Abstract
Robotics is one of those high-technology subjects that tend to suffer from an exaggerated or distorted public image. A news item about a line of welding robots in a car factory will often have a commentary that hints at dire consequences for the work-force, the car industry and even the human race. Why do robots provoke this type of response when, for example, the installation of a new type of machine tool, that might have a greater effect on productivity, goes virtually unnoticed? There are at least two reasons for this — superficial simplification and emotional appeal.
Robotics is that field concerned with the intelligent connection of perception to action
Mike Brady
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Further reading material
Artificial Intelligence
There are several good entry points into the AI literature. The student textbook Introduction to Artificial Intelligence, by E. Charniak and D. McDermott (Addison-Wesley, 1985), is excellent value.
A standard reference is The Handbook of Artificial Intelligence, in three volumes, edited by A. Barr and E. Feigenbaum (Pitman, 1981). The two volume Encyclopedia of Artificial Intelligence, by S. Shapiro (John Wiley, 1987), is also useful.
For the relationship between human cognition and AI, a general review is given in Artificial Intelligence and Natural Man, by M. Boden (Harvester, 1987).
Robotics
A good introductory text is Robotics: An Introduction, by D. McCloy and M. Harris (Open University Press, 1986). Another textbook is Industrial Robots by Groover, Weiss, Nagel and Odrey (McGraw-Hill, 1986).
The international symposium proceedings entitled Robotics Research, published by MIT Press in 1984, 1985 and 1987, contain many interesting research papers.
David Noble’s book Forces of Production, (Oxford University Press, 1986), gives a social history of the development of manufacturing automation.
Journals and Conferences
In AI, the main source of current information is found in the journals and conference proceedings. The chief journal is simply called Artificial Intelligence and contains high quality research reports. A useful less formal publication is the AI Magazine. The journal Cognitive Science deals with the psychological side of AI that aims to understand human thinking processes.
The premier conferences are: the International Joint Conferences on Artificial Intelligence (IJCAI), held every two years; the American national conferences organized by the American Association of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI), held whenever there is no IJCAI on the North American continent; and the European Conferences on Artificial Intelligence (ECAI).
In robotics, the International Journal of Robotics Research, (IJRR) is an important research journal, as is the IEEE Journal of Robotics and Automation. Many other journals have recently started, e.g. Robotica, Robotics, Robotics and Computer-Integrated Manufacturing, and the International Journal of Robotic Systems.
Two useful series of conference proceedings are: the International Conferences on Robot Vision and Sensory Controls and the International Symposium on Industrial Robots (often combined with the International Conference on Industrial Robot Technology).
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© 1989 Mark H. Lee
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Lee, M.H. (1989). Setting the scene. In: Intelligent robotics. Open University Press Robotics Series. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-6237-1_1
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