Mobile Robots for Dynamic Environments

For several decades now, mobile robots have been integral to the development
of new robotic systems for new applications, even in nontechnical
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.
Mobile robots will always be further developed with the goal of performing
locomotion tasks, those related to movement and interaction
with the surrounding environment, within which a task can be fulfilled
even without the supervision of human operators. The complexity of
locomotion requires different solutions both for design and operation.
As such, a large variety of mobile robots and mobile robotic systems
has been, and still can be, developed. In fact, considerable advancements
have been achieved within the last few decades, and a vast amount of
literature is already available detailing a large variety of mobile robots.
The literature emphasizes design issues, operational success, procedures
and algorithms that can be used specifically for these applications, as
opposed to general approaches for a variety of cases.
One key point for mobile robots is interaction with the environment
in which the mobile robot moves and corresponding solutions can determine
the success or failure of the motion. Indeed, the mechanical
design is not very often considered a critical issue, but rather it is often
included as an issue in the overall design of mechanical solutions within
servo-controlled operation and environment interaction. A second important
issue is the acceptance of robotic systems and the corresponding
psychological aspects, when robots are proposed to operators and
users in fields with very low levels of technical means in their current
work practice.
These two subjects are the core of the discussions in this book and
its companion volume, Designs and Prototypes of Mobile Robots (available
separately from ASME Press), which aims to illustrate not only the
potential but also the problems for the dissemination of mobile robots
and mobile robotic systems in all human activities with service.
Authors have been invited from all over the world and chapters have
been selected after review as to approach the most challenging aspects
and applications of mobile robotic systems, with the aim to survey the
current state-of-the-art and its future potential.
We believe that 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 books or guide
books for the practicing engineer who is working on a specific problem
which is described in one of the chapters.
We are grateful to the authors of the chapters for their valuable contributions
and for preparing their manuscripts on time. Also acknowledged
is the professional assistance by the staff of ASME Press and
especially by Dr. Vladimir Vantsevich, who has enth