Overview
Main description
Jones, one of the inventors of the first widely adopted consumer robot,introduces the history and theory behind behavior-based programming, teaches skills needed for programming a robot, and provides readers with a virtual robot on a web site to test programming expertise. Using
an intuitive method, he deconstructs robot control into simple behaviors that are easy to program and debug for inexpensive microcontrollers with little memory. No background is required in programming or robotics.
Table of contents
PrefaceIntroductionAcknowledgmentsChapter 1: Autonomous Mobile RobotsChapter 2: Control SystemsChapter 3: BehaviorsChapter 4: ArbitrationChapter 5: ProgrammingChapter 6: DecompositionChapter 7: Physical InterfacesChapter 8: ImplementationChapter 9: Future RobotsAPPENDIX A: MATHEMATICS OF DIFFERENTIAL DRIVEAPPENDIX B: BSimAPPENDIX C: FREQUENTLY USED FUNCTIONSAPPENDIX D: PSEUDOCODEAPPENDIX E: BIBLIOGRAPHYINDEX
Author comments
Joe Jones (Acton, MA) is a veteran roboticist, currently employed by iRobot. He is the co-author of Mobile Robots: Inspiration to Implementation, as well as numerous articles in the field of robotics. He is one of the inventors of the Roomba(R) Robotic FloorVac, the first widely adopted consumer robot.
Daniel Roth (Cambridge, MA) is a master's degree candidate in computer science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, specializing in autonomous robot navigation.
Back cover copy
MASTER ROBOT PROGRAMMING ITH YOUR OWN FREE VIRTUAL 'BOT!
This ingenious book/Web site partnership teaches the skills you need to program a robot -- and gives you a virtual robot waiting online to perform your commands and test your programming expertise. You don't need to know either robotics or programming to get started!
Using an intuitive method,
Robot Programming deconstructs robot control into simple and distinct behaviors that are easy to program and debug for inexpensive microcontrollers with little memory. Once you’ve mastered programming your online 'bot, you can easily adapt your programs for use in physical robots.
Though
Robot Programming smoothes the path to acquiring skills in this arcane art, it does not reduce it to simplistics. With this resource, you can open the door to all the complexity, sophistication, versatility, and robustness that it is possible for robot behavior to exhibit.
WHAT DO YOU WANT YOUR ROBOT TO DO?
Robot Programming's hands-on approach to behavior-based robotics--
* Teaches you intuitively, with a system that integrates explanation, code examples, and exercises using an online robot simulator
* Demonstrates programming for mobile robots
* Gives you the tools to combine sensors with robot skills
* Shows you how to develop new robot behaviors by manipulating old ones and adjusting programming parameters
* Provides examples of programming for object seeking, object avoidance, decision-making, and much more
* Leads you to advanced strategies for designing your own behavior-based systems from scratch
* Introduces the history and theory behind behavior-based programming
* Requires no background in either programming or robotics
