Robotics in Extreme Environments


Book Description

Topic editor Rustam Stolkin is director of A.R.M Robotics Ltd. All other topic editors declare no competing interests with regards to the Research Topic subject.




Drilling in Extreme Environments


Book Description

Uniquely comprehensive and up to date, this book covers terrestrial as well as extraterrestrial drilling and excavation, combining the technology of drilling with the state of the art in robotics. The authors come from industry and top ranking public and corporate research institutions and provide here real-life examples, problems, solutions and case studies, backed by color photographs throughout. The result is a must-have for oil companies and all scientists involved in planetary research with robotic probes. With a foreword by Harrison "Jack" Schmitt -- the first geologist to drill on the moon.




Space Robotics and Autonomous Systems


Book Description

This edited book covers space robotics and autonomous systems (space RAS) from technologies to advances and applications including sensing and perception, mobility, manipulations, high-level autonomy, human-robot interaction, multi-modal interaction, modelling and simulation, and safety and trust.




Robotics and Automation Handbook


Book Description

As the capability and utility of robots has increased dramatically with new technology, robotic systems can perform tasks that are physically dangerous for humans, repetitive in nature, or require increased accuracy, precision, and sterile conditions to radically minimize human error. The Robotics and Automation Handbook addresses the major aspects of designing, fabricating, and enabling robotic systems and their various applications. It presents kinetic and dynamic methods for analyzing robotic systems, considering factors such as force and torque. From these analyses, the book develops several controls approaches, including servo actuation, hybrid control, and trajectory planning. Design aspects include determining specifications for a robot, determining its configuration, and utilizing sensors and actuators. The featured applications focus on how the specific difficulties are overcome in the development of the robotic system. With the ability to increase human safety and precision in applications ranging from handling hazardous materials and exploring extreme environments to manufacturing and medicine, the uses for robots are growing steadily. The Robotics and Automation Handbook provides a solid foundation for engineers and scientists interested in designing, fabricating, or utilizing robotic systems.




Using Robots in Hazardous Environments


Book Description

There have been major recent advances in robotic systems that can replace humans in undertaking hazardous activities in demanding or dangerous environments. Published in association with the CLAWAR (Climbing and Walking Robots and Associated Technologies Association) (www.clawar.org), this important book reviews the development of robotic systems for de-mining and other risky activities such as fire-fighting.Part one provides an overview of the use of robots for humanitarian de-mining work. Part two discusses the development of sensors for mine detection whilst Part thee reviews developments in both teleoperated and autonomous robots. Building on the latter, Part four concentrates on robot autonomous navigation. The final part of the book reviews research on multi-agent-systems (MAS) and the multi-robotics-systems (MRS), promising tools that take into account modular design of mobile robots and the use of several robots in multi-task missions.With its distinguished editors and international team of contributors, Using robots in hazardous environments: landmine detection, de-mining and other applications is a standard reference for all those researching the use of robots in hazardous environments as well as government and other agencies wishing to use robots for dangerous tasks such as landmine detection and disposal. - Reviews the development of robotic systems for de-mining and other risky activities - Discusses the development and applications of sensors for mine detection using different robotic systems - Examines research on multi-agent-systems and multi-robotics systems




Neurotechnology for Biomimetic Robots


Book Description

An overview of neurotechnology, the engineering of robots based on animals and animal behavior. The goal of neurotechnology is to confer the performance advantages of animal systems on robotic machines. Biomimetic robots differ from traditional robots in that they are agile, relatively cheap, and able to deal with real-world environments. The engineering of these robots requires a thorough understanding of the biological systems on which they are based, at both the biomechanical and physiological levels.This book provides an in-depth overview of the field. The areas covered include myomorphic actuators, which mimic muscle action; neuromorphic sensors, which, like animal sensors, represent sensory modalities such as light, pressure, and motion in a labeled-line code; biomimetic controllers, based on the relatively simple control systems of invertebrate animals; and the autonomous behaviors that are based on an animal's selection of behaviors from a species-specific behavioral "library." The ultimate goal is to develop a truly autonomous robot, one able to navigate and interact with its environment solely on the basis of sensory feedback without prompting from a human operator.




Underwater Robots


Book Description

Robots can be sent to the most extreme environments in the world. This book takes readers on a deep-sea dive to find out all about underwater robots. Readers will learn about the history of robot technology, as well as the latest uses for underwater robots. The accessible language describes how robots work, while color photographs bring readers into the underwater environments where some robots do their job. What’s the future of underwater robots? What can we find out by using them? This book answers these questions and many more, as readers follow robots under the sea.




Impact: Design With All Senses


Book Description

This book reflects and expands on the current trend in the building industry to understand, simulate and ultimately design buildings by taking into consideration the interlinked elements and forces that act on them. Shifting away from the traditional focus, which was exclusively on building tasks, this approach presents new challenges in all areas of the industry, from material and structural to the urban scale. The book presents contributions including research papers and case studies, providing a comprehensive overview of the field as well as perspectives from related disciplines, such as computer science. The chapter authors were invited speakers at the 7th Symposium “Impact: Design With All Senses”, which took place at the University of the Arts in Berlin in September 2019.




Robot Ecology


Book Description

A revolutionary new framework that draws on insights from ecology for the design and analysis of long-duration robots Robots are increasingly leaving the confines of laboratories, warehouses, and manufacturing facilities, venturing into agriculture and other settings where they must operate in uncertain conditions over long timescales. This multidisciplinary book draws on the principles of ecology to show how robots can take full advantage of the environments they inhabit, including as sources of energy. Magnus Egerstedt introduces a revolutionary new design paradigm—robot ecology—that makes it possible to achieve long-duration autonomy while avoiding catastrophic failures. Central to ecology is the idea that the richness of an organism’s behavior is a function of the environmental constraints imposed by its habitat. Moving beyond traditional strategies that focus on optimal policies for making robots achieve targeted tasks, Egerstedt explores how to use survivability constraints to produce both effective and provably safe robot behaviors. He blends discussions of ecological principles with the development of control barrier functions as a formal approach to constraint-based control design, and provides an in-depth look at the design of the SlothBot, a slow and energy-efficient robot used for environmental monitoring and conservation. Visionary in scope, Robot Ecology presents a comprehensive and unified methodology for designing robots that can function over long durations in diverse natural environments.




Advanced Robotics & Intelligent Machines


Book Description

Advanced robotics describes the use of sensor-based robotic devices which exploit powerful computers to achieve the high levels of functionality that begin to mimic intelligent human behaviour. The object of this book is to summarise developments in the base technologies, survey recent applications and highlight new advanced concepts which will influence future progress.