Part I, Embedded Systems and Programming Environments.- Robots and Controllers.- Central Processing Unit.- Sensors.- Actuators.- Actuators.- Control.- Multitasking.- Wireless Communication.- Raspberry Pi.- Arduino.- Part II, Mobile Robot Design.- Driving Robots.- Omnidirectional Robots.- Balancing Robots.- Walking Robots.- Autonomous Planes.- Autonomous Vessels and Underwater Vehicles.- Robot Manipulators.- Simulation Systems.- Part III, Mobile Robot Applications.- Localization and Navigation.- Maze Exploration.- Map Generation.- Real-Time Image Processing.- Robot Soccer.- Neural Networks.- Evolutionary Computing Approaches.- Behavior-Based Systems.- Evolution of Walking Gaits.- Automotive Systems.- Outlook.- Appendices, Index.
Thomas Bräunl is Professor at The University of Western Australia, Perth, where he directs the Robotics & Automation Lab as well as the Renewable Energy Vehicle Lab. He has developed numerous robotics systems, including the EyeBot robot family and the EyeSim simulation system. Professor Bräunl worked on Autonomous Driving Systems with Mercedes-Benz and on Electric Vehicle Systems with BMW. He holds a Diploma from Univ. Kaiserslautern, an M.S. degree from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, and a Ph.D. and Habilitation from Univ. Stuttgart.
This textbook presents a unique examination of mobile robots and autonomous vehicles using embedded systems, from introductory to advanced level. It is structured in four parts, dealing with Embedded Systems (processors, sensors, actuators, control, multitasking and communication), Robot Hardware (driving and walking robots, autonomous boats and planes, as well as robot manipulators), Robot Software (localization, navigation, image processing and automotive systems), and Artificial Intelligence (neural networks, genetic algorithms and deep learning). The book is organized for ease of use, with numerous figures, photographs, and worked example programs. The book is written as a text for courses in computer science, computer engineering, IT, electronics engineering, and mechatronics, as well as a guide for robot hobbyists and researchers. In this 4th edition the text has been thoroughly updated and extended. It now uses the Raspberry Pi and Arduino embedded processors for all mobile robot systems.