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There isn't a facet of human life that has not been touched and influenced by robots and automation. What makes robots and machines versatile is their computational intelligence. While modern intelligent sensors and powerful hardware capabilities have given a huge fillip to the growth of intelligent machines, the progress in the development of algorithms for smart interaction, collaboration and pro-activeness will result in the next quantum jump.This book deals with the recent advancements in design methodologies, algorithms and implementation techniques to incorporate intelligence in robots and automation systems. Several articles deal with navigation, localization and mapping of mobile robots, a problem that engineers and researchers are grappling with all the time. Fuzzy logic, neural networks and neuro-fuzzy based techniques for real world applications have been detailed in a few articles.This edited volume is targeted to present the latest state-of-the-art computational intelligence techniques in Robotics and Automation. It is a compilation of the extended versions of the very best papers selected from the many that were presented at the 5th International Conference on Automation, Robotics and Applications (ICARA 2011) which was held in Wellington, New Zealand from 6-8 December, 2011. Scientists and engineers who work with robots and automation systems will find this book very useful and stimulating.

This Special Issue titled'Recent Advances in Sensing Technology'in the book series of'Lecture Notes in Electrical Engineering'contains the extended version of the papers selected from those that were presented at the 3rd International Conference on Sensing Technology (ICST 2008) which was held in November 30 to December 3, 2008 at National Cheng-Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan. A total of 131 papers were presented at ICST 2008, of which 19 papers have been selected for this special issue. This Special Issue has focussed on the recent advancements of the different aspects of sensing technology, i.e. information processing, adaptability, recalibration, data fusion, validation, high reliability and integration of novel and high performance sensors. The advancements are in the areas of magnetic, ultrasonic, vision and image sensing, wireless sensors and network, microfluidic, tactile, gyro, flow, surface acoustic wave, humidity, gas, MEMS thermal and ultra-wide band. While future interest in this field is ensured by the constant supply of emerging modalities, techniques and engineering solutions, many of the basic concepts and strategies have already matured and now offer opportunities to build upon.

Technological advancements in recent years have enabled the development of tiny, cheap disposable and self contained battery powered computers, known as sensor nodes or “motes”, which can accept input from an attached sensor, process this input and transmit the results wirelessly to some interested device(s). When a number of these nodes work together, conceivably up to hundreds of thousands, a Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) is formed. Research in the area of wireless sensor networks has become increasingly wid- pread in recent years, partly due to their wide range of potential uses and also partly due to the fact that the technology enabling such networks is now widely available from many di?erent suppliers, such as: Crossbow, MoteIV, Intel and SUN (java based motes). These wireless sensor networks have the potential to allow a level of integration between computers and the physical world that, to date, has been virtually impos- ble. The uses for such networks is almost limitless and include such diverse app- cations as a counter sniper system for urban warfare [1] tracking the path of a forest re [2], determining the structural stability of a building after an earthquake [3], or tracking people or objects inside a building [4], etc.

Robots and autonomous agents have permeated every aspect of human life. They are not only omnipresent on the shop floors; they have pervaded our homes and are around us everywhere. Design methodologies and implementation techniques of intelligent machines are making progress in leaps and bounds. Smart interaction, cooperation, and pro-activeness are the hallmarks of modern intelligent machines. This book deals with the theoretical and methodological aspects of incorporating intelligence in'Autonomous Robots and Agents'. Challenges faced in the real world to accomplish complex tasks, which require collaborative efforts, and methods to overcome them, are detailed. Several informative articles deal with navigation, localization and mapping of mobile robots, a problem that engineers and researchers are grappling with all the time. This edited volume is targeted to present the latest state-of-the-art methodologies in Robotics. It is a compilation of the extended versions of the very best papers selected from the many that were presented at the 3rd International Conference on Autonomous Robots and Agents (ICARA 2006) which was held at Palmerston North, New Zealand from 11-14 December, 2006. Scientists and engineers who work with mobile robots will find this book very useful and stimulating.