts before buying this book.

After reading this book, I did one of the experiments mentioned in the book. While I only did this with a freeware Kephara robot simulator, it was still fun.

Really great stuff
This is a not too technical book, introducing you to evolutionary robotics. It covers a lot of interesting work done in the field over the last few years.

Using genetic algorithms it is possible to construct the brain of a robot ( Neural network ), and even (though harder) the hardware itself. The book gives an introduction to genetic algortihms & artificial neural networks, but the reader should still be somewhat familiar with these concepts before buying this book.

After reading this book, I did one of the experiments mentioned in the book. While I only did this with a freeware Kephara robot simulator, it was still fun. ... Read more

Product Description

This monograph presents a novel concept of a mobile robot, which is a single-wheel, gyroscopically stabilized robot. The robot is balanced by a spinning wheel attached through a two-link manipulator at the wheel bearing, and actuated by a drive motor. This configuration conveys significant advantages including insensitivity to attitude disturbances, high maneuverability, low rolling resistance, ability to recover from falls, and amphibious capability for potential applications on both land and water. This book focuses on the dynamics and control aspects, including modeling, model-based control, learning-based control, and shared control with human operators. This novel mobile robot concept opens up the science of dynamically stable systems with a single wheel configuration. The book also presents considerations in concept, design implementations, and kinematics modeling, as well as experimental results from various algorithms and cases. The system is a nonholonomic, underactuated, and highly nonlinear system, so this book is appropriate for scientists and engineers with interests in mobile robot, dynamics and control, as a research reference and postgraduate textbook.

Product Description

This monograph presents a novel concept of a mobile robot, which is a single-wheel, gyroscopically stabilized robot. The robot is balanced by a spinning wheel attached through a two-link manipulator at the wheel bearing, and actuated by a drive motor. This configuration conveys significant advantages including insensitivity to attitude disturbances, high maneuverability, low rolling resistance, ability to recover from falls, and amphibious capability for potential applications on both land and water. This book focuses on the dynamics and control aspects, including modeling, model-based control, learning-based control, and shared control with human operators. This novel mobile robot concept opens up the science of dynamically stable systems with a single wheel configuration. The book also presents considerations in concept, design implementations, and kinematics modeling, as well as experimental results from various algorithms and cases. The system is a nonholonomic, underactuated, and highly nonlinear system, so this book is appropriate for scientists and engineers with interests in mobile robot, dynamics and control, as a research reference and postgraduate textbook.

Product Description
This text covers all the material needed to understand the principles behind the AI approach to robotics and to program an artificially intelligent robot for applications involving sensing, navigation, planning, and uncertainty. Robin Murphy is extremely effective at combining theoretical and practical rigor with a light narrative touch. In the overview, for example, she touches upon anthropomorphic robots from classic films and science fiction stories before delving into the nuts and bolts of organizing intelligence in robots.Following the overview, Murphy contrasts AI and engineering approaches and discusses what she calls the three paradigms of AI robotics: hierarchical, reactive, and hybrid deliberative/reactive. Later chapters explore multiagent scenarios, navigation and path-planning for mobile robots, and the basics of computer vision and range sensing. Each chapter includes objectives, review questions, and exercises. Many chapters contain one or more case studies showing how the concepts were implemented on real robots. Murphy, who is well known for her classroom teaching, conveys the intellectual adventure of mastering complex theoretical and technical material.An Instructor's Manual including slides, solutions, sample tests, and programming assignments is available to qualified professors who are considering using the book or who are using the book for class use. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Great introduction to robotics control
I'm not sure what chip "A reader" had on his/her shoulder with the earlier review.I felt this book was exactly what I needed as I slowly work my way into robotics from more mainstream programming.With 10 years of web app development experience, I'm an experienced programmer but know little about architecting software for autonomous robots.This book takes you through different architectural approaches that have been used throughout the past 50 years including relatively current recommendations for hybrid deliberative/reactive solutions along with multi-agent design considerations.This book provides almost the same depth with respect to robotics as Russell/Novig's "Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach" does for AI in general.Furthermore, Murphy's writing style is easy to follow and enjoyable to read.Although this is only my first robotics-specific book, I believe I chose the perfect place to start; it provides a great spring board for seeking out more in-depth, implementation-focused works.

An excellent book
I wonder how the first reviewers gave so bad comments on the book. I think it is not the author but the first reviewers who mislead the readers. If I took their comments, I would miss a really excellent book.

The contents in this book are rich, entensive, systematic and well-organized. One of my colleagues borrowed it from me several times, and finally he ordered another copy himself!

We really appreciate the book and the author.

Where's the editor?
This book is an unedited nightmare.

Dr. Choset's glowing review(s) might be taken with a grain of salt, given that he serves as "Director of Research Outreach" beneath the author at CRASAR.

While the language is suitable for a novice, it is plagued by errors both grammatical and technical.While the former (at roughly one per page) are merely distracting, the latter often incorrectly change the sense entirely.

Code snippets masquerade as "C or C++", but aren't suitable even as pseudo code.Luckily, most are trivial enough that mistakes become obvious, but missing cases and lack of any error handling whatsoever mean that you're not going to be typing examples into an editor.In addition, many assume a machine state but don't show this initialization.This might be excusable had the code been lifted directly from source, but half the time backslashes are used to begin comments!

A few examples from a chapter on vision:

"Consumer digital cameras post an analog signal, but the update rate is too slow at this time for real-time reactive robot control."

"Most commercial devices in the U.S. use a NTSC (television) standard.Color is expressed as the sum of three measurements: red, green, and blue."

"red = image_red[row][col];
red = image_green[row][col];
red = image_blue[row][col];
display_color(red, green, blue);"

"His Cybermotion robot was one of the first to navigate in hallways using vision; in this case, a technique known as a Hough (pronounced "huff") transform.In the early 1990's, with slow hardware, the robot could go 8 to 9 meters per second."

Hint: The robot platform isn't capable of going 1/10 that speed.Such mistakes are so common that one wonders whether she just couldn't be bothered to do the research and resorted to making it up.

This book may be okay for a casual read and it does have the endnotes going for it, but don't use it as a textbook unless you enjoy confusing students.If you're serious about behavior-based robotics, get Arkin.

Horror of mistakes
I bought this book in hopes to learn something about AI Robotics (as the title misleads you to believe). I found only mistakes. One after another. It is clear that this woman does not know much about robotics, and was just in a hurry to get a book published. STAY AWAY from this one.

good book, fun to read
good book. Informative for someone getting started in robotics. Explains different basic programming techniques for robot behavior. I had it as a textbook in my robotics class ... Read more

Product Description
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. ... Read more

Product Description
Mobile Robotics: A Practical Introduction (2nd edition) is an excellent introduction to the foundations and methods used for designing completely autonomous mobile robots. A fascinating, cutting-edge, research topic, autonomous mobile robotics is now taught in more and more universities. In this book you are introduced to the fundamental concepts of this complex field via twelve detailed case studies that show how to build and program real working robots. Topics covered in clued learning, autonomous navigation in unmodified, noisy and unpredictable environments, and high fidelity robot simulation. This new edition has been updated to include a new chapter on novelty detection, and provides a very practical introduction to mobile robotics for a general scientific audience. It is essential reading for 2nd and 3rd year undergraduate students and postgraduate students studying robotics, artificial intelligence, cognitive science and robot engineering. The update and overview of core concepts in mobile robotics will assist and encourage practitioners of the field and set challenges to explore new avenues of research in this exiting field. The author is Senior Lecturer at the Department of Computer Science at the University of Essex. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The book provides a very good introduction to mobile robots.
This is a very good introductory book on mobile robots. It assumes no background of the readers in the subject. Chapter 3 provides a introduction to the hardwared aspects including sensors and actuators. Chapter 4 on machine learning by robots is also very very interesting. The case studiespresented in chapter 5 and 6 will be very much useful to the new-entrantsof this discipline. Chapter 7 on analysis of robot behaviour is importantfor the researchers working in the discipline.I like the book for itssimplicity in presentation and direct reference to the points to bediscussed, rather than providing a lengthy introduction to the topics. Thephrase "A practcical introduction" in the title is reallyworthwhile for the book. ... Read more

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Discover the latest models and methods for robotic microassembly from around the world

This book presents and analyzes new and emerging models and methods developed around the world for robotic microassembly, a new and innovative way to produce better microsystems. By exploring everything from the physics of micromanipulation to microassembly to microhandling, it provides the first complete overview and review of this rapidly growing field. Robotic Microassembly is divided into three parts:

• Part One: Modeling of the Microworld

• Part Two: Handling Strategies

• Part Three: Robotic and Microassembly

Together, these three parts feature eight chapters contributed by eight different authors. The authors, internationally recognized experts in the field of robotic microassembly, represent research laboratories in Asia, Europe, and North America. As a result, readers get a remarkable perspective on different approaches to robotic microassembly from around the world. Examples provided throughout the chapters help readers better understand how these different approaches work in practice. References at the end of each chapter lead to the primary literature for further investigation of individual topics.

Robotic microassembly offers a new, improved way to manufacture high-performance microelectro-mechanical systems (MEMS). Therefore, any professional or student involved in microrobotics, micromechatronics, self-assembly or MEMS will find plenty of novel ideas and methods in this book that set the stage for new approaches to design and build the next generation of MEMS and microproducts. ... Read more

Product Description
E-commerce increasingly provides opportunities for autonomous bidding agents: computer programs that bid in electronic markets without direct human intervention. Automated bidding strategies for an auction of a single good with a known valuation are fairly straightforward; designing strategies for simultaneous auctions with interdependent valuations is a more complex undertaking. This book presents algorithmic advances and strategy ideas within an integrated bidding agent architecture that have emerged from recent work in this fast-growing area of research in academia and industry.

The authors analyze several novel bidding approaches that developed from the Trading Agent Competition (TAC), held annually since 2000. The benchmark challenge for competing agents—to buy and sell multiple goods with interdependent valuations in simultaneous auctions of different types—encourages competitors to apply innovative techniques to a common task. The book traces the evolution of TAC and follows selected agents from conception through several competitions, presenting and analyzing detailed algorithms developed for autonomous bidding.

Autonomous Bidding Agents provides the first integrated treatment of methods in this rapidly developing domain of AI. The authors—who introduced TAC and created some of its most successful agents—offer both an overview of current research and new results. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

well, it's not eBay
The field of auction theory has been heavily developed. With intricate rules for specialised auctions. Often resulting in a strong dose of experiments and theoretical analysis. The book gives some recent instances. Where these are typically characterised by items being offered (or wanted) in interdependent markets. Hence the need for contingency bidding.

The practical instantiations include the selling of hotel rooms and entertainment events. The complexities are such that the concept of bidding agents is used. Where agents are then assumed to have some optimal strategy. Much of the book revolves around finding what these strategies might be. ... Read more

Product Description

Many computer scientists, engineers, applied mathematicians, and physicists use geometry theory and geometric computing methods in the design of perception-action systems, intelligent autonomous systems, and man-machine interfaces. This handbook brings together the most recent advances in the application of geometric computing for building such systems, with contributions from leading experts in the important fields of neuroscience, neural networks, image processing, pattern recognition, computer vision, uncertainty in geometric computations, conformal computational geometry, computer graphics and visualization, medical imagery, geometry and robotics, and reaching and motion planning. For the first time, the various methods are presented in a comprehensive, unified manner.

This handbook is highly recommended for postgraduate students and researchers working on applications such as automated learning; geometric and fuzzy reasoning; human-like artificial vision; tele-operation; space maneuvering; haptics; rescue robots; man-machine interfaces; tele-immersion; computer- and robotics-aided neurosurgery or orthopedics; the assembly and design of humanoids; and systems for metalevel reasoning.

Product Description
Easy-to-read guide provides directions on integrating personal digital assistants and robots into a single, remote-controlled powerhouse. Discusses innovative concepts and designs, showing how to allow any PDA to communicate with and control a robot; establish a wireless link between a PDA and a robot; and acquire low cost, standard, and easily obtainable components. Softcover. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Makes ALOT of sense - great help
I was interested in electronics and robotics so I purchased this book. The flow of the book is a little choppy but I must say that the information helped me win high school science fairs and I am now studying electrical engineering at university! The support site is great and the author was very helpful. The well writen software projects I downloaded from the support site helped my dive into the project and allowed me to get a solid understanding of PalmOS, windows CE development, circuit fabrication and PIC programming. The project does required that you purchase a PIC programmer but if you are to pursue a career in robotics it is well worth it! Thank You!

Makes no sense.
I had high expectations for this book, assuming that it would start out slow, with basic information, then pick up from there. This is far from the truth. The book slams you from the sixth page (literally) with seemingly irrelevant information about computer architecture, accompanied with confusing diagrams. As all of the other reviewers mentioned, the book is littered with a copied mismatch of pictures and diagrams. The book does not follow a logical thought process, nor is any of the information practical. Unless you have a BSCmpE, don't buy this book.

Recipe for a Robot
Following discussions with the author, I have amended this review.

As a University Lecturer, I was disappointed with this book
because it contains large sections of material copied from
datasheets and web sites without proper references. We try to
teach our students to be ethical, and not to simply cut and
paste from the Internet without references. The author assures
me that permission was obtained from Microsoft, Intel,
Microchip, Sharp, etc. to re-publish their material.

It is not a text for a beginner if you want to learn about
robotics or how to design your own circuits and program
embedded systems. For instance, it assumes that you can already
program in C.

However, it does contain detailed instructions for building a
robot that can be controlled using the Infra Red port on a PDA.
If you don't mind making your own circuit board, then this
might be the book for you, but you really need some basic
background in electronics and computers if you intend to build
this robot. If you treat it as a recipe, and try to learn from
the exercise, then you might find it useful.

Good concept - poorly executed
I really had high expectations for this book.I was looking for something that would provide an alternative to the PPRK-based "Ultimate Palm Robot" book.And this book does provide what appears to be a workable, if not very robust robot design that you can wirelessly link your Palm or WinCE PDA to.Unfortunately, the vast majority of the book is cut-and-paste data sheets - including some of the marketeering hype.This makes for a very disjointed read since the style of the book changes with each new data sheet and many concepts and terms are not explained well.As a result, this would probably be a difficult book for someone new to robotics.I'm still not sure that the schematic for the robot in this book was worth $20 - $30.I would suggest "Programming and Customizing the OOPIC Controller" by Dennis Clark as an alternative to this book.The OOPIC is easy to work with and the chapter describing interfacing the OOPIC to a Palm device is very well written.

good intro, but many typos and unreferenced technical specs
Like janek243, I was disappointed that so much of the book
was copied (seemingly verbatim) from technical specs on-line,
though the sources didn't seem to be referenced.It's fairly
obvious where these sections start and end, because they lack
the typos and grammatical problems of much of the rest of
the book.

Despite its flaws, I recommend it to anyone who, like me,
is interested in interfacing their iPaq (or Palm) with hardware.
The book has given me several pointers to other material and
manufacturer websites.I'm glad I bought it; I just wish it
had a higher signal-to-noise ratio. ... Read more