Handbook of Robotics

Reaching for the human frontier, robotics is vigorously engaged in the growing challenges of new emerging domains. Interacting, exploring, and working with humans, the new generation of robots will increasingly touch people and their lives. The credible prospect of practical robots among humans is the result of the scientific endeavour of a half a century of robotic developments that established robotics as a modern scientific discipline. The Springer Handbook of Robotics brings a widespread and well-structured compilation of cl assic and emerging application areas of robotics. From the foundations to the social and ethical implications of robotics, the handbook provides a comprehensive collection of the accomplishments in the field, and constitutes a premise of further advances towards new challenges in robotics. This handbook, edited by two internationally renowned scientists with the support of an outstanding team of seven part editors and onehundred sixty-four authors, is an authoritative reference for robotics researchers, newcomers to the field, and scholars from related disciplines such as biomechanics, neurosciences, virtual simulation, animation, surgery, and sensor networks among others. Key Topics Robotics foundations Robot structures Sensing and perception Manipulation and interfaces Mobile and distributed robotics Field and service robotics Human-centered and life-like robotics Features Comprehensive coverage of research and development in robotics Scientific resource for both experts and non experts in the field Technical contents laid out in a tutorial setting A coherent three-layer organization: robotics foundations, consolidated methodologies and technologies, advanced applications Anchored in seven parts expanded into sixty-four chapters with interconnected presentation of subject matter Developed in about 1650 pages with over 950 color illustrations including 422 four-color, 80 tables and over 5500 references Detailed index and fully searchable DVD-ROM providing rapid access to data and links to other source assic and emerging application areas of robotics. From the foundations to the social and ethical implications of robotics, the handbook provides a comprehensive collection of the accomplishments in the field, and constitutes a premise of further advances towards new challenges in robotics. This handbook, edited by two internationally renowned scientists with the support of an outstanding team of seven part editors and onehundred sixty-four authors, is an authoritative reference for robotics researchers, newcomers to the field, and scholars from related disciplines such as biomechanics, neurosciences, virtual simulation, animation, surgery, and sensor networks among others. Key Topics Robotics foundations Robot structures Sensing and perception Manipulation and interfaces Mobile and distributed robotics Field and service robotics Human-centered and life-like robotics Features Comprehensive coverage of research and development in robotics Scientific resource for both experts and non experts in the field Technical contents laid out in a tutorial setting A coherent three-layer organization: robotics foundations, consolidated methodologies and technologies, advanced applications Anchored in seven parts expanded into sixty-four chapters with interconnected presentation of subject matter Developed in about 1650 pages with over 950 color illustrations including 422 four-color, 80 tables and over 5500 references Detailed index and fully searchable DVD-ROM providing rapid access to data and links to other source