In short, robotics is no longer the exclusive bailiwick of engineers, physicians or research groups. There is a large community of robot connoisseurs and enthusiasts. However, understanding the ins and outs of modern robotics involves more than just technical knowledge. It also involves asking some fundamental questions, especially with respect to issues related to ethics, safety standards and the needs of users.
The Foundations of Robotics book is designed to allow the reader to develop a multidisciplinary vision of robotics. It is intended for those who wish to dive headfirst into the technical universe of robotics, but also for teachers who are seeking to adapt their courses to today’s reality.
Each chapter includes a quiz to test the knowledge of readers, and the last two chapters propose a large-scale practical project that can be used to evaluate the level of learning achieved with respect to the information presented in the entire manual. The code and technical documentation for the laboratory projects can be found at the GitHub public repository for the book.
Contextual design, interaction design and design thinking are among the many topics covered in this book, along with the kinematics of robots, machine learning (AI) in robotics and the selection and combining of sensors.
