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The present book includes a set of selected extended papers from the 11th International Conference on Informatics in Control, Automation and Robotics (ICINCO 2014), held in Vienna, Austria, from 1 to 3 September 2014. The conference brought together researchers, engineers and practitioners interested in the application of informatics to Control, Automation and Robotics. Four simultaneous tracks will be held, covering Intelligent Control Systems, Optimization, Robotics, Automation, Signal Processing, Sensors, Systems Modelling and Control, and Industrial Engineering, Production and Management. Informatics applications are pervasive in many areas of Control, Automation and Robotics. ICINCO 2014 received 301 submissions, from 49 countries, in all continents. After a double blind paper review performed by the Program Committee, 20% were accepted as full papers and thus selected for oral presentation. Additional papers were accepted as short papers and posters. A further selection was made after the Conference, based also on the assessment of presentation quality and audience interest, so that this book includes the extended and revised versions of the very best papers of ICINCO 2014. Commitment to high quality standards is a major concern of ICINCO that will be maintained in the next editions, considering not only the stringent paper acceptance ratios but also the quality of the program committee, keynote lectures, participation level and logistics.

A zero-suppressed decision diagram (ZDD) is a data structure to represent objects that typically contain many zeros. Applications include combinatorial problems, such as graphs, circuits, faults, and data mining. This book consists of four chapters on the applications of ZDDs. The first chapter by Alan Mishchenko introduces the ZDD. It compares ZDDs to BDDs, showing why a more compact representation is usually achieved in a ZDD. The focus is on sets of subsets and on sum-of-products (SOP) expressions. Methods to generate all the prime implicants (PIs), and to generate irredundant SOPs are shown. A list of papers on the applications of ZDDs is also presented. In the appendix, ZDD procedures in the CUDD package are described. The second chapter by Tsutomu Sasao shows methods to generate PIs and irredundant SOPs using a divide and conquer method. This chapter helps the reader to understand the methods presented in the first chapter. The third chapter by Shin-Ichi Minato introduces the''frontier-based''method that efficiently enumerates certain subsets of a graph. The final chapter by Shinobu Nagayama shows a method to match strings of characters. This is important in routers, for example, where one must match the address information of an internet packet to the proprer output port. It shows that ZDDs are more compact than BDDs in solving this important problem. Each chapter contains exercises, and the appendix contains their solutions. Table of Contents: Preface / Acknowledgments / Introduction to Zero-Suppressed Decision Diagrams / Efficient Generation of Prime Implicants and Irredundant Sum-of-Products Expressions / The Power of Enumeration--BDD/ZDD-Based Algorithms for Tackling Combinatorial Explosion / Regular Expression Matching Using Zero-Suppressed Decision Diagrams / Authors'and Editors'Biographies / Index

Distributed robotics is an interdisciplinary and rapidly growing area, combining research in computer science, communication and control systems, and electrical and mechanical engineering. Distributed robotic systems can autonomously solve complex problems while operating in highly unstructured real-world environments. They are expected to play a major role in addressing future societal needs, for example, by improving environmental impact assessment, food supply, transportation, manufacturing, security, and emergency and rescue services. The goal of the International Symposium on Distributed Autonomous Robotic Systems (DARS) is to provide a forum for scientific advances in the theory and practice of distributed autonomous robotic systems. This volume of proceedings include 47 original contributions presented at the 13th International Symposium on Distributed Autonomous Robotic Systems (DARS 2016), which was held at the Natural History Museum in London, UK, from November 7thto 9th, 2016. The selected papers in this volume are authored by leading researchers from around the world, thereby providing a broad coverage and perspective of the state-of-the-art technologies, algorithms, system architectures, and applications in distributed robotic systems. The book is organized into seven parts, representative of critical long-term and emerging research thrusts in the multi-robot community: Distributed Coverage and Exploration; Multi-Robot Control; Multi-Robot Estimation; Multi-Robot Planning; Modular Robots and Smart Materials; Swarm Robotics; and Multi-Robot Systems in Applications.

Restoring human motor and cognitive function has been a fascinating research area during the last century. Interfacing the human nervous system with electro-mechanical rehabilitation machines is facing its crucial passage from research to clinical practice, enhancing the potentiality of therapists, clinicians and researchers to rehabilitate, diagnose and generate knowledge. The 2012 International Conference on Neurorehabilitation (ICNR2012) brings together researchers and students from the fields of Clinical Rehabilitation, Applied Neurophysiology and Biomedical Engineering, covering a wide range of research topics: · Clinical Impact of Technology · Brain-Computer Interface in Rehabilitation · Neuromotor & Neurosensory modeling and processing · Biomechanics in Rehabilitation · Neural Prostheses in Rehabilitation · Neuro-Robotics in Rehabilitation · Neuromodulation This Proceedings book includes general contributions (2-page extended abstracts) from oral and poster sessions, as well as from special sessions. A section is also dedicated to pre-post conference workshops, including invited contributions from internationally recognized researchers. A selection of most relevant papers have been considered for publication in international journals (e.g. JNER, JACCES, …)., therefore they will appear soon in their extended versions in Special Issues. These Proceedings also contain brief descriptions of keynote lectures from invited world-class professors, and a number of thematic round tables covering technological and institutional issues.

Knowledge and Technology Integration in Production and Services presents novel application scenarios for balanced distributed and integrated systems based on knowledge and up-to-date technology and provides a great opportunity for discussion of concepts, models, methodologies, technological developments, case studies, new research ideas, and other results among specialists. It comprises the proceedings of the Fifth International Conference on Information Technology for BALANCED AUTOMATION SYSTEMS in Manufacturing and Services (BASYS'02), which was sponsored by the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) and held in September 2002 in Cancun, Mexico.

The Boolean Differential Calculus (BDC) is a very powerful theory that extends the basic concepts of Boolean Algebras significantly. Its applications are based on Boolean spaces ���� and ����ⁿ, Boolean operations, and basic structures such as Boolean Algebras and Boolean Rings, Boolean functions, Boolean equations, Boolean inequalities, incompletely specified Boolean functions, and Boolean lattices of Boolean functions. These basics, sometimes also called switching theory, are widely used in many modern information processing applications. The BDC extends the known concepts and allows the consideration of changes of function values. Such changes can be explored for pairs of function values as well as for whole subspaces. The BDC defines a small number of derivative and differential operations. Many existing theorems are very welcome and allow new insights due to possible transformations of problems. The available operations of the BDC have been efficiently implemented in several software packages. The common use of the basic concepts and the BDC opens a very wide field of applications. The roots of the BDC go back to the practical problem of testing digital circuits. The BDC deals with changes of signals which are very important in applications of the analysis and the synthesis of digital circuits. The comprehensive evaluation and utilization of properties of Boolean functions allow, for instance, to decompose Boolean functions very efficiently; this can be applied not only in circuit design, but also in data mining. Other examples for the use of the BDC are the detection of hazards or cryptography. The knowledge of the BDC gives the scientists and engineers an extended insight into Boolean problems leading to new applications, e.g., the use of Boolean lattices of Boolean functions.

BeagleBone Black is a low-cost, open hardware computer uniquely suited to interact with sensors and actuators directly and over the Web. Introduced in April 2013 by BeagleBoard.org, a community of developers first established in early 2008, BeagleBone Black is used frequently to build vision-enabled robots, home automation systems, artistic lighting systems, and countless other do-it-yourself and professional projects. BeagleBone variants include the original BeagleBone and the newer BeagleBone Black, both hosting a powerful 32-bit, super-scalar ARM Cortex A8 processor capable of running numerous mobile and desktop-capable operating systems, typically variants of Linux including Debian, Android, and Ubuntu. Yet, BeagleBone is small enough to fit in a small mint tin box. The'Bone'may be used in a wide variety of projects from middle school science fair projects to senior design projects to first prototypes of very complex systems. Novice users may access the power of the Bone throughthe user-friendly BoneScript software, experienced through a Web browser in most major operating systems, including Microsoft Windows, Apple Mac OS X, or the Linux operating systems. Seasoned users may take full advantage of the Bone's power using the underlying Linux-based operating system, a host of feature extension boards (Capes) and a wide variety of Linux community open source libraries. This book provides an introduction to this powerful computer and has been designed for a wide variety of users including the first time novice through the seasoned embedded system design professional. The book contains background theory on system operation coupled with many well-documented, illustrative examples. Examples for novice users are centered on motivational, fun robot projects while advanced projects follow the theme of assistive technology and image-processing applications.

This book provides a thorough introduction to the Texas Instruments MPS432™ microcontroller. The MPS432 is a 32-bit processor with the ARM Cortex M4F architecture and a built-in floating point unit. At the core, the MSP432 features a 32-bit ARM Cortex-M4F CPU, a RISC-architecture processing unit that includes a built-in DSP engine and a floating point unit. As an extension of the ultra-low-power MSP microcontroller family, the MSP432 features ultra-low power consumption and integrated digital and analog hardware peripherals. The MSP432 is a new member to the MSP family. It provides for a seamless transition to applications requiring 32-bit processing at an operating frequency of up to 48 MHz. The processor may be programmed at a variety of levels with different programming languages including the user-friendly Energia rapid prototyping platform, in assembly language, and in C. A number of C programming options are also available to developers, starting with register-level access code where developers can directly configure the device's registers, to Driver Library, which provides a standardized set of application program interfaces (APIs) that enable software developers to quickly manipulate various peripherals available on the device. Even higher abstraction layers are also available, such as the extremely user-friendly Energia platform, that enables even beginners to quickly prototype an application on MSP432. The MSP432 LaunchPad is supported by a host of technical data, application notes, training modules, and software examples. All are encapsulated inside one handy package called MSPWare, available as both a stand-alone download package as well as on the TI Cloud development site: dev.ti.com The features of the MSP432 may be extended with a full line of BoosterPack plug-in modules. The MSP432 is also supported by a variety of third party modular sensors and software compiler companies. In the back, a thorough introduction to the MPS432 line of microcontrollers,programming techniques, and interface concepts are provided along with considerable tutorial information with many illustrated examples. Each chapter provides laboratory exercises to apply what has been presented in the chapter. The book is intended for an upper level undergraduate course in microcontrollers or mechatronics but may also be used as a reference for capstone design projects. Practicing engineers already familiar with another microcontroller, who require a quick tutorial on the microcontroller, will also find this book very useful. Finally, middle school and high school students will find the MSP432 highly approachable via the Energia rapid prototyping system.

This book is about the Arduino microcontroller and the Arduino concept. The visionary Arduino team of Massimo Banzi, David Cuartielles, Tom Igoe, Gianluca Martino, and David Mellis launched a new innovation in microcontroller hardware in 2005, the concept of open-source hardware. Their approach was to openly share details of microcontroller-based hardware design platforms to stimulate the sharing of ideas and promote innovation. This concept has been popular in the software world for many years. In June 2019, Joel Claypool and I met to plan the fourth edition of Arduino Microcontroller Processing for Everyone! Our goal has been to provide an accessible book on the rapidly evolving world of Arduino for a wide variety of audiences including students of the fine arts, middle and senior high school students, engineering design students, and practicing scientists and engineers. To make the book even more accessible to better serve our readers, we decided to change our approach and provide aseries of smaller volumes. Each volume is written to a specific audience. This book, Arduino III: Internet of Things, explores Arduino applications in the fascinating and rapidly evolving world of the Internet of Things. Arduino I: Getting Started provides an introduction to the Arduino concept. Arduino II: Systems, is a detailed treatment of the ATmega328 processor and an introduction to C programming and microcontroller-based systems design.

Technology has been the spark that ignited NATO's interest and commitment to scientific advancement during its history. Since its creation, the Science for Peace and Security (SPS) Programme has been instrumental to NATO's commitment to innovation, science and technological advancement. During the years, SPS has demonstrated a flexible and versatile approach to practical scientific cooperation, and has promoted knowledge-sharing, building capacity, and projected stability outside NATO territory. The priorities addressed by the SPS Programme are aligned with NATO's strategic objectives, and aim to tackle emerging security challenges that require dynamic adaptation for the prevention and mitigation of risks. By addressing priorities such as advanced technologies, hybrid threats, and counter-terrorism, the Programme deals with new, contemporary challenges. On 17-18 September 2019, the SPS Programme gathered at the KU Leuven University a wide number of researchers from a selection of on-going and recently closed SPS projects in the field of security-related advanced technologies for a “Cluster Workshop on Advanced Technologies”. The workshop covered, in particular, the following scientific domains: communication systems, advanced materials, sensors and detectors, and unmanned and autonomous systems. This book provides an overview on how these projects have contributed to the development of new technologies and innovative solutions and recommendations for future actions in the NATO SPS programme.

Since the 1980s, scientists have been researching adaptive structures for materials, for multifunctional elements or even for complete systems. Adaptronics (smart materials, smart structures, smart systems) is a field of distinct interdisciplinarity. The book therefore offers an interdisciplinary view of adaptronic systems, materials and functional elements and their applications. The subject matter integrates various engineering disciplines, from electrical engineering and information technology to manufacturing and control engineering, materials engineering and structural mechanics - to name but a few of the relevant subject areas. Starting from the basic principles and variants of adaptronic systems and functional materials, the textbook explains the different construction methods of functional elements. Building on this, readers learn how to apply this knowledge to active shape control, active vibration control and active vibroacoustics. For each of these topics the author presents current examples from research, discusses research results and future research questions. Each of the nine chapters closes with references to further literature. An index of the mathematical symbols used and a keyword index facilitate learning for readers.The book is aimed at Master's students in engineering courses such as mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, mechatronics, automotive engineering and related courses. The book provides a comprehensive overview for industrial practitioners who want to familiarize themselves with the field of adaptronics and also serves as a reliable reference book.

This textbook provides practicing scientists and engineers a primer on the Microchip AVR® microcontroller. The revised title of this book reflects the 2016 Microchip Technology acquisition of Atmel Corporation. In this third edition we highlight the popular ATmega164 microcontroller and other pin-for-pin controllers in the family with a complement of flash memory up to 128 KB. The third edition also provides an update on Atmel Studio, programming with a USB pod, the gcc compiler, the ImageCraft JumpStart C for AVR compiler, the Two-Wire Interface (TWI), and multiple examples at both the subsystem and system level. Our approach is to provide readers with the fundamental skills to quickly set up and operate with this internationally popular microcontroller. We cover the main subsystems aboard the ATmega164, providing a short theory section followed by a description of the related microcontroller subsystem with accompanying hardware and software to operate the subsystem. In all examples,we use the C programming language. We include a detailed chapter describing how to interface the microcontroller to a wide variety of input and output devices and conclude with several system level examples including a special effects light-emitting diode cube, autonomous robots, a multi-function weather station, and a motor speed control system.

This book introduces readers to robotics, industrial robot mechanisms, and types of robots, e.g. parallel robots, mobile robots and humanoid robots. The book is based on over 20 years of teaching robotics and has been extensively class tested and praised for its simplicity.It addresses the following subjects: a general introduction to robotics; basic characteristics of industrial robot mechanisms; position and movement of an object, which are described by homogenous transformation matrices; a geometric model of robot mechanisms expanded with robot wrist orientation description in this new edition; a brief introduction to the kinematics and dynamics of robots; robot sensors and planning of robot trajectories; fundamentals of robot vision; basic control schemes resulting in either desired end-effector trajectory or force; robot workcells with feeding devices and robot grippers.This second edition has been expanded to include the following new topics: parallel robots;collaborative robots; teaching of robots; mobile robots; and humanoid robots. The book is optimally suited for courses in robotics or industrial robotics and requires a minimal grasp of physics and mathematics.The 1st edition of this book won the Outstanding Academic Title distinction from the library magazine CHOICE in 2011.

This book is the fourth volume of the sub series of the Lecture Notes in Mobility dedicated to Road Vehicle Automation. lts chapters have been written by researchers, engineers and analysts from all around the globe. Topics covered include public sector activities, human factors and challenges, ethical, legal, energy and technology perspectives, vehicle systems development, as well as transportation infrastructure and planning. The book is based on the Automated Vehicles Symposium which took place in San Francisco, California (USA) in July 2016.

Der MHI e.V. ist ein Netzwerk leitender Universitätsprofessoren aus dem deutschsprachigen Raum, die sowohl grundlagenorientiert als auch anwendungsnah in der Montage, Handhabung und Industrierobotik erfolgreich forschend tätig sind. Die Gründung der Gesellschaft erfolgte im Frühjahr 2012. Der MHI e.V. hat derzeit 20 Mitglieder, die über ihre Institute und Lehrstühle zurzeit ca. 1.000 Wissenschaftler repräsentieren.Die übergeordnete Zielsetzung des MHI e.V. ist die Förderung der Zusammenarbeit von deutschsprachigen Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftlern untereinander, sowie mit der Industrie im Bereich Montage, Handhabung und Industrierobotik zur Beschleunigung der Forschung, Optimierung der Lehre und zur Verbesserung der internationalen Wettbewerbsfähigkeit der deutschen Industrie in diesem Bereich.Das Kolloquium fokussiert auf einen akademischen Austausch auf hohem Niveau, um die gewonnenen Forschungsergebnisse zu verteilen, synergetische Effekte und Trends zu bestimmen, die Akteure persönlich zu verbinden und das Forschungsfeld sowie die MHI-Gemeinschaft zu stärken.

The 4th edition includes updated and additional examples and exercises on the core fundamental concepts of mechanics, robots, and kinematics of serial robots. New images of CAD models and physical robots help to motivate concepts being introduced. Each chapter of the book can be read independently of others as it addresses a seperate issue in robotics.

This book continues the tradition of its predecessors “Automation, Communication and Cybernetics in Science and Engineering 2009/2010 and 2011/2012” and includes a representative selection of scientific publications from researchers at the institute cluster IMA/ZLW & IfU. IMA - Institute of Information Management in Mechanical Engineering ZLW - Center for Learning and Knowledge Management IfU - Associated Institute for Management Cybernetics e.V. Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, RWTH Aachen University The book presents a range of innovative fields of application, including: cognitive systems, cyber-physical production systems, robotics, automation technology, machine learning, natural language processing, data mining, predictive data analytics, visual analytics, innovation and diversity management, demographic models, virtual and remote laboratories, virtual and augmented realities, multimedia learning environments, organizational development and management cybernetics. The contributions selected reflect the fundamental paradigm shift toward an increasingly interdisciplinary research world – which has always been both the basis and spirit of the institute cluster IMA/ZLW & IfU.