Insect robots, inspired by the agility and resilience of insects, are emerging as innovative tools in disaster recovery efforts. These small, agile robots are designed to navigate through tight spaces, unstable environments, and hazardous conditions that are often inaccessible to human responders. Their ability to operate autonomously or in swarms makes them particularly effective in large-scale disasters where speed and efficiency are crucial. As technology continues to advance, insect robots are poised to play an increasingly vital role in enhancing the effectiveness and safety of disaster recovery operations, providing invaluable support in the race against time to save lives. Exploring the Micro World of Robotics Through Insect Robots delves into the futuristic field of insect robotics and their pivotal role in disaster recovery scenarios. Encompassing a diverse array of subjects ranging from microcontroller principles and sensor advancements to ethical considerations and policy implications, this book offers a comprehensive perspective on the transformative potential of insect-inspired technologies in disaster response efforts. Covering topics such as advanced algorithms, machine learning, and robot swarms, this book is an excellent resource for emergency management professionals, robotics engineers and developers, public safety and security agencies, academicians, researchers, policymakers, and more.

Swarm robotics can be defined as the study of how a swarm of relatively simple physically embodied agents can be constructed to collectively accomplish tasks that are beyond the capabilities of a single one. Unlike other studies on multi-robot systems, swarm robotics emphasizes self-organization and emergence, while keeping in mind the issues of scalability and robustness. These emphases promote the use of relatively simple robots, equipped with localized sensing ability, scalable communication mechanisms, and the exploration of decentralized control strategies. This state-of-the-art survey is the first book devoted to swarm robotics. It is based on the First International Workshop on Swarm Robotics held in Santa Monica, CA, USA in July 2004 as part of SAB 2004

His Dark Materials is one of the most popular, award-winning fantasies of all time, a bestselling trilogy hailed as "a modern classic" by The New York Times. Now, for the first time ever, Lois H. Gresh helps young readers examine Pullman's intricate universe with Exploring His Dark Materials, the ultimate companion guide. Gresh's fun, interactive book explores the complex science, religion, and fantastic elements of His Dark Materials in a way that's both informative and fun for younger readers. Exploring His Dark Materials is filled with sidebars, history, facts and an in-depth analysis of the books, answering questions like: *What are daemons? *Why is dust important to the series? * Is Dark Material real and how does it relate to our universe? * What are the origins of ghosts and shapeshifters? *And much more! Exploring His Dark Materials is a thrilling and essential guide for young adults to help them explore this fantastic and challenging fantasy world.

Tracing the connections between human-like robots and AI at the site of dehumanization and exploited labor The word robot—introduced in Karel Čapek’s 1920 play R.U.R.—derives from rabota, the Czech word for servitude or forced labor. A century later, the play’s dystopian themes of dehumanization and exploited labor are being played out in factories, workplaces, and battlefields. In The Robotic Imaginary, Jennifer Rhee traces the provocative and productive connections of contemporary robots in technology, film, art, and literature. Centered around the twinned processes of anthropomorphization and dehumanization, she analyzes the coevolution of cultural and technological robots and artificial intelligence, arguing that it is through the conceptualization of the human and, more important, the dehumanized that these multiple spheres affect and transform each other. Drawing on the writings of Alan Turing, Sara Ahmed, and Arlie Russell Hochschild; such films and novels as Her and The Stepford Wives; technologies like Kismet (the pioneering “emotional robot”); and contemporary drone art, this book explores anthropomorphic paradigms in robot design and imagery in ways that often challenge the very grounds on which those paradigms operate in robotics labs and industry. From disembodied, conversational AI and its entanglement with care labor; embodied mobile robots as they intersect with domestic labor; emotional robots impacting affective labor; and armed military drones and artistic responses to drone warfare, The Robotic Imaginary ultimately reveals how the human is made knowable through the design of and discourse on humanoid robots that are, paradoxically, dehumanized.

Take a detailed look at the fascinating world of robots - from the earliest single-task machines to the advanced intelligence of robots with feelings. Young readers will be amazed to learn all that robots can do: perform delicate surgical operations, clean city sewers, work as museum tour guides, or even battle each other in combat. Find out how humans have created these mechanical minds and bodies. The most trusted nonfiction series on the market, Eyewitness Books provide an in-depth, comprehensive look at their subjects with a unique integration of words and pictures.

This is the eBook version of the printed book. If the print book includes a CD-ROM, this content is not included within the eBook version. A real-world business book for the explosion of eBay entrepreneurs! Absolute Beginner's Guide to Launching an eBay Business guides you step-by-step through the process of setting up an eBay business, and offers real-world advice on how to run that business on a day-to-day basis and maximize financial success. This book covers determining what kind of business to run, writing an action-oriented business plan, establishing an effective accounting system, setting up a home office, obtaining starting inventory, arranging initial funding, establishing an eBay presence, and arranging for automated post-auction management.

A collection of refereed papers presented at the 11th European Conference on Artificial Intelligence held in Amsterdam, The Netherlands in August 1994.