Robotics Books

Book SynopsisComputers are already approving financial transactions, controlling electrical supplies, and driving trains. Soon, service robots will be taking care of the elderly in their homes, and military robots will have their own targeting and firing protocols. Colin Allen and Wendell Wallach argue that as robots take on more and more responsibility, they must be programmed with moral decision-making abilities, for our own safety. Taking a fast paced tour through the latest thinking about philosophical ethics and artificial intelligence, the authors argue that even if full moral agency for machines is a long way off, it is already necessary to start building a kind of functional morality, in which artificial moral agents have some basic ethical sensitivity. But the standard ethical theories don''t seem adequate, and more socially engaged and engaging robots will be needed. As the authors show, the quest to build machines that are capable of telling right from wrong has begun. Moral Machines is Trade ReviewWhen machines go it alone, accountability disappears - and with it the rule of law. Which is why philosophers Wendall Wallach and Colin Allen are asking how we can persuade robots to do the right thing. The result, in their seminal...book Moral Machines, makes clear just how far we have to go. * Stephen Cave, Financial Times *Table of ContentsPreface ; 1. Who Machine Morality? ; 2. Engineering Morality ; 3. Do We Want Computers Making Moral Decisions ; 4. Can (Ro)bots Really be Moral? ; 5. Philosophers, Engineers, and the Design of Artificial Moral Agents; ; 6. Top Down Morality ; 7. Bottom-Up and Developmental Approaches ; 8. Merging Top Down and Bottom Up ; 9. Beyond Vaporware? ; 10. Beyond Reason ; 11. A More Human-Like AMA ; 12. Beyond the Beyond: Managing Dangers, Rights, and Responsibilities ; Epilogue

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Book SynopsisDynamic Thinking: A Primer on Dynamic Field Theory introduces the reader to a new approach to understanding cognitive and neural dynamics using the concepts of Dynamic Field Theory (DFT). Dynamic Neural Fields are formalizations of how neural populations represent the continuous dimensions of perceptual features, movements, and cognitive decisions. The concepts of DFT establish links between brain and behavior, revealing ways in which models of brain function can be tested with both neural and behavioral measures. Thus, DFT bridges the gap between brain and behavior, between neuroscience and the behavioral sciences. The book provides systematic tutorials on the central concepts of DFT and their grounding in both dynamical systems theory and neurophysiology. The concrete mathematical implementation of these concepts is laid out, supported by hands-on exercises that make use of interactive simulators in MATLAB. The book also contains a large set of exemplary case studies in which the concepts and associated models are used to understand how elementary forms of embodied cognition emerge and develop.Trade Review"A thorough and systematic introduction to dynamic field theory and its applications to perception, cognition, and action. This book will allow students and researchers interested in this important modeling framework to learn all about it, and join in its future development. "-Jay McClelland, Director, Center for Mind, Brain, and Computation, Stanford UniversityTable of ContentsContributors Abbreviations General Introduction John Spencer and Gregor Schöner Part 1 Integrating Lower-Level Perception-Action with Higher-Level Cognition Introduction to Part 1 Gregor Schöner and John P. Spencer Chapter 1: The Dynamics of Neural Activation Variables Gregor Schöner, Hendrik Reimann, and Jonas Lins Chapter 2: Dynamic Field Theory Gregor Schöner and Anne Schutte Chapter 3: The Ties of DFT to Neurophyisology Sebastian Schneegans, Jonas Lins, and Gregor Schöner Chapter 4: Embodied Neural Dynamics Gregor Schöner, Christian Faubel, Evelina Dineva, and Estela Bicho Part 2 Integrating Lower-Level Perception-Action with Higher-Level Cognition Introduction to Part 2 John P. Spencer and Gregor Schöner Chapter 5: Integration and Selection in Multi-Dimensional Dynamic Fields. Sebastian Schneegans, Jonas Lins, and John P. Spencer Chapter 6: Integrating Perception and Working Memory in a Three-Layer Dynamic Field Model Jeffrey S. Johnson and Vanessa R. Simmering Chapter 7: Sensory-Motor and Cognitive Transformation Sebastian Schneegans Chapter 8: Integrating "What" and "Where": Visual Working Memory for Objects in a Scene Sebastian Schneegans, John P. Spencer, and Gregor Schöner Chapter 9: Dynamic Scene Representations and Autonomous Robotics Stephan K. U. Zibner and Christian Faubel Part 3 Integrating Thinking over Multiple Timescales Introduction to Part 3 John P. Spencer and Gregor Schöner Chapter 10: Developmental Dynamics: The Spatial Precision Hypothesis Vanessa Simmering and Anne Schutte Chapter 11: A Process View of Learning and Development in an Autonomous Exploratory System Sammy Perone and Joseph P. Ambrose Chapter 12: Grounding Word Learning in Space and Time Larissa K. Samuelson and Christian Faubel Chapter 13: The Emergence of Higher-level Cognitive Flexibility: DFT and Executive Function Aaron T. Buss, Timothy Wifall, and Eliot Hazeltine Chapter 14: Autonomous Sequence Generation in Dynamic Field Theory Yulia Sandamirskaya Conclusions: A 'How-to' Guide to Modeling with Dynamic Field Theory Joseph Ambrose, Sebastian Schneegans, Gregor Schöner, and John P. Spencer

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Book SynopsisAn invaluable guide to avoiding the stuff of science-fiction nightmares.--John Gilby, Times Higher EducationMoral Machines is a fine introduction to the emerging field of robot ethics. There is much here that will interest ethicists, philosophers, cognitive scientists, and roboticists.-Peter Danielson, Notre Dame Philosophical ReviewsWritten with an abundance of examples and lessons learned, scenarios of incidents that may happen, and elaborate discussions on existing artificial agents on the cutting edge of research/practice, Moral Machines goes beyond what is known as computer ethics into what will soon be called the discipline of machine morality. Highly recommended.-G. Trajkovski, CHOICE...the book does succeed in making the essential point that the phrase ''moral machine'' is not an oxymoron. It also provides a window onto an area of research with which psychologists are unlikely to be familiar and one from which, at some point, we may be able to learn quite a lot.-PsycCRITIQUES MTrade ReviewAn invaluable guide to avoiding the stuff of science-fiction nightmares. * John Gilby, Times Higher Education *Table of ContentsPREFACE

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Book SynopsisAlgorithms will soon know more about us than we know ourselves Where should machine automation end? Is it acceptable to have a digital assistant arrange your calendar, but not to have a robot spouse? Are companion robots acceptable for seniors in need of comfort, but not okay for toddlers exposed to emotional software that could influence their behavior? Is it desirable to live a life within the virtual reality of Facebook’s Oculus Rift, but not if your thoughts are sold to advertisers who manipulate your purchases? We’ve entered an era where a myriad of personalization algorithms influence our every decision, and the lines between human assistance, automation, and extinction have blurred.  We need to create ethical standards for the Artificial Intelligence usurping our lives, and allow individuals to control their identity based on their values. Otherwise, we sacrifice our humanity for productivity versus purpose and for profits versus people.&

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Book Synopsis"Lucid, comprehensive, and unafraid...an indispensable contribution to a long-running argument." -Los Angeles TimesTrade Review"Of all the moderns who have written on automation and rising joblessness, Martin Ford is the original. His Rise of the Robots: Technology and the Threat of a Jobless Future is due out this May... Self-recommending." --Marginal Revolution "Robots, and their like, are on the rise. Their impact will be an important question in the next decade and beyond. Martin Ford has been thinking in this area before most others, so this book deserves very careful consideration." --Lawrence Summers, President Emeritus and Charles W. Eliot University Professor, Harvard University "It's not easy to accept, but it's true. Education and hard work will no longer guarantee success for huge numbers of people as technology advances. The time for denial is over. Now it's time to consider solutions and there are very few proposals on the table. Rise of the Robots presents one idea, the basic income model, with clarity and force. No one who cares about the future of human dignity can afford to skip this book." --Jaron Lanier, author of You Are Not a Gadget and Who Owns the Future? "Compelling and well-written... In his conception, the answer is a combination of short-term policies and longer-term initiatives, one of which is a radical idea that may gain some purchase among gloomier techno-profits: a guaranteed income for all citizens. If that stirs up controversy, that's the point. The book is both lucid and bold, and certainly a starting point for robust debate about the future of all workers in an age of advancing robotics and looming artificial intelligence systems." --ZDNet "An alarming new book." --Esquire "A thorough look at how far machines have come" --Washington Post, Innovations blog "Ford offers ideas on changes in social policies, including guaranteed income, to keep our economy humming and prepare ourselves for a more automated future." --Booklist "A careful and courageous examination of automation and its possible impact on society." --Kirkus Reviews "In Rise of the Robots, Ford coolly and clearly considers what work is under threat from automation." --New Scientist "Makes clear the need to come to grips with ever more rapidly advancing technology and its effects on how people make a living and how the economy functions." --Pittsburgh Tribune-Review "Whether you agree or not with the policy prescriptions put forward by [Martin Ford's Rise of the Robots and Anne-Marie Slaughter's Unfinished Business] these two well-written books, and quite a few will likely disagree, they are important reads for those wishing to better understand and influence the future." --Bloomberg Business, Mohamed El-Erian "Few captured the mood as well as Martin Ford in The Rise of the Robots, the winner of the FT and McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award, which painted a bleak picture of the upheavals that would come as ever-greater numbers of even highly skilled workers were displaced by machines." --Financial Times "[A] breathtaking new book on modern economics." --Forbes.com "Lucid, comprehensive and unafraid to grapple fairly with those who dispute Ford's basic thesis, Rise of the Robots is an indispensable contribution to a long-running argument." --Los Angeles Times "If The Second Machine Age was last year's tech-economy title of choice, this book may be 2015's equivalent." --Financial Times, Summer books 2015, Business, Andrew Hill "[Ford's] a careful and thoughtful writer who relies on ample evidence, clear reasoning, and lucid economic analysis. In other words, it's entirely possible that he's right." --Daily Beast "Rise of the Robots is an excellent book. Fair-minded, balanced, well-researched, and fully thought through." --Inside Higher Ed, Learn blog "Surveying all the fields now being affected by automation, Ford makes a compelling case that this is an historic disruption--a fundamental shift from most tasks being performed by humans to one where most tasks are done by machines." --Fast Company "Well written with interesting stories about both business and technology." --Wired/Dot Physics Winner of the 2015 FT & McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award A New York Times Bestseller Top Business Book of 2015 at Forbes One of NBCNews.com 12 Notable Science and Technology Books of 2015 "For nonfiction, I tip my hat to Martin Ford's Rise of the Robots, which is vacuuming up accolades and is recommended reading for IIF staff. Ford's analysis, in a somewhat crowded field of similar books, offers a sobering assessment of how technology (robotics, machine learning, AI, etc.) is reshaping labor markets, the composition of growth, and the distribution of income and wealth, and calls for enlightened political and policy leadership to address coming, accelerating disruptions and dislocations." --Bloomberg Business, Timothy Adams "We are in an era of technological optimism but sociological pessimism. Martin Ford's Rise of the Robots captures why these shifts are related and what challenges this might pose to our conventional economic and social infrastructures." --Bloomberg Business, Andy Haldane "Ever since the Luddites, pessimists have believed that technology would destroy jobs. So far they have been wrong. Martin Ford shows with great clarity why today's automated technology will be much more destructive of jobs than previous technological innovation. This is a book that everyone concerned with the future of work must read." --Lord Robert Skidelsky, Emeritus Professor of Political Economy at the University of Warwick, co-author of How Much Is Enough?: Money and the Good Life and author of the three-volume biography of John Maynard Keynes "Martin Ford has thrust himself into the center of the debate over AI, big data, and the future of the economy with a shrewd look at the forces shaping our lives and work. As an entrepreneur pioneering many of the trends he uncovers, he speaks with special credibility, insight, and verve. Business people, policy makers, and professionals of all sorts should read this book right away--before the 'bots steal their jobs. Ford gives us a roadmap to the future." --Kenneth Cukier, Data Editor for the Economist and co-author of Big Data: A Revolution That Will Transform How We Live, Work, and Think "If the robots are coming for my job (too), then Martin Ford is the person I want on my side, not to fend them off but to construct a better world where we can all--humans and our machines--live more prosperously together. Rise of the Robots goes far beyond the usual fear-mongering punditry to suggest an action plan for a better future." --Cathy N. Davidson, Distinguished Professor and Director, The Futures Initiative, The Graduate Center, CUNY and author of Now You See It: How the Brain Science of Attention Will Transform the Way We Live, Work, and Learn "Mr. Ford lucidly sets out myriad examples of how focused applications of versatile machines (coupled with human helpers where necessary) could displace or de-skill many jobs... His answer to a sharp decline in employment is a guaranteed basic income, a safety net that he suggests would both cushion the effect on the newly unemployable and encourage entrepreneurship among those creative enough to make a new way for themselves. This is a drastic prescription for the ills of modern industrialization--ills whose severity and very existence are hotly contested. Rise of the Robots provides a compelling case that they are real, even if its more dire predictions are harder to accept." --Wall Street Journal "Well-researched and disturbingly persuasive." --Financial Times "[Rise of the Robots is]about as scary as the title suggests. It's not science fiction, but rather a vision (almost) of economic Armageddon." --Frank Bruni, New York Times "As Martin Ford documents in Rise of the Robots, the job-eating maw of technology now threatens even the nimblest and most expensively educated...the human consequences of robotization are already upon us, and skillfully chronicled here." --New York Times Book Review

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisInvestigates the complexities of the theory of probabilistic localisation and mapping of mobile robots as well as providing the most current and concrete developments. This reference source aims to be useful for practitioners, graduate and postgraduate students, and active researchers alike.

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Book SynopsisDesign, simulate, and program interactive robots Key Features Design, simulate, build, and program an interactive autonomous mobile robot Leverage the power of ROS, Gazebo, and Python to enhance your robotic skills A hands-on guide to creating an autonomous mobile robot with the help of ROS and Python Book DescriptionRobot Operating System (ROS) is one of the most popular robotics software frameworks in research and industry. It has various features for implement different capabilities in a robot without implementing them from scratch.This book starts by showing you the fundamentals of ROS so you understand the basics of differential robots. Then, you'll learn about robot modeling and how to design and simulate it using ROS. Moving on, we'll design robot hardware and interfacing actuators. Then, you'll learn to configure and program depth sensors and LIDARs using ROS. Finally, you'll create a GUI for your robot using the Qt framework. By the end of this tutorial, you'll have a clear idea of how to integrate and assemble everything into a robot and how to bundle the software package.What you will learn Design a differential robot from scratch Model a differential robot using ROS and URDF Simulate a differential robot using ROS and Gazebo Design robot hardware electronics Interface robot actuators with embedded boards Explore the interfacing of different 3D depth cameras in ROS Implement autonomous navigation in ChefBot Create a GUI for robot control Who this book is forThis book is for those who are conducting research in mobile robotics and autonomous navigation. As well as the robotics research domain, this book is also for the robot hobbyist community. You’re expected to have a basic understanding of Linux commands and Python.Table of ContentsTable of Contents Getting started with ROS Understanding basics of differential robots Modeling the Differential Drive Robot Simulating a Differential Drive Robot Using ROS Designing ChefBot Hardware and Circuits Interfacing Actuators and Sensors to the Robot Controller Interfacing Vision Sensors with ROS Building ChefBot Hardware and the Integration of Software Designing a GUI for a Robot Using Qt and Python Assessments

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Book SynopsisThis book presents various techniques to carry out the gait modeling, the gait patterns synthesis, and the control of biped robots. Some general information on the human walking, a presentation of the current experimental biped robots, and the application of walking bipeds are given. The modeling is based on the decomposition on a walking step into different sub-phases depending on the way each foot stands into contact on the ground. The robot design is dealt with according to the mass repartition and the choice of the actuators. Different ways to generate walking patterns are considered, such as passive walking and gait synthesis performed using optimization technique. Control based on the robot modeling, neural network methods, or intuitive approaches are presented. The unilaterality of contact is dealt with using on-line adaptation of the desired motion.Table of ContentsChapter 1. Bipedal Robots and Walking 1.1. Introduction 1 1.2. Biomechanical approach 2 1.2.1. Biomechanical system: a source of inspiration 2 1.2.2. Skeletal structure and musculature 9 1.3. Human walking 11 1.3.1. Architecture 11 1.3.2. Walking and running trajectory data. 13 1.3.3. Study cases 18 1.4. Bipedal walking robots: state of the art 21 1.4.1. A brief history 21 1.4.2. Japanese studies and creations 24 1.4.3. The situation in France 27 1.4.4. General evolution tendencies 31 1.5. Different applications 32 1.5.1. Service robotics 33 1.5.2. Robotics and dangerous terrains 35 1.5.3. Toy robots and computer animation in cinema 35 1.5.4. Defense robotics 37 1.5.5. Medical prostheses 39 1.5.6. Surveillance robots 40 1.6. Conclusion 40 1.7. Bibliography 41 Chapter 2. Kinematic and Dynamic Models for Walking 2.1. Introduction 47 2.2. The kinematics of walking 48 2.2.1. DoF of the locomotion system 48 2.2.2. Walking patterns 49 2.2.3. Generalized coordinates for a sagittal step 53 2.2.4. Generalized coordinates for three-dimensional walking 57 2.2.5. Transition conditions 66 2.3. The dynamics of walking 70 2.3.1. Lagrangian dynamic model 71 2.3.2. Newton-Euler’s dynamic model 87 2.3.3. Impact model 98 2.4. Dynamic constraints. 103 2.4.1. CoP and equilibrium constraints 103 2.4.2. Non-sliding constraints 116 2.5. Complementary feasibility constraints 117 2.5.1. Respecting the technological limitations 118 2.5.2. Non-collision constraints 119 2.6. Conclusion 123 2.7. Bibliography 123 Chapter 3. Design Tools for Making Bipedal Robots 3.1. Introduction 127 3.2. Study of influence of robot body masses 128 3.2.1. Case 1: the three-link robot 129 3.2.2. Case 2: the five-link robot 147 3.3. Mechanical design: the architectures carried out 165 3.3.1. The structure of planar robots 165 3.3.2. 3D robot structures 168 3.3.3. Technology of inter-body joints 172 3.3.4. Drive technology 174 3.4. Actuators 181 3.4.1. Actuator types 181 3.4.2. Characteristics of electric actuators 186 3.4.3. Elements of choice for robotic actuators 190 3.4.4. Comparing actuator performances 193 3.4.5. Performances of transmission-actuator associations 202 3.5. Sensors 207 3.5.1. Measuring 207 3.5.2. Frequently used sensors 208 3.5.3. Characteristics and integration 209 3.5.4. Sensors of inertial localization 210 3.6. Conclusion 212 3.7. Appendix 213 3.7.1. Geometric model 213 3.7.2. Dynamic model 213 3.8. Bibliography 215 Chapter 4. Walking Pattern Generators 4.1. Introduction 219 4.2. Passive and quasi-passive dynamic walking 220 4.2.1. Passive walking 220 4.2.2. Quasi-passive dynamic walking 222 4.3. Static balance walking 227 4.4. Dynamic synthesis of walking 228 4.4.1. Performance criteria for walking synthesis 228 4.4.2. Formalizing the problem of dynamic optimization 232 4.5. Walking synthesis via parametric optimization 236 4.5.1. Approximating the control variables 237 4.5.2. Parameterizing the configuration variables 238 4.5.3. Parameterizing the Lagrange multipliers 246 4.5.4. Formulation of the parametric optimization problem 250 4.5.5. A parametric optimization example 255 4.6. Conclusion 261 4.7. Bibliography 262 Chapter 5. Control 5.1. Introduction 267 5.2. Hybrid systems and stability study 269 5.3. Taking into account the unilateralism of the contact constraint 273 5.3.1. Computed torque control 273 5.4. Online modification of references 282 5.4.1. General principle 282 5.4.2. The ZMP’s imposed evolution 285 5.4.3. Bounded evolution of the ZMP 292 5.5. Taking an under-actuated phase into account 296 5.6. Taking the double support phase into account 301 5.7. Intuitive and neural network methods 306 5.7.1. Intuitive methods 306 5.7.2. Neural network method 311 5.8. Passive movements 318 5.9. Conclusion 322 5.10. Bibliography 323 Index 327

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