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...

Intelligent Systems involve a large class of systems which posses human-like capabilities such as learning, observation, perception, interpretation, reasoning under uncertainty, planning in known and unknown environments, decision making, and control action. The field of intelligent systems is actually a new interdisciplinary field which is the outcome of the interaction, cooperation and synergetic merging of classical fields such as system theory, control theory, artificial intelligence, information theory, operational research, soft computing, communications, linguistic theory, and others....

Intelligent Systems involve a large class of systems which posses human-like capabilities such as learning, observation, perception, interpretation, reasoning under uncertainty, planning in known and unknown environments, decision making, and control action. The field of intelligent systems is actually a new interdisciplinary field which is the outcome of the interaction, cooperation and synergetic merging of classical fields such as system theory, control theory, artificial intelligence, information theory, operational research, soft computing, communications, linguistic theory, and others....

The field of knowledge-based systems (KBS) has expanded enormously during the last years, and many important techniques and tools are currently available. Applications of KBS range from medicine to engineering and aerospace. This book provides a selected set of state-of-the-art contributions that present advanced techniques, tools and applications. These contributions have been prepared by a group of specialist researchers and professionals in the field. The theoretical topics covered include: knowledge acquisition, machine learning, genetic algorithms, knowledge management and processing...

Soft computing is a branch of computing which, unlike hard computing, can deal with uncertain, imprecise and inexact data. The three constituents of soft computing are fuzzy-logic-based computing, neurocomputing, and genetic algorithms. Fuzzy logic contributes the capability of approximate reasoning, neurocomputing offers function approximation and learning capabilities, and genetic algorithms provide a methodology for systematic random search and optimization. These three capabilities are combined in a complementary and synergetic fashion.

This book presents a cohesive set of contributions...

The field of Intelligent Autonomous Systems (lAS) has attracted over the years the attention of numerous research and industrial groups and has by now arrived at an advanced level of development. The results have been achieved through the synergetic use of concepts, techniques and technologies drawn from electrical and mechanical engineering, control engineering, systems science, computer science and management science. Currently, the majority of working systems in practice are of the semi- autonomous type needing some level of human intervention. Therefore much effort is presently devoted in...