Planning algorithms are impacting technical disciplines and industries around the world, including robotics, computer-aided design, manufacturing, computer graphics, aerospace applications, drug design, and protein folding. This coherent and comprehensive book unifies material from several sources, including robotics, control theory, artificial intelligence, and algorithms. The treatment is centered on robot motion planning, but integrates material on planning in discrete spaces. A major part of the book is devoted to planning under uncertainty, including decision theory, Markov decision processes, and information spaces, which are the 'configuration spaces' of all sensor-based planning problems. The last part of the book delves into planning under differential constraints that arise when automating the motions of virtually any mechanical system. This text and reference is intended for students, engineers, and researchers in robotics, artificial intelligence, and control theory as well as computer graphics, algorithms, and computational biology.
Annotation Widely considered one of the best practical guides to programming, Steve McConnell's original CODE COMPLETE has been helping developers write better software for more than a decade. Now this classic book has been fully updated and revised with leading-edge practices--and hundreds of new code samples--illustrating the art and science of software construction. Capturing the body of knowledge available from research, academia, and everyday commercial practice, McConnell synthesizes the most effective techniques and must-know principles into clear, pragmatic guidance. No matter what your experience level, development environment, or project size, this book will inform and stimulate your thinking--and help you build the highest quality code. Discover the timeless techniques and strategies that help you: Design for minimum complexity and maximum creativity Reap the benefits of collaborative development Apply defensive programming techniques to reduce and flush out errors Exploit opportunities to refactor--or evolve--code, and do it safely Use construction practices that are right-weight for your project Debug problems quickly and effectively Resolve critical construction issues early and correctly Build quality into the beginning, middle, and end of your project
Software engineering requires specialized knowledge of a broad spectrum of topics, including the construction of software and the platforms, applications, and environments in which the software operates as well as an understanding of the people who build and use the software. Offering an authoritative perspective, the two volumes of the Encyclopedia of Software Engineering cover the entire multidisciplinary scope of this important field. More than 200 expert contributors and reviewers from industry and academia across 21 countries provide easy-to-read entries that cover software requirements, design, construction, testing, maintenance, configuration management, quality control, and software engineering management tools and methods. Editor Phillip A. Laplante uses the most universally recognized definition of the areas of relevance to software engineering, the Software Engineering Body of Knowledge (SWEBOK®), as a template for organizing the material. Also available in an electronic format, this encyclopedia supplies software engineering students, IT professionals, researchers, managers, and scholars with unrivaled coverage of the topics that encompass this ever-changing field. Also Available Online This Taylor & Francis encyclopedia is also available through online subscription, offering a variety of extra benefits for researchers, students, and librarians, including: Citation tracking and alerts Active reference linking Saved searches and marked lists HTML and PDF format options Contact Taylor and Francis for more information or to inquire about subscription options and print/online combination packages. US: (Tel) 1.888.318.2367; (E-mail) [email protected] International: (Tel) +44 (0) 20 7017 6062; (E-mail) [email protected]
Intelligent Systems and Robotics focuses on new developments in robotics and intelligent systems and provides insight, guidance and specific techniques vital to those concerned with the design and implementation of robotics and intelligent system applications. Intelligent Systems and Robotics presents information on a 3-D vision for robots and intelligent control of a vision-based reasoning system with a robot manipulator. The reader will find authoritative presentations on autonomous land vehicle navigation, manipulator reachable workspace problems and the formulation of algorithms for their solution. Covered are methods for medical applications utilizing expert adaptive control, the integrated piezoelectric sensor/actuator design for distributed identification and control of smart machines, including theory, experiments, finite element formulation and analysis. Automatic repair of aircraft transparencies and geometric modeling utilized in robot task planning as well as the evaluation of standard fieldbus networks utilized in the factory environment are presented.
Are you fascinated by the complex web of electrical power that illuminates our modern world? Do you want to understand the intricate systems responsible for delivering electricity to our homes, businesses, and industries? Look no further than Electric Power Distribution System Engineering, Fourth Edition by renowned author Turan Gönen, revised and updated by Chee-Wooi Ten and Ali Mehrizi-Sani. This captivating book takes you on a journey through the fascinating realm of electric power distribution, offering a comprehensive yet accessible exploration of the engineering principles, technologies, and practices that underpin this vital aspect of our daily lives. Whether you're a curious non-specialist, an avid reader with a thirst for knowledge, or a librarian or bookseller seeking an invaluable resource, Gönen's masterwork will both enlighten and captivate you. An early leader in the academic market, this book provides an overview of classical planning for electric power distribution systems, which has been used for many years in designing and analyzing electric power distribution systems. The authors have taken a bold initiative to update the content, incorporating relevant aspects reflecting the advancements of today's evolving smart grid. Within its pages, readers will discover detailed discussions on the principles of power distribution, including the fundamentals of power generation, transmission, and distribution. The authors provide detailed explanations of the various components and equipment used in distribution systems, such as transformers, circuit breakers, switches, and protective devices. As part of the book, planning for the distribution network involves sizing and considering candidate geographical locations/regions in relation to the capacity of existing infrastructure, allowing for new additions to be built. For example, this includes locations either extending another feeder from distribution substations or building new distribution substations, depending on what makes more sense. Many assumptions have been made for non-existing distribution feeders to calculate ballpark figures for determining voltage profile and power losses if they were to be constructed. Readers will gain insights into how these considerations translate into net positive, net negative, or net-zero loads. All of these aspects can be gradually integrated with renewable energy sources, innovative grid technologies, and distribution automation over time. The authors involved in this book have made significant contributions to the state-of-the-art development by incorporating recent updates from the literature, thereby addressing the latest advancements. One remarkable feature of Turan Gönen's Electric Power Distribution System Engineering is its strong focus on practical applications and real-world scenarios. In addition to providing theoretical knowledge, the book also offers numerous examples that effectively bridge the gap between theory and practice. This unique approach enables readers to comprehend the intricacies of distribution system engineering and apply their newfound knowledge to solve complex problems in the field. By seamlessly blending theoretical foundations with practical insights, Gonen's book emerges as an indispensable resource for aspiring engineers, professionals, and researchers, as it offers a comprehensive understanding of electric power distribution systems and their practical implications.
The book is organized around basic principles of software project management: planning and estimating, measuring and controlling, leading and communicating, and managing risk. Introduces software development methods, from traditional (hacking, requirements to code, and waterfall) to iterative (incremental build, evolutionary, agile, and spiral). Illustrates and emphasizes tailoring the development process to each project, with a foundation in the fundamentals that are true for all development methods. Topics such as the WBS, estimation, schedule networks, organizing the project team, and performance reporting are integrated, rather than being relegating to appendices. Each chapter in the book includes an appendix that covers the relevant topics from CMMI-DEV-v1.2, IEEE/ISO Standards 12207, IEEE Standard 1058, and the PMI® Body of Knowledge. (PMI is a registered mark of Project Management Institute, Inc.)
The second edition of this handbook provides a state-of-the-art overview on the various aspects in the rapidly developing field of robotics. Reaching for the human frontier, robotics is vigorously engaged in the growing challenges of new emerging domains. Interacting, exploring, and working with humans, the new generation of robots will increasingly touch people and their lives. The credible prospect of practical robots among humans is the result of the scientific endeavour of a half a century of robotic developments that established robotics as a modern scientific discipline. The ongoing vibrant expansion and strong growth of the field during the last decade has fueled this second edition of the Springer Handbook of Robotics. The first edition of the handbook soon became a landmark in robotics publishing and won the American Association of Publishers PROSE Award for Excellence in Physical Sciences & Mathematics as well as the organization’s Award for Engineering & Technology. The second edition of the handbook, edited by two internationally renowned scientists with the support of an outstanding team of seven part editors and more than 200 authors, continues to be an authoritative reference for robotics researchers, newcomers to the field, and scholars from related disciplines. The contents have been restructured to achieve four main objectives: the enlargement of foundational topics for robotics, the enlightenment of design of various types of robotic systems, the extension of the treatment on robots moving in the environment, and the enrichment of advanced robotics applications. Further to an extensive update, fifteen new chapters have been introduced on emerging topics, and a new generation of authors have joined the handbook’s team. A novel addition to the second edition is a comprehensive collection of multimedia references to more than 700 videos, which bring valuable insight into the contents. The videos can be viewed directly augmented into the text with a smartphone or tablet using a unique and specially designed app. Springer Handbook of Robotics Multimedia Extension Portal: http://handbookofrobotics.org/
Software Quality Assurance: Integrating Testing, Security, and Audit focuses on the importance of software quality and security. It defines various types of testing, recognizes factors that propose value to software quality, and provides theoretical and real-world scenarios that offer value and contribute quality to projects and applications. The practical synopsis on common testing tools helps readers who are in testing jobs or those interested in pursuing careers as testers. It also helps test leaders, test managers, and others who are involved in planning, estimating, executing, and maintaining software. The book is divided into four sections: The first section addresses the basic concepts of software quality, validation and verification, and audits. It covers the major areas of software management, software life cycle, and life cycle processes. The second section is about testing. It discusses test plans and strategy and introduces a step-by-step test design process along with a sample test case. It also examines what a tester or test lead needs to do before and during test execution and how to report after completing the test execution. The third section deals with security breaches and defects that may occur. It discusses documentation and classification of incidences as well as how to handle an occurrence. The fourth and final section provides examples of security issues along with a security policy document and addresses the planning aspects of an information audit. This section also discusses the definition, measurement, and metrics of reliability based on standards and quality metrics methodology CMM models. It discusses the ISO 15504 standard, CMMs, PSP, and TSP and includes an appendix containing a software process improvement sample document.