This book offers a comprehensive reference volume to the state-of-the-art in design studies in collaborative virtual environments (CVEs). It details the current research topics as well as the latest technological advancements and the best working examples.

This work summarizes recent advances in robotics using 3D printers and rapid prototyping as a concept development tool.

This book contains a selection of papers presented at the "European Robotics and Intelligent Systems Conference" (EURISCON '91) held in Corfu. Greece (June 23-28. 1991). It is devoted to the analysis. design and applications of technological systems with built-in intelligence achieved through appropriate blending of mathematical, symbolic. sensing. computer processing. and feedback control concepts. methods and software / hardware tools. System intelligence includes human-like capabilities such as learning. observation. perception. interpretation. reasoning. planning. decision making. and...

In view of the importance of system identification, the International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC) and the International Federation of Operational Research Societies (IFORS) hold symposia on this topic every three years. Interest in continuous time approaches to system identification has been growing in recent years. This is evident from the fact that the of invited sessions on continuous time systems has increased from one in the 8th number Symposium that was held in Beijing in 1988 to three in the 9th Symposium in Budapest in 1991. It was during the 8th Symposium in August 1988...

Microprocessors play a dominant role in computer technology and have contributed uniquely in the development of many new concepts and design techniques for modem industrial systems. This contribution is excessively high in the area of robotic and manufacturing systems. However, it is the editor's feeling that a reference book describing this contribution in a cohesive way and covering the major hardware and software issues is lacking. The purpose of this book is exactly to fill in this gap through the collection and presentation of the experience of a number of experts and professionals...

The introduction of the microprocessor in computer and system engineering has motivated the development of many new concepts and has simplified the design of many modern industrial systems. During the first decade of their life. microprocessors have shown a tremendous evolution in all possible directions (technology. power. functionality. I/O handling. etc). Of course putting the microprocessors and their environmental devices into properly operating systems is a complex and difficult task requiring high skills for melding and integrating hardware. and systemic components. software This book...

Recent advances in LSI technology and the consequent availability of inexpensive but powerful microprocessors have already affected the process control industry in a significant manner. Microprocessors are being increasingly utilized for improving the performance of control systems and making them more sophisticated as well as reliable. Many concepts of adaptive and learning control theory which were considered impractical only 20 years ago are now being implemented. With these developments there has been a steady growth in hardware and software tools to support the microprocessor in its...

The continous development of computer technology supported by the VLSI revolution stimulated the research in the field .of multiprocessors systems. The main motivation for the migration of design efforts from conventional architectures towards multiprocessor ones is the possibi I ity to obtain a significant processing power together with the improvement of price/performance, reliability and flexibility figures. Currently, such systems are moving from research laboratories to real field appl ications. Future technological advances and new generations of components are I ikely to further...

Great progresses have been made in the application of fuzzy set theory and fuzzy logic. Most remarkable area of application is 'fuzzy control', where fuzzy logic was first applied to plant control systems and its use is expanding to consumer products. Most of fuzzy control systems uses fuzzy inference with max-min or max-product composition, similar to the algorithm that first used by Mamdani in 1970s. Some algorithms are developed to refine fuzzy controls systems but the main part of algorithm stays the same. Triggered by the success of fuzzy control systems, other ways of applying fuzzy set...