Customer Reviews (1)

Very good introduction to robotic construction
This was a very good book that introduced both simple and complexcalculations when designing a robotic vehicle. ... Read more

Product Description
This second book on Stiquito presents you with a unique opportunity to learn about the field of engineering, electronics, and robotics in an original way. This book provides you with the skills and equipment to build a very small robot, instructions on how to build electronic controls for your robot, and a robot kit.

The Stiquito robot is a small, inexpensive, six-legged robot that is unique not only by its cost but because its applications are limitless. This book is written at a level for High School and College students. It provides an engineering, electronics, and robotics curriculum, and presents experiments and projects that illustrate what they teach. It also illustrates Stiquito's uses in education by presenting lab exercises and describes the use of nitinol in classroom experiments. Stiquito has already successfully been used to teach in primary, secondary, high school, and college curricula. An accompanying teacher's manual that includes problem solutions, descriptions for teaching each chapter, science benchmarks, national standards, and additional experiments associated with each chapter will be available. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

Beware!!
The model included with the text is VERY difficult to build.I am an engineer and it took me about 5 hours to build. I was planning to use it for my middle school Robotics class.But not now. Construction requires ALOT of very fine tieing, threading, and crimping.The wires are difficult to see and difficult to manipulate. Also, the textbook is very advanced -not meant for novices or even college students with little electronics background.

Excelent Introduction
This book is an excelent introduction to robotics and to electricity basics; but I recomend if the user has knoledge of electronic read stiquito avanced experiments, it will be much interesting for the user.

Great Project
A good book to learn robotics for everyone especially those with computer and engineering background. Nonetheless others with enthusiasm, and willingness to experiment would find that this book is unique and excellent in its approach . What makes this book as an excellent introductory reading, is that it comes with kit. Once you've read about stiquito, you can go ahead and build one for yourself. What kind of stiquito personality you want to build will depend on your creativity and willingness to experiment. It also teaches you how to write program to control simple robot using easy to get resources. Robotics is fun indeed.

A good introduction
This introductory Stiquito book is well suited for educators and hobbyists that want an easily realizable robot.

This book skims over various design alternatives, and offers detailed, systematic instructions for construction of the "classic", simplest Stiquito walker.The instructions begin by giving readers the big picture, explaining the objectives for each section, and then explain each step individually.It takes just a few hours of reading and a few hours of patient work before you can make your first Stiquito.

But beware, you'll need to locate a vendor with Nitinol and piano wire, because the first robot is simple and you will want to keep going.A second, "advanced" title contains plans and explanations for many of the designs briefly mentioned in this book.

A good introduction
This introductory Stiquito book is well suited for educators and hobbyists that want an easily realizable robot.

This book skims over various design alternatives, and offers detailed, systematic instructions for construction of the "classic", simplest Stiquito walker.The instructions begin by giving readers the big picture, explaining the objectives for each section, and then explain each step individually.It takes just a few hours of reading and a few hours of patient work before you can make your first Stiquito.

But beware, you'll need to locate a vendor with Nitinol and piano wire, because the first robot is simple and you will want to keep going.A second, "advanced" title contains plans and explanations for many of the designs briefly mentioned in this book. ... Read more

Product Description

This important work is an attempt to synthesize two areas that need to be treated in tandem. The book brings together the fields of robot spatial mapping and cognitive spatial mapping, which share some common core problems. One would expect some cross-fertilization of research between the two areas to have occurred, yet this has begun only recently. There are now signs that some synthesis is happening, so this work is a timely one for students and engineers in robotics.

Product Description
This text covers all the material needed to understand the principles behind the AI approach to robotics and to program an artificially intelligent robot for applications involving sensing, navigation, planning, and uncertainty. Robin Murphy is extremely effective at combining theoretical and practical rigor with a light narrative touch. In the overview, for example, she touches upon anthropomorphic robots from classic films and science fiction stories before delving into the nuts and bolts of organizing intelligence in robots.Following the overview, Murphy contrasts AI and engineering approaches and discusses what she calls the three paradigms of AI robotics: hierarchical, reactive, and hybrid deliberative/reactive. Later chapters explore multiagent scenarios, navigation and path-planning for mobile robots, and the basics of computer vision and range sensing. Each chapter includes objectives, review questions, and exercises. Many chapters contain one or more case studies showing how the concepts were implemented on real robots. Murphy, who is well known for her classroom teaching, conveys the intellectual adventure of mastering complex theoretical and technical material.An Instructor's Manual including slides, solutions, sample tests, and programming assignments is available to qualified professors who are considering using the book or who are using the book for class use. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Great introduction to robotics control
I'm not sure what chip "A reader" had on his/her shoulder with the earlier review.I felt this book was exactly what I needed as I slowly work my way into robotics from more mainstream programming.With 10 years of web app development experience, I'm an experienced programmer but know little about architecting software for autonomous robots.This book takes you through different architectural approaches that have been used throughout the past 50 years including relatively current recommendations for hybrid deliberative/reactive solutions along with multi-agent design considerations.This book provides almost the same depth with respect to robotics as Russell/Novig's "Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach" does for AI in general.Furthermore, Murphy's writing style is easy to follow and enjoyable to read.Although this is only my first robotics-specific book, I believe I chose the perfect place to start; it provides a great spring board for seeking out more in-depth, implementation-focused works.

An excellent book
I wonder how the first reviewers gave so bad comments on the book. I think it is not the author but the first reviewers who mislead the readers. If I took their comments, I would miss a really excellent book.

The contents in this book are rich, entensive, systematic and well-organized. One of my colleagues borrowed it from me several times, and finally he ordered another copy himself!

We really appreciate the book and the author.

Where's the editor?
This book is an unedited nightmare.

Dr. Choset's glowing review(s) might be taken with a grain of salt, given that he serves as "Director of Research Outreach" beneath the author at CRASAR.

While the language is suitable for a novice, it is plagued by errors both grammatical and technical.While the former (at roughly one per page) are merely distracting, the latter often incorrectly change the sense entirely.

Code snippets masquerade as "C or C++", but aren't suitable even as pseudo code.Luckily, most are trivial enough that mistakes become obvious, but missing cases and lack of any error handling whatsoever mean that you're not going to be typing examples into an editor.In addition, many assume a machine state but don't show this initialization.This might be excusable had the code been lifted directly from source, but half the time backslashes are used to begin comments!

A few examples from a chapter on vision:

"Consumer digital cameras post an analog signal, but the update rate is too slow at this time for real-time reactive robot control."

"Most commercial devices in the U.S. use a NTSC (television) standard.Color is expressed as the sum of three measurements: red, green, and blue."

"red = image_red[row][col];
red = image_green[row][col];
red = image_blue[row][col];
display_color(red, green, blue);"

"His Cybermotion robot was one of the first to navigate in hallways using vision; in this case, a technique known as a Hough (pronounced "huff") transform.In the early 1990's, with slow hardware, the robot could go 8 to 9 meters per second."

Hint: The robot platform isn't capable of going 1/10 that speed.Such mistakes are so common that one wonders whether she just couldn't be bothered to do the research and resorted to making it up.

This book may be okay for a casual read and it does have the endnotes going for it, but don't use it as a textbook unless you enjoy confusing students.If you're serious about behavior-based robotics, get Arkin.

Horror of mistakes
I bought this book in hopes to learn something about AI Robotics (as the title misleads you to believe). I found only mistakes. One after another. It is clear that this woman does not know much about robotics, and was just in a hurry to get a book published. STAY AWAY from this one.

good book, fun to read
good book. Informative for someone getting started in robotics. Explains different basic programming techniques for robot behavior. I had it as a textbook in my robotics class ... Read more

Product Description

This books serves as an introduction to robotics analysis, the systems and sub-systems that constitute robots and robotic systems, and robotics applications. All of the fundamentals of robotics are covered—robotics analysis; including kinematics, kinetics and force control, and trajectory planning of robots; its sub-systems such as actuators, sensors, and vision systems; as well as robotics applications. Introduction to Robotics also includes many subjects related to mechatronics, microprocessor actuator control, integration of sensors, vision systems, and fuzzy logic. For practicing mechanical engineers, electronic and electric engineers, computer engineers, and engineering technologists who would like to learn about robotics.

Customer Reviews (3)

robotics & math
I was looking for an overview of robotics parts so I borrowed this form the library.While there was a lot of math, it was a good opportunity to review linear algebra from college. There was an appendix for people like me who have forgotten a lot.

The concepts were explained well for someone who didn't know them.I especially liked the degrees of freedom at the beginning.Later on, I started skimming.Once I got the concepts, I flipped through to the next chapter.If this were for a course, I'm sure that part would have been more useful.

EE483
This books is fairly easy to read, the class that I needed this book for is a senior level robotics class.The class itself is fairly confusing.This books is easy to read comparably to other texts I've had in the past.Quick and easy ordering. Prompt delivery.

Good and not so good (bad?)
It starts off well.The sections on kinematics and motion are okay, and even the dynamic analysis is not bad, though a bit light for electrical engineers.Then it takes a turn for the worse and gives a generalized picture of sensors and actuators and vision systems, which is okay if it has never been seen before, but for electrical engineers it is not needed.The section on fuzzy logic is interesting but it is dissapointing that there is not a section on real control systems.I hope that fuzzy logic is not a substitute for convention control as this book seems to imply.Paul's book has much more substance dispite its age.Still, for a survey of the topic or for the computer scientist, maybe it is not that bad of a text. ... Read more

Product Description
This monograph-like anthology introduces the concepts and framework of Clifford algebra. It provides a rich source of examples of how to work with this formalism. Clifford or geometric algebra shows strong unifying aspects and turned out in the 1960s to be a most adequate formalism for describing different geometry-related algebraic systems as specializations of one "mother algebra" in various subfields of physics and engineering. Recent work shows that Clifford algebra provides a universal and powerful algebraic framework for an elegant and coherent representation of various problems occurring in computer science, signal processing, neural computing, image processing, pattern recognition, computer vision, and robotics. ... Read more

Product Description
A Mathematical Introduction to Robotic Manipulation presents a mathematical formulation of the kinematics, dynamics, and control of robot manipulators. It uses an elegant set of mathematical tools that emphasizes the geometry of robot motion and allows a large class of robotic manipulation problems to be analyzed within a unified framework. The foundation of the book is a derivation of robot kinematics using the product of the exponentials formula. The authors explore the kinematics of open-chain manipulators and multifingered robot hands, present an analysis of the dynamics and control of robot systems, discuss the specification and control of internal forces and internal motions, and address the implications of the nonholonomic nature of rolling contact are addressed, as well. The wealth of information, numerous examples, and exercises make A Mathematical Introduction to Robotic Manipulation valuable as both a reference for robotics researchers and a text for students in advanced robotics courses. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Not bad as a reference
This books deals with all kinds of manipulators. It has a good amount of math but looks not enough and not easy to understand (I did not go into the math details). I think this book would be a good reference in your library where it has a good amount of advanced information about manipulators.

a branch of applied maths
For decades, physics and engineering undergraduates have used texts on classical mechanics that often contained what some students might consider to be abstruse ideas, with little everyday usage. But this book on robotics is a worthy rejoinder. It can be regarded as an advanced text in classical mechanics.

It shows how mathematical treatments of rigid and non-rigid body rotations and displacements are necessary to correctly model robot manipulators. Plus how holonomic constraints can be used to determine system behaviour. Engineering students also get exposure to the use of Lagrange's equation in robotics. Typically nowadays, Lagrange's equation is taught in pure physics courses, with engineering undergrads having little need for it.

One implication is that some students might need to upgrade their maths background before turning to this book. (Maybe you should have paid more attention in some classes!) ... Read more

Product Description

This unique monograph focuses on the systematic type synthesis of parallel mechanisms (PMs), a key issue in the creative design of a wide variety of innovative devices such as parallel manipulators, motion simulators, and haptic devices. Essential reading for researchers, developers, engineers and graduate students with interests in robotics, this book covers the classification of PMs as well as providing a large number of PMs ready to be used in practical applications.

Product Description
Mobile Robotics: A Practical Introduction (2nd edition) is an excellent introduction to the foundations and methods used for designing completely autonomous mobile robots. A fascinating, cutting-edge, research topic, autonomous mobile robotics is now taught in more and more universities. In this book you are introduced to the fundamental concepts of this complex field via twelve detailed case studies that show how to build and program real working robots. Topics covered in clued learning, autonomous navigation in unmodified, noisy and unpredictable environments, and high fidelity robot simulation. This new edition has been updated to include a new chapter on novelty detection, and provides a very practical introduction to mobile robotics for a general scientific audience. It is essential reading for 2nd and 3rd year undergraduate students and postgraduate students studying robotics, artificial intelligence, cognitive science and robot engineering. The update and overview of core concepts in mobile robotics will assist and encourage practitioners of the field and set challenges to explore new avenues of research in this exiting field. The author is Senior Lecturer at the Department of Computer Science at the University of Essex. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The book provides a very good introduction to mobile robots.
This is a very good introductory book on mobile robots. It assumes no background of the readers in the subject. Chapter 3 provides a introduction to the hardwared aspects including sensors and actuators. Chapter 4 on machine learning by robots is also very very interesting. The case studiespresented in chapter 5 and 6 will be very much useful to the new-entrantsof this discipline. Chapter 7 on analysis of robot behaviour is importantfor the researchers working in the discipline.I like the book for itssimplicity in presentation and direct reference to the points to bediscussed, rather than providing a lengthy introduction to the topics. Thephrase "A practcical introduction" in the title is reallyworthwhile for the book. ... Read more

Product Description
FIRST Tech Challenge is the fastest growing robotics competition for High School students, but there has never before been a single volume to instruct new and veteran teams alike on how to navigate the competitions' rich complexities.This book contains the accumulated wisdom of several champion teams who have won major state level championships as captain teams.The volume is organized into sections covering every aspect of FTC competition, each section containing bite-sized chunks of information: a single sentence describing a tip, trick, strategy, or secret used by top ranked teams, followed by a paragraph or two of examples, explanations, pictures, or diagrams. Hundreds of these recommendations are detailed in this book. By following these recommendations, your team is sure to improve, and maybe even become a champion team as a result! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A Wonderful Resource
As a completely rookie coach of a rookie FTC team this year, I cannot tell you how helpful it has been to read this book.There are very, very many "tricks of the trade" given by veteran teams that really know what they're doing, having competed and won at top levels of FTC competition. The concrete examples given, the completely interesting & encouraging style, the sensible organization as well as the sheer volume and breadth of useful information you can pick up from reading this book all lend to its being a terrific resource for any FTC team--not just rookies.And in my personal opinion, it's just so very nice of these teams to share all this hard-learned information in a situation where not divulging it would have been much to their benefit.Well done...and many thanks.

Must have for new (and old) FTC teams
As an FRC mentor, and new FTC coach, this book represents my best find of the year.Well organized and easy to digest, it provides beginner to expert tips in an easy to read and refer back to format.There is no other similar resource.I immediately bought 4 more copies to hand out to my team leaders so that they can accelerate our teams success. A great resource to help level the competition field and ensure that the level of FTC challenge will continue to grow and succeed.

Essential For rookie and veteran teams alike
Full disclosure: I was involved in producing this book.

That said, the early reaction from a dozen or so teams who got early copies has been universally positive. One coach told me that a single tip he read as he thumbed through the book would have saved his team several losses last season. Another told me the first chapter by itself would have saved them from making many time-wasting mistakes. Even one team who was already a state championship winner told me that they were unaware of many of the tips in the book, thought they were great ideas, and said they would try them out this season.

For rookie teams, and for new team members on veteran teams, and even new mentors, this book can help get you up to speed quickly. Even for students with a great deal of FTC experience, you are likely to find some good ideas you never thought of before, or can use the book as a handy reference.

There is no other single source of information this comprehensive on the subject of FTC robotics. For less than the cost of a single long Tetrix Channel, you can have hundreds of useful ideas in one compact volume.

And, your team can become part of this project, helping future teams. You can submit your own "tips, tricks, strategies, and secrets" and get full attribution in future volumes, as well as free copies of the book if your ideas make it into the text.

Good luck this season!

Views of a rookie coach
I have been coaching FLL teams for last four years. This is my first year as a FTC coach. To prepare myself for what seemed like a daunting task I did several things that I hoped would allow me to prepare for this assignment: registered early, tried out Pro Engineer in summer, bought several books on Robotics, and educated myself and my team on maintaining Engineering Note book.

Winning competitions is my secondary goal.My primary goal is to let young minds experience the excitement of engineering careers and get them interested in engineering and science professions and possibly in robotics. This book made my task a lot easier.

I got a free copy from the authors during Sept. 11th kick-off. Right now it is with one of my team members. I am not in a position to refer back book to provide accurate descriptions. I have ordered three more copies from Amazon. I sincerely believe this book should be in the arsenal of any FTC robotics team.

Here are my reasons for my recommendation:
1. It introduces terms like harvesting, chassis to teams so that they can communicate using appropriate professional terms.

2. This book provides several tips and tricks in building, wiring, in dealing with electrical components, and preparing for competitions. These things save lot of frustration, and make a team's preparations more rewarding. Take a look at the program snippet to prevent DC motor burn-out, for example.

3. Several measures and counter measures were discussed in detail. While these may not be applicable for this season's game they provide you with an organizational framework in which to develop your own strategies.

I sincerely believe this book already elevated our team preparations for this season to next level, I am sure it will do the same for yours as well.
... Read more

Product Description

In this book the use of ER techniques for the design of self-organising group behaviours, for both simulated and real robots is introduced. The book tries to mediate between two apparently opposed perspectives: engineering and cognitive science. The experiments presented in the book and the results obtained contribute to the assessment of ER not only as a design tool, but also as a methodology for modelling and understanding intelligent adaptive behaviours.

Product Description
About the Handbook of Industrial Robotics, Second Edition:

"Once again, the Handbook of Industrial Robotics, in its Second Edition, explains the good ideas and knowledge that are needed for solutions." -Christopher B. Galvin, Chief Executive Officer, Motorola, Inc.

"The material covered in this Handbook reflects the new generation of robotics developments. It is a powerful educational resource for students, engineers, and managers, written by a leading team of robotics experts." - Yukio Hasegawa, Professor Emeritus, Waseda University, Japan.

"The Second Edition of the Handbook of Industrial Robotics organizes and systematizes the current expertise of industrial robotics and its forthcoming capabilities. These efforts are critical to solve the underlying problems of industry. This continuation is a source of power. I believe this Handbook will stimulate those who are concerned with industrial robots, and motivate them to be great contributors to the progress of industrial robotics." -Hiroshi Okuda, President, Toyota Motor Corporation.

"This Handbook describes very well the available and emerging robotics capabilities. It is a most comprehensive guide, including valuable information for both the providers and consumers of creative robotics applications." -Donald A. Vincent, Executive Vice President, Robotic Industries Association

120 leading experts from twelve countries have participated in creating this Second Edition of the Handbook of Industrial Robotics. Of its 66 chapters, 33 are new, covering important new topics in the theory, design, control, and applications of robotics. Other key features include a larger glossary of robotics terminology with over 800 terms and a CD-ROM that vividly conveys the colorful motions and intelligence of robotics. With contributions from the most prominent names in robotics worldwide, the Handbook remains the essential resource on all aspects of this complex subject. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A great resource for those active in robotics
This book is an excellent addition to the scientific literature. It includes an extensive discussion of scholarly and practical robotic topics ranging from kinematics and programming to practical application areas andeconomic concerns. The editor has complied 66 chapters of information from120 contributors. As one who has edited books and journals, I canappreciate the task in getting over 100 contributors to commit to thisundertaking.The handbook is over 1300 pages long and includes a CD whichallows one to see many of the operations described in the printed matter ina very visual fashion. The book is divided into 12 parts with the sectionon terminology containing over 800 terms. I personally was delighted to seechapters included on micro and nanorobotics reflecting the developments andinterest in miniaturization. This book is highly recommened.

robotics
Iwould like to informations fore robotics,thank you

Comprehensive Anticipatory Design Science
This book is simply great.I believe this book will hold its own and stand against the test of time for several decades.The information provided is simply one of the most comprehensive, all inclusive works in the field of industrial robotics.It covers a thorough history of robotics, and a detailed analysis of all the quirks and surprises discovered when working on such complex pieces of machinery.There are those who would say, in the light of relelntless progress, that this book is outdated.While I do not believe them, if they are right in this respect, this book still has so much to offer.The tales of human ingenuity may well prove to be more valuable than the technical information.Buy this book now, before they stop publishing it! ... Read more

Product Description

Robotic technology has paved the way for new opportunities in pediatric urologic surgery. Where once laparoscopy was restricted to urological conditions in children such as undescended testicles and ambiguous genitalia, robotic techniques are now enabling the completion of greatly needed, more involved procedures. Written by highly respected surgeons, Pediatric Robotic Urology provides a state-of-the-art, comprehensive overview of the precise surgical techniques that are changing the practice of pediatric urologic surgery. Divided in two sections and covering both introductory topics and advanced surgical techniques, Pediatric Robotic Urology also includes myriad illustrations and photographs of intraoperative procedures. Developed for accessible reading, this invaluable title is a concise, yet broad reference that is certain to be of significant value to urologists, surgeons, and all health care providers who care for pediatric urologic patients.

Product Description
Evolutionary robotics is a new technique for the automatic creation of autonomous robots. Inspired by the Darwinian principle of selective reproduction of the fittest, it views robots as autonomous artificial organisms that develop their own skills in close interaction with the environment and without human intervention. Drawing heavily on biology and ethology, it uses the tools of neural networks, genetic algorithms, dynamic systems, and biomorphic engineering. The resulting robots share with simple biological systems the characteristics of robustness, simplicity, small size, flexibility, and modularity.In evolutionary robotics, an initial population of artificial chromosomes, each encoding the control system of a robot, is randomly created and put into the environment. Each robot is then free to act (move, look around, manipulate) according to its genetically specified controller while its performance on various tasks is automatically evaluated. The fittest robots then "reproduce" by swapping parts of their genetic material with small random mutations. The process is repeated until the "birth" of a robot that satisfies the performance criteria.This book describes the basic concepts and methodologies of evolutionary robotics and the results achieved so far. An important feature is the clear presentation of a set of empirical experiments of increasing complexity. Software with a graphic interface, freely available on a Web page, will allow the reader to replicate and vary (in simulation and on real robots) most of the experiments. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Evolutionary Robotics book transaction
Excellent transaction. Very fast delivery and the book is a really good condition! Thanks very much

Really great stuff
This is a not too technical book, introducing you to evolutionary robotics. It covers a lot of interesting work done in the field over the last few years.

Using genetic algorithms it is possible to construct the brain of a robot ( Neural network ), and even (though harder) the hardware itself. The book gives an introduction to genetic algortihms & artificial neural networks, but the reader should still be somewhat familiar with these concepts before buying this book.

After reading this book, I did one of the experiments mentioned in the book. While I only did this with a freeware Kephara robot simulator, it was still fun.

Really great stuff
This is a not too technical book, introducing you to evolutionary robotics. It covers a lot of interesting work done in the field over the last few years.

Using genetic algorithms it is possible to construct the brain of a robot ( Neural network ), and even (though harder) the hardware itself. The book gives an introduction to genetic algortihms & artificial neural networks, but the reader should still be somewhat familiar with these concepts before buying this book.

After reading this book, I did one of the experiments mentioned in the book. While I only did this with a freeware Kephara robot simulator, it was still fun. ... Read more

Product Description
The FIRST robotics competition, started by genius inventor Dean Kamen in hopes of jump-starting American innovation and creating the next generation's version of Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, has become a worldwide phenomenon—and regularly spurs students and teachers to accomplishments they never dreamed possible. In The New Cool, acclaimed author Neal Bascomb follows one ragtag team of high school competitors who are led by a charismatic physics teacher named Amir Abo-Shaeer (Abo-Shaeer is the first high school teacher to win the MacArthur “Genius” Award).  In a marathon effort of sixteen-hour days and mind-bending engineering hurdles, the team struggles to build their robot and fight their way toward the national championship.  As the season progresses, these ordinary students—thanks in large part to one extraordinary teacher—discover untapped reserves of resourcefulness and strength.
 
The New Cool is not just the story of the FIRST program and what it means for an America struggling to extend its heritage of entrepreneurship and innovation—it also portrays some of our nation’s brightest young people as they struggle to overcome challenges both intellectual and emotional, live out the agony and ecstasy of competition, and ultimately achieve more than they ever dreamed. ... Read more

Product Description

Paolo Ulivi and David Harland provide in "Robotic Exploration of the Solar System" a detailed history of unmanned missions of exploration of our Solar System As in their previous book Lunar Exploration, the subject will be treated wherever possible from an engineering and scientific standpoint. Technical descriptions of the spacecraft, of their mission designs and of instrumentations will be provided. Scientific results will be discussed in considerable depth, together with details of mission management.

The books will cover missions from the 1950s until the present day, and some of the latest missions and their results will appear in a popular science book for the first time. The authors will also cover many unflown projects, providing an indication of the ideas that proved to be unfulfilled at the time but which may still be proven and useful in the future.

Just like Lunar Exploration, these books will use sources only recently made available on the Soviet space program, in addition to some obscure and rarely used references on the European space program.

The project will deliver three volumes totaling over 1000 pages that will provide comprehensive coverage of the topic with thousands of references to the professional literature that should make it the 'first port of call' for people seeking information on the topic.

Customer Reviews (1)

Robotic Exploration of the Solar System: Part 2:
Excellent explanation of robotics use in recent space exploration missions. Includes considerations of how the robot will function in the environment it will be going to as well as how they actually performed upon arrival at the destination. The book includes technical information but can be understood by the reader. ... Read more

Product Description
A collection of tested and proven projects that can be mixed and matched to create a wide range of highly intelligent and workable robot creatures. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (21)

This Book Kicks Robo
This great book goes deep into the art of mechanics and electronics. Robot Builder's Bonanza thoroughly and simply explains the materals, process, and trouble shooting of robotics.
This book explained many new things in ways I could understand. This book is a great introduction into robotics and electronics. It has many projects which I am working on some of. Robot Builder's Bonanza explains how to make anything from sensors to drive systems and tells you good sorces for the materials. This book is a wonderful reference guide for all sorts of things. So I urge you to buy this fantastic book!...

This Book Kicks ...
This great book goes deep into the art of mechanics and electronics. Robot Builder's Bonanza thoroughly and simply explains the materals, process, and trouble shooting of robotics.
This book explained many new things in ways I could understand. This book is a great introduction into robotics and electronics. It has many projects which I am working on some of. Robot Builder's Bonanza explains how to make anything from sensors to drive systems and tells you good sorces for the materials. This book is a wonderful reference guide for all sorts of things. So I urge you to buy this fantastic book!!

This Book Kicks Robo-[butt]
This great book goes deep into the art of mechanics and electronics. Robot Builder's Bonanza thoroughly and simply explains the materals, process, and trouble shooting of robotics.
This book explained many new things in ways I could understand. This book is a great introduction into robotics and electronics. It has many projects which I am working on some of. Robot Builder's Bonanza explains how to make anything from sensors to drive systems and tells you good sorces for the materials. This book is a wonderful reference guide for all sorts of things. So I urge you to buy this fantastic book!!!

this is the book !
I have about 10 robotics books, yet this one is my favorite. This one has complete parts lists for making cool sensors such as a 40 KhZ ultrasonic ranging system, arms and grippers, sound detection etc. Clean diagrams + complete parts lists. This book is very inspiring and will kick the robotics door wide open. Word! Well worth the list price of 18.95

Excellent Resource but notice the publish date
As other reviews have commented, this book has a wealth of information on robotic systems and explained in a way that makes it very available to a beginner but with enough detail for the expert.

However, note that the book was published in 1987.There were not any microcontrollers for the hobbiest at the time (the computers quoted in the book are Apple IIe and IBM-PC clones).

If you want a good description of sensors and output systems, then this book is excellent, if you want information about programable brains of robots, this book will not satisfy you. ... Read more

Product Description
Many companies are now offering robots that are geared to the casual electronics hobbyist, both in kit form and as fully assembled models. This book gives an overview of available robot products, ranging from the simple to the complex. Interested readers will be able to find the robot kit that matches their skill level and pocketbook. Beginners may want to try a robot that is already fully assembled, or a kit with pre-assembled electronics. Other readers may opt for kits that require soldering and electronic experience. Other criteria a reader will be able to review include motion systems (robots that roll on wheels, or walk on legs, or robot arms), available sensors (from none to a wide range), and programming complexity (how the robot is programmed). If its not really a robot, its not in this book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A basic overview of inexpensive robot packages
This book runs the gamut of basic robots that are available. I read it when I was in the process of developing a proposal for a special topics course in robotics. With a need to have some hands-on activities in the course, I was looking for some inexpensive equipment that could be programmed. I found several possibilities as well as some excellent choices for Christmas gifts for my children.
The book is not about the theory of robotics, but about several robot packages that are available for purchase. Each package is briefly described, with photos, the capabilities of the robot and some sample code if applicable. The author disregards all items that are robots only in the advertising brochures, considering only machines that are programmable in some form. His second criteria for inclusion is the price, he covers only those robots that are under $3000. The description of each robot ends with the links to the manufacturer, which was very helpful to my shopping. Most of the manufacturers describe their robots in detail on their site and also have additional robotics equipment for sale.
For the first time in my life as a parent, I have some of the Christmas shopping done for my children before Thanksgiving. I also have completed the proposal for the hands-on robotics class and it appears that the department will approve it. This book helped me accomplish both, it is an excellent resource for the investigation of what low-cost robotics kits are available.

A Broad Overview of Inexpensive Robotics Products
Personal Robotics is comprised primarily of reviews of a few dozen robot kits and fully-assembled robots available to educational institutions and individual hobbyists.In the initial section, the author addresses the qualities which he feels distinguish small, inexpensive robots from common toys.He next discusses the development of the concept of the robot, beginning with 17th- and 18th-century automata, and moving on to such influences as Shelley's Frankenstein and 20th.-century science fiction.He compares the popular conception of the robot with today's reality of industrial robots used in manufacturing processes. The remainder of the book is a series of product reviews.The first set of products reviewed are experimenter and educational-style kits priced at $50 - $300, from Learning Curve, Robotix, Capsela, LEGO, and TurboZ.The second set describes generally more complex robots aimed at hobbyists, priced at $50 - $700, including OWI robots, the RugWarrior Pro, BEAM robots, and the Johuco Phoenix.The final section introduces the Pioneer series, an entry-level robot line from an industrial robot manufacturer priced at under $3,000, and aimed at public schools.As this book was published in 1999, the AIBO, the P3, and other robotic systems which have received attention in the press lately are notably absent.Nonetheless, hobby roboticists interested in product overviews, those interested in becoming familiar with many of the industry's active manufacturers, and those shopping for inexpensive, ready-made mobile robots will benefit from reading this book.

Cool book
This book is very interesting and will help you with building robots of all kinds.This book is filled with interesting information ... Read more

Product Description

Probabilistic Reasoning and Decision Making in Sensory-Motor Systems by Pierre Bessiere, Christian Laugier and Roland Siegwart provides a unique collection of a sizable segment of the cognitive systems research community in Europe. It reports on contributions from leading academic institutions brought together within the European projects Bayesian Inspired Brain and Artifact (BIBA) and Bayesian Approach to Cognitive Systems (BACS). This fourteen-chapter volume covers important research along two main lines: new probabilistic models and algorithms for perception and action, new probabilistic methodology and techniques for artefact conception and development. The work addresses key issues concerned with Bayesian programming, navigation, filtering, modelling and mapping, with applications in a number of different contexts.