Description
Book SynopsisA concise, accessible introduction to robots, what they can do, what they can''t, and what their increasing encroachment into our lives might mean for us Since the turn of the millennium a quiet revolution has been underway. Millions of autonomous robots with some level of intelligence are now in domestic use, mainly as vacuum cleaners. Driverless cars - which are nothing less than autonomous robots - are starting to appear on our streets. There is a huge effort underway in industry and universities to develop the next generation of more intelligent, autonomous, mobile robots. Accompanying these arrivals has been a steady stream of inflammatory articles in the media raising concerns over the impending spectre of super-intelligent robots, along with stories about how most jobs will soon be lost to robots.Here, using the Question-and-Answer format, Phil Husbands gives a balanced and broad introduction to robotics and the current state of the field, analysing where it has come from, and w
Trade ReviewThe book is accessible, and readers can expect to learn much from it. Husbands has given us a historically informed introduction to robotics, rooted in technological reality and dismissing futuristic hype. * Simon Balle, Metascience *
the book is accessible, and readers can expect to learn much from it. Husbands has given us a historically informed introduction to robotics, rooted in technological reality and dismissing futuristic hype. * Simon Balle, Metascience *
Table of ContentsPreface 1: Robots are Here 2: The Basics 3: Some History 4: Inside the Machine 5: Robot Fantasies: Robots in Popular Culture 6: Intelligence, Super-Intelligence and Cyborgs 7: Robots at Work 8: Robot Ethics 9: Robot Futures