This volume investigates the ways emerging technologies in the fields of robotics and bio-robotics are influencing society. It necessarily considers both philosophical and technological study of robots, including what it means for robots to exist as good and moral entities, and how they benefit humans and enhance their quality of life. Contributors address artificial intelligence and social functions as well as technical matters. Chapters are wide-ranging, and consider robots in science fiction; the need for designers to create moral robots; specific technology; and the development of biological robots. Also addressed are robotic technologies already enhancing human bodies, such as exoskeletons that allow paraplegics to walk. The contributors foresee robots becoming involved not only in mundane domestic tasks such as washing dishes, but also in providing health care to the disabled and companionship to the elderly. This volume offers exciting philosophical reflections that unveil new connections between robotics and praxiology and their practical applications.

This volume is a result of the international symposium “The Tradition of the Lvov-Warsaw School in European Culture,” which took place in Warsaw, Poland, September 2015. It collects almost all the papers presented at the symposium as well as some additional ones. The contributors include scholars from Austria, the Netherlands, Ireland, and Poland. The papers are devoted to the history and reception of the Lvov-Warsaw School, a Polish branch of analytic philosophy. They present the School’s achievements as well as its connections to other analytic groups. The contributors also show how the tradition of the School is developed contemporarily. The title will appeal to historians of analytic philosophy as well as historians of philosophy in Central Europe.

Robots: A Reference Handbook differs from most other books on robotics in the variety of resources that it provides to readers of all ages. Robots: A Reference Handbook teaches readers about a wide variety of robots. It opens with a history of robotics, dating to ancient Greece and Rome, at which time an impressive array of automata were invented for entertainment, religious, and instructional purposes. It follows the development of automata and robots in ancient China and the Islamic world, through to Western Civilization in the present day. Subsequent chapters describe the wide array of applications to which robots are put today and discuss the technical, social, political, ethical, and economic issues created by their increasing use. Additionally, a number of essays by interested individuals highlight various aspects of robotics development. The remaining chapters of the book provide resources that will assist readers in learning more about the topic of robotics.

This book provides an introductory text for students coming new to the field of robotics, and a survey of the state of the art for professional practitioners. Some of the outstanding features of this book include: . A unique approach which ties the multi-disciplinary components of robotics into a unified text. . Broad and in-depth coverage of all the major topics from the mechanics of movement to modelling and programming. . Rigorous mathematical treatment of mature topics combined with an algorithmic approach to newer areas of research. . Practical examples taken from a wide range of fields including computer science electronic engineering, mechanical engineering and production engineering. . Step-by-step development of problems and many worked examples.

This volume investigates the ways emerging technologies in the fields of robotics and bio-robotics are influencing society. It necessarily considers both philosophical and technological study of robots, including what it means for robots to exist as good and moral entities, and how they benefit humans and enhance their quality of life. Contributors address artificial intelligence and social functions as well as technical matters. Chapters are wide-ranging, and consider robots in science fiction; the need for designers to create moral robots; specific technology; and the development of biological robots. Also addressed are robotic technologies already enhancing human bodies, such as exoskeletons that allow paraplegics to walk. The contributors foresee robots becoming involved not only in mundane domestic tasks such as washing dishes, but also in providing health care to the disabled and companionship to the elderly. This volume offers exciting philosophical reflections that unveil new connections between robotics and praxiology and their practical applications.

Since robotic prehension is widely used in all sectors of the manufacturing industry, this book fills the need for a comprehensive, up-to-date treatment of the topic. As such, this is the first text to address both developers and users, dealing as it does with the function, design and use of industrial robot grippers. The book includes both traditional methods and many more recent developments such as micro grippers for the optoelectronics industry. Written by authors from academia, industry and consulting, it begins by covering the four basic categories of robotic prehension before expanding into sections dealing with endeffector design and control, robotic manipulation and kinematics. Later chapters go on to describe how these various gripping techniques can be used for a common industrial aim, with details of related topics such as: kinematics, part separation, sensors, tool exchange and compliance. The whole is rounded off with specific examples and case studies. With more than 570 figures, this practical book is all set to become the standard for advanced students, researchers and manufacturing engineers, as well as designers and project managers seeking practical descriptions of robot endeffectors and their applications. From the contents: - Introduction to Prehension Technology - Automatic Prehension - Impactive Mechanical Grippers - Ingressive Grippers - Astrictive Prehension - Contigutive Prehension - Miniature Grippers and Microgrippers - Special Designs - Hand Axes and Kinematics - Separation - Instrumentation and Control - Tool Exchange and Reconfigurability - Compliance - Selected Case Studies Authors: Gareth Monkman is Professor of Robotics and Automation at the Fachhochschule Regensburg in Germany. In addition to authoring a large number of academic papers, he also holds numerous patents in the field of gripper technology. Stefan Hesse is a manipulator technology consultant, lectures at the Technical College Technikum Vienna, and has been working extensively as editor and author for many years. Ralf Steinmann is head of Sales and Marketing Automation at SCHUNK GmbH & Co. KG, Lauffen, Germany. Henrik Schunk is executive Vice President of SCHUNK GmbH & Co. KG, Lauffen, Germany.

Robots don't always need expensive, dedicated fixtures for workpart positioning; table-top manipulation is possible and the sliding that occurs can be used to advantage if it is well understood. The author offers methods of automating the design of robot manipulation strategies reliant on sliding and friction. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

There is an increasing range of applications in which a robot has to operate in large unstructured and uncertain environments - including military cross country missions, fire fighting, construction, nuclear plant inspections, inspecting and repairing subsea structures, assembling space stations, as well as in intelligent automobiles. Uncertainty dominates the problem domain for intelligent autonomous vehicles (IAVs) through sensing the environment and vehicle state, interpreting the data, assessing the situation, adapting to changes in the environment or tasking, replanning, navigation and piloting. IFAC, recognising the industrial, technical and economic significance of IAV research, established an International Working Party to promote research and dissemination of results in IAV systems. The IAV-93 Southampton Workshop and these resulting proceedings exemplify the vitality and significant progress made by leading IAV researchers worldwide.

Provides mathematics for plotting the remote control of robots. It offers readers a spatial representation for the joints and links of a robot that can be readily sketched, with explicit programmable kinematic equations.