Subject Resources: Robotics: Print Books

Garry Kasparov's 1997 chess match against the IBM supercomputer Deep Blue was a watershed moment in the history of technology. It was the dawn of a new era in artificial intelligence: a machine capable of beating the reigning human champion at this most cerebral game.

That moment was more than a century in the making, and in this breakthrough book, Kasparov reveals his astonishing side of the story for the first time. He describes how it felt to strategize against an implacable, untiring opponent with the whole world watching, and recounts the history of machine intelligence through the microcosm of chess, considered by generations of scientific pioneers to be a key to unlocking the secrets of human and machine cognition. Kasparov uses his unrivaled experience to look into the future of intelligent machines and sees it bright with possibility. As many critics decry artificial intelligence as a menace, particularly to human jobs, Kasparov shows how humanity can rise to new heights with the help of our most extraordinary creations, rather than fear them. Deep Thinking is a tightly argued case for technological progress, from the man who stood at its precipice with his own career at stake.

The DARPA Robotics Challenge was a robotics competition that took place in Pomona, California USA in June 2015. The competition was the culmination of 33 months of demanding work by 23 teams and required humanoid robots to perform challenging locomotion and manipulation tasks in a mock disaster site. The challenge was conceived as a response to the Japanese Fukushima nuclear disaster of March 2011. The Fukushima disaster was seen as an ideal candidate for robotic intervention since the risk of exposure to radiation prevented human responders from accessing the site. This volume, edited by Matthew Spenko, Stephen Buerger, and Karl Iagnemma, includes commentary by the organizers, overall analysis of the results, and documentation of the technical efforts of 15 competing teams. The book provides an important record of the successes and failures involved in the DARPA Robotics Challenge and provides guidance for future needs to be addressed by policy makers, funding agencies, and the robotics research community. Many of the papers in this volume were initially published in a series of special issues of the Journal of Field Robotics.

Blending traditional mechanical engineering material with computer science and control theoretical concepts, the text covers a range of topics, including rigid-body transformations, forward and inverse positional kinematics, velocities and Jacobians of linkages, dynamics, linear and non-linear control, force control methodologies, mechanical design aspects, and robotic programming. The 4th Edition features a balance of application and theory, introducing the science and engineering of mechanical manipulation--establishing and building on foundational understanding of mechanics, control theory, and computer science. With an emphasis on computational aspects of problems, the text aims to present material in a simple, intuitive way.

Shaping Science draws on a decade of immersive ethnography with NASA's robotic spacecraft teams to create a comparative account of two great space missions of the early 2000s. Although these missions appear to involve robotic explorers gathering data autonomously in the far reaches of the solar system, teams of scientists and engineers control them in detail, remotely from earth. By examining the two teams' formal organizational structures and informal work practices in the day to day process of mission planning, Janet Vertesi reveals just how deeply entangled the teams' production of knowledge about other worlds is with the local organizational considerations and practices of producing social order in their labs. This book admirably demonstrates the significant conclusion that the social organization of a scientific team affects the scientific practices and results of that team.

A New Edition Featuring Case Studies and Examples of the Fundamentals of Robot Kinematics, Dynamics, and Control. In the 2nd Edition of Robot Modeling and Control, students will cover the theoretical fundamentals and the latest technological advances in robot kinematics. With so much advancement in technology, from robotics to motion planning, society can implement more powerful and dynamic algorithms than ever before. This in-depth reference guide educates readers in four distinct parts; the first two serve as a guide to the fundamentals of robotics and motion control, while the last two dive more in-depth into control theory and nonlinear system analysis. With the new edition, readers gain access to new case studies and thoroughly researched information covering topics such as: Motion-planning, collision avoidance, trajectory optimization, and control of robots. Popular topics within the robotics industry and how they apply to various technologies. An expanded set of examples, simulations, problems, and case studies. Open-ended suggestions for students to apply the knowledge to real-life situations. A four-part reference essential for both undergraduate and graduate students, Robot Modeling and Control serves as a foundation for a solid education in robotics and motion planning.