Foundations of Robotics

Mechatronics, Cybernetics and AI
1. Auflage 2026
ISBN: 978-1-032-81801-6
Verlag: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Buch, Englisch, 440 Seiten, Format (B × H): 174 mm x 246 mm

This book introduces readers to graduate-level study of robotics through an integrated, interdisciplinary approach that spans mechatronics, control theory, computer science, and AI. It is designed to unite students from these fields, equipping them with the collaborative skills needed to excel in robotics.

It is structured around three core pillars: Mechatronics, Cybernetics, and AI. Mechatronics introduces practical tools and materials for robot building, programming, and design, covering open-source hardware, sensors, actuators, and embedded systems like ROS2. Cybernetics explores feedback, control, kinematics, and dynamics, enabling the execution of complex trajectories for robots such as drones, mobile robots, and robotic arms, grounded in linear algebra and Lagrangian mechanics. AI explores modern transformer-based models, including GPTs and diffusion models, teaching robots to perceive, learn, and plan using Bayesian probability, neural networks, and PyTorch programming. Together, these sections provide a comprehensive foundation for understanding and innovating in robotics.

Bridging foundational theory and real-world applications, this book is core course reading for advanced undergraduate and graduate students of robotics, mechatronics, and artificial intelligence. It is also a valuable resource for maker communities, equipping them with the skills needed to succeed in this cutting-edge field.

Zielgruppe

Postgraduate and Undergraduate Advanced

Autoren/Hrsg.

Fox, Charles W.

Aitken, Jonathan

Fachgebiete

• Technische Wissenschaften Elektronik | Nachrichtentechnik Elektronik Robotik
• Mathematik | Informatik EDV | Informatik Daten / Datenbanken
• Mathematik | Informatik EDV | Informatik Informatik Künstliche Intelligenz Maschinelles Lernen

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Introduction

Part I: Mechatronics - Building Robots

Chapter 1. Building Robots

Chapter 2. Programming Robots

Chapter 3. Working with Space and Time

Chapter 4. Mechanics

Chapter 5. Electromagnetism

Chapter 6. Sensors

Part II: Cybernetics - Controlling Robots

Chapter 7. Controlling Behaviours

Chapter 8. Kinematics and Inverse Kinematics

Chapter 9. Dynamics and Inverse Dynamics

Chapter 10. Digital Control of Dynamics Trajectories

Part III: Aritifical Intelligence (AI) - Automating Robots

Chapter 11. Probabilistic AI

Chapter 12. Tracking, Localisation and Mapping

Chapter 13. Planning

Chapter 14. Neural Networks

Chapter 15. Robot Vision

Chapter 16. Transformers and Foundation Models

Über Autor(innen)

Charles Fox is the Programme Leader of MSc Robotics and AI at the University of Lincoln, UK. The programme provides a unified approach linking traditional Computer Science and Engineering topics with modern AI. He served as the programme chair of the UK’s robotics and AI conference, TAROS, in 2021. Fox advises leading venture capital, investment bank, and private equity firms on AI strategy and implementation. He studied MA Computer Science at Cambridge, MSc Informatics at Edinburgh, and DPhil Information Engineering at Oxford. He has won teaching awards from students and universities and is the author of over 100 peer-reviewed publications and the book ‘Computer Architecture: from the stone age to the quantum Age’ with No Starch Press.

Jonathan Aitken is Senior University Teacher in the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University of Sheffield, UK. Previously as a Research Fellow he worked in the Autonomous Control Laboratory within the Autonomous Systems and Robotics Group of the Department of Automatic Control and Systems Engineering. His research focuses on autonomous reconfiguration of robotic systems, especially on quadcopter platforms. Dr Aitken holds an MEng and PhD in Electronic Engineering, both awarded by the University of York. He has previously worked in the Computer Science Department at the University of York’s High Integrity Systems Engineering Group, working on safety in Systems-of-Systems.