From: J. R. Molloy (jr@shasta.com)
Date: Sat Jan 05 2002 - 07:38:21 MST
New Books About Robotics
The Robot Revolution
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/269359/ref%3Db%5Fh%5F%5Fbrbx%5
Fc%5F2%5F2/202-0108365-5667009
Robots are making other robots. They've quietly learned how to reproduce.
Now they are numerous enough to change forever the way we live and work.
In a factory on the slopes of Mount Fuji, industrial robots are now making
more robots, working flawlessly around the clock with virtually no human
supervision. In Beverly Hills, a robot that normally serves drinks at
parties is arrested for handing out business cards illegally in a busy
downtown street. From forbidding lunar landscapes to mineral-rich ocean
floors, robots perform tasks we thought only humans could do—or could not
be done at all.
In "The Robot Revolution", noted author and computer engineer Tom Logsdon
reveals the fact-is-stranger-than-fiction world of robots and the impact
they are having in all facets of society, from industry and defense to
sports and entertainment. He explores their history from the legendary
creations of the ancient Greeks to the experimental ultra sensitive
machines of today. And he explains just what a robot is and why the latest
advances in such fascinating fields as artificial intelligence are making
real robots more and more similar to R2D2 and C3P0. Ready or not, the
Robot Revolution is here and our lives are never going to be the same
again.
http://www.smartrobots.com/book.htm
---------------------------
Robotics, Mechatronics, Artificial Intelligence : Experimental
Circuit Blocks for Designers
http://www.softpro.com/0-7506-7389-3.html
Accessible to all readers, including students of secondary school and amateur
technology enthusiasts, Robotics, Mechatronics, and Artificial Intelligence
simplifies the process of finding basic circuits to perform simple tasks, such
as how to control a DC or step motor, and provides instruction on creating
moving robotic parts, such as an "eye" or an "ear." Though many companies
offer kits for project construction, most experimenters want to design and
build their own robots and other creatures specific to their needs and goals.
With this new book by Newton Braga, hobbyists and experimenters around the
world will be able to decide what skills they want to feature in a project and
then choose the right "building blocks" to create the ideal results.
In the past few years the technology of robotics, mechatronics, and artificial
intelligence has exploded, leaving many people with the desire but not the
means to build their own projects. The author’s fascination with and expertise
in the exciting field of robotics is demonstrated by the range of simple to
complex project blocks he provides, which are designed to benefit both novice
and experienced robotics enthusiasts. The common components and technology
featured in the project blocks are especially beneficial to readers who need
practical solutions that can be implemented easily by their own hands, without
incorporating expensive, complicated technology.
---------------------
Artificial Intelligence: Robotics and Machine Evolution
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?cat=20066&product_id=349387&type=3
path=0:3920:61876:18668:20066&dept=3920
An introduction to the past, present, and future of artificial intelligence
and robotics, discussing early science fiction predictions, the dawn of AI,
and today's use of robots in factories and space exploration.
--------------------
Beyond Webcams : An Introduction to Online Robotics
http://www.ieor.berkeley.edu/~goldberg/online-robots/
This book summarizes the state of the art in Internet telerobots. It
documents eighteen projects with sufficient engineering detail to allow
readers to understand how these systems are designed, how they function,
and the engineering challenges they solve. It includes robots that
navigate undersea, drive on Mars, visit museums, float in blimps, handle
protein crystals, paint pictures, and hold human hands.
-----------------------
Biorobotics
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/026273141X/107-8844243-2778932
Animal-like robots are playing an increasingly important role as a link
between the worlds of biology and engineering. The new, multidisciplinary
field of biorobotics provides tools for biologists studying animal
behavior and testbeds for the study and evaluation of biological
algorithms for potential engineering applications. Biorobots are now
enabling biologists to understand complex animal-environment
relationships. This book unites scientists from diverse disciplines who
are using biorobots to probe animal behavior and brain function.
An animal is profoundly affected by the many subtle and complex signals within
its environment, and because the animal invariably disturbs its environment,
it constantly creates a new set of stimuli. Biorobots are now enabling
biologists to understand these complex animal-environment relationships. This
book unites scientists from diverse disciplines who are using biorobots to
probe animal behavior and brain function. The first section describes the
sensory systems of biorobotic crickets, lobsters, and ants and the visual
system of flies. The second section discusses robots with cockroach motor
systems and the intriguing question of how the evolution of complex motor
abilities could lead to the development of cognitive functions. The final
section discusses higher brain function and neural modeling in mammalian and
humanoid robots.
-------------------------
"You'll learn to like robots.
They'll be nicer than human beings."
--Hans Moravec
--- --- --- --- ---
Useless hypotheses, etc.:
consciousness, phlogiston, philosophy, vitalism, mind, free will, qualia,
analog computing, cultural relativism, GAC, Cyc, Eliza, cryonics, individual
uniqueness, ego, human values, scientific relinquishment, malevolent AI,
non-sensory experience, SETI
We move into a better future in proportion as science displaces superstition.
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