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This book describes the design, mathematical modeling, control system development and experimental validation of a versatile mobile pipe inspection robot. It also discusses a versatile robotic system for pipeline inspection, together with an original, adaptable tracked mobile robot featuring a patented motion unit. Pipeline inspection is a common field of application for mobile robots because the monitoring of inaccessible, long and narrow pipelines is a very difficult task for humans. The main design objective is to minimize the number of robots needed to inspect different types of horizontal and vertical pipelines, with both smooth and rough surfaces. The book includes extensive information on the various design phases, mathematical modeling, simulations and control system development. In closing, the prototype construction process and testing procedures are presented and supplemented with laboratory and field experiments.

The book describes an approach to the multi-agent systems (MAS) design for applications of robotic soccer in the MiroSot category. The described MAS is designed for dynamic, quickly changing environments, in which not only the actions of our MAS are observed, but also those of the opposing MAS. It actively tries to affect the environment to score goals faster than the opposing MAS. Multi-agent systems (MAS) are mostly applied in the environments in which they exist and act without an opposing system. The book also describes strategies based on a supervisor that makes decisions depending on behavior prediction of the opposing MAS and the ball movement in the working place. A sophisticated distribution of tasks was designed for each agent to cooperate in order score goals as fast as possible. Simultaneously, these agents try, by permitted means, to prevent the enemy agents from scoring goals. The approach described is an excellent guide to the constantly evolving abilities of mobile robotics, both for real-world applications, such as cooperation of multiple robots in life-saving activities, and for the steadily developing applications of mobile robots in various robotic competitions (e.g. Robocup, etc.). The book provides readers with high-level knowledge on how to design strategies and how to implement such systems, and the ideas presented enable them to further refine the approach utilizing the latest hardware and use it in new systems implementations of sophisticated intelligent engineering.

This book provides readers with extensive information on path planning optimization for both single and multiple Autonomous Guided Vehicles (AGVs), and discusses practical issues involved in advanced industrial applications of AGVs. After discussing previously published research in the field and highlighting the current gaps, it introduces new models developed by the authors with the goal of reducing costs and increasing productivity and effectiveness in the manufacturing industry. The new models address the increasing complexity of manufacturing networks, due for example to the adoption of flexible manufacturing systems that involve automated material handling systems, robots, numerically controlled machine tools, and automated inspection stations, while also considering the uncertainty and stochastic nature of automated equipment such as AGVs. The book discusses and provides solutions to important issues concerning the use of AGVs in the manufacturing industry, including material flow optimization with AGVs, programming manufacturing systems equipped with AGVs, reliability models, the reliability of AGVs, routing under uncertainty, and risks involved in AGV-based transportation. The clear style and straightforward descriptions of problems and their solutions make the book an excellent resource for graduate students. Moreover, thanks to its practice-oriented approach, the novelty of the findings and the contemporary topic it reports on, the book offers new stimulus for researchers and practitioners in the broad field of production engineering.

For several decades now, mobile robots have been integral to the development of new robotic systems for new applications, even in non-technical areas. Mobile robots have already been developed for such uses as industrial automation, medical care, space exploration, demining operations, surveillance, entertainment, museum guides and many other industrial and non-industrial applications. In some cases these products are readily available on the market. A considerable amount of literature is also available; not all of which pertains to technical issues, as listed in the chapters of this book and its companion. Readers will enjoy this book and its companion and will utilize the knowledge gained with satisfaction and will be assisted by its content in their interdisciplinary work for engineering developments of mobile robots, in both old and new applications. This book and its companion can be used as a graduate level course book or a guide book for the practicing engineer who is working on a specific problem described in one of the chapters. The companion volume for this book, Mobile Robots for Dynamic Environments, is available separately.

For several decades now, mobile robots have been integral to the development of new robotic systems for new applications, even in non-technical areas. Mobile robots have already been developed for such uses as industrial automation, medical care, space exploration, demining operations, surveillance, entertainment, museum guides and many other industrial and non-industrial applications. In some cases these products are readily available on the market. A considerable amount of literature is also available; not all of which pertains to technical issues, as listed in the chapters of this book and its companion. Readers will enjoy this book and its companion and will utilize the knowledge gained with satisfaction and will be assisted by its content in their interdisciplinary work for engineering developments of mobile robots, in both old and new applications. This book and its companion can be used as a graduate level course book or a guide book for the practicing engineer who is working on a specific problem described in one of the chapters. The companion volume for this book, Designs and Prototypes of Mobile Robots, is available separately.

Mobile robotics has until now focused on issues like design of controllers and robot hardware. It is now ready to embrace theoretical methods from dynamical systems theory, statistics and system identification to produce a formalized approach based on quantitative analyses and computer models of the interaction between robot, task and environment. This book is a step towards a theoretical understanding of the operation of autonomous mobile robots. It presents cutting-edge research on the application of chaos theory, parametric and non-parametric statistics and dynamical systems theory in this field. Practical examples and case studies show how robot behaviour can be logged, analysed, interpreted and modelled, aiding design of controllers, analysis of agent behaviour and verification of results. As the first book to apply advanced scientific methods to mobile robots it will interest researchers, lecturers and post-graduate students in robotics, artificial intelligence and cognitive science.

This volume focusses on the problem of planning in the context of robotics. Unlike most books on robotics planning which are either too abstract or too specific, this one extends the techniques developed for generic planning problems with robotics-specific considerations so that the task of planning can be discussed in a more uniform way. It also includes the latest results in reconfigurable (mobile) robot planning, multiple robot planning, plan recovery, and planning in uncertain environments. This volume is probably the very first book in the market that provides a theoretical foundation for planning techniques and their applications. It also bridges the gap that has been existing for a long time between computer scientists and application engineers. It will be of interest to senior and graduate students in engineering and computer science, AI researchers and professionals.