Springer Handbook of Robotics: A research- and application-oriented handbook that covers one of the hottest topics in science and technology

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 widespreadand well-structured compilation of classic 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, consolidatedmethodologies and technologies, advanced applications * Anchored in seven parts expanded into sixty-four chapters with interconnectedpresentation of subject matter * Developed in about 1650 pages with over 950 color illustrations including422 four-color, 80 tables and over 5500 references * Detailed index and fully searchable DVD-ROM providing rapid access todata and links to other source Robotics is undergoing a major transformation in scope and dimension. Starting from a predominantly industrial focus, robotics has been rapidly expanding into the challenges of unstructured environments. The "Springer Handbook of Robotics" incorporates these new developments and therefore basically differs from other handbooks of robotics focusing on industrial applications. It presents a widespread and well-structured coverage from the foundations of robotics, through the consolidated methodologies and technologies, up to the new emerging application areas of robotics. The handbook is an ideal resource for robotics experts but also for people new to this expanding field such as engineers, medical doctors, computer scientists, designers; edited by two internationally renowned experts. Bruno Siciliano is Professor of Control and Robotics at the University of Naples Federico II in Italy, President of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society, and a Fellow of both IEEE and ASME. Oussama Khatib is Professor at the prestigious Stanford University in the USA, President of the International Foundation of Robotics Research, and a recipient of the Japan Robot Association Award in Research and Development. With the science of robotics undergoing a major transformation just now, Springer s new, authoritative handbook on the subject couldn t have come at a better time. Having broken free from its origins in industry, robotics has been rapidly expanding into the challenging terrain of unstructured environments. Unlike other handbooks that focus on industrial applications, the Springer Handbook of Robotics incorporates these new developments. Just like all Springer Handbooks, it is utterly comprehensive, edited by internationally renowned experts, and replete with contributions from leading researchers from around the world. The handbook is an ideal resource for robotics experts but also for people new to this expanding field. A new, authoritative and utterly comprehensive reference work on robotics that incorporates new developments, surpassing the narrow scope of other robotics handbooks that focus on industrial applications. Edited by internationally renowned experts.