Robots

Fülszöveg

ROBOTS
We are aU familiar with the robot as the unieeling and threatening automaton of countless science fiction stories. The figure of the android is now an integral part oi popular
cult\ire. However, in the past two decades robots have "stepped" out oi this realm and on to the factory floor in the guise of computer-controlled mechanical arms that can tirelessly perform monotonous and punishing tasks with maximum efficiency and minimal supervision. In a sense the robot has become the executive arm of the computer
In this magnificently illustrated book, Peter Marsh and his team oi expert authors fully explain the technology behind today's automated assembly lines and reveal exactly what robots can do, whether it be welding car bodies, or piecing
together Intricate electrical components. They then examine current research crimed at equipping robots with
senses, such as vision and touch, and mobility — endowments that would greatly extend their powers and future applications.... Tovább

Fülszöveg

ROBOTS
We are aU familiar with the robot as the unieeling and threatening automaton of countless science fiction stories. The figure of the android is now an integral part oi popular
cult\ire. However, in the past two decades robots have "stepped" out oi this realm and on to the factory floor in the guise of computer-controlled mechanical arms that can tirelessly perform monotonous and punishing tasks with maximum efficiency and minimal supervision. In a sense the robot has become the executive arm of the computer
In this magnificently illustrated book, Peter Marsh and his team oi expert authors fully explain the technology behind today's automated assembly lines and reveal exactly what robots can do, whether it be welding car bodies, or piecing
together Intricate electrical components. They then examine current research crimed at equipping robots with
senses, such as vision and touch, and mobility — endowments that would greatly extend their powers and future applications. Such robots might be used to decommission nuclear power plants, patrol a prison, mine
for precious minerals on the ocean bed, operate as mechanical "guide dogs" for the blind, or even storm across the battlefields of the future.
At the other end of the spectrum, a great future is predicted for the educational and personal robot, and a chapter is specifically devoted to developments in this field involving
the use of robots as educational aids and domestic servants. The book is rounded off by a chapter that explores in detail the current and future applications of robots in space, and two chapters that analyse the research new-being conducted on "artificial intelligence", how this may affect a future generation of robots, and the likely impact that this will have on social and industrial patterns during the rest oithe century
The illustrations include a splendid selection of colour photographs illustrating robots in today's factories and also under development, while numerous explanatory diagrams and colour drawings throughout the book allow the reader to see exactly how these machines function. The whole field of robotics is a major growth area of the 1980s; this volume promises to be the illustrated reference work on this fascinating and controversial subject. Vissza