Robotics

Abstract

This book is the natural evolution of the previous text Modelling and Con- trol of Robot Manipulators by the first two co-authors, published in 1995, and in 2000 with its second edition. The cut of the original textbook has been confirmed with the educational goal of blending the fundamental and techno- logical aspects with those advanced aspects, on a uniform track as regards a rigorous formalism. The fundamental and technological aspects are mainly concentrated in the first six chapters of the book and concern the theory of manipulator structures, including kinematics, statics and trajectory planning, and the technology of robot actuators, sensors and control units. The advanced aspects are dealt with in the subsequent six chapters and concern dynamics and motion control of robot manipulators, interaction with the environment using exteroceptive sensory data (force and vision), mobile robots and motion planning