Hello everyone,
We’re excited to share our new book on Robotics - “Foundations of Robotics - A Multidisciplinary Approach with Python and ROS”. Herath, D., & St-Onge, D. (Eds.). Springer Nature (2022)
“This book provides the ‘foundation’ for understanding how robots work. It is the accessible introduction that artists and engineers have been waiting for.”
– Ken Goldberg, William S. Floyd Jr. Distinguished Chair in Engineering, UC Berkeley.
Some highlights;
Thanks to Kinova Robotics - the book is open access, meaning you can freely download it.
To our knowledge, this is the first time a truly multidisciplinary Body of Knowledge being defined for a robotics textbook that includes chapters on ethics, Design Thinking and concepts of Psychology for HRI and user study design.
The book’s GitHub contains multiple lab classes that students and professors could adopt/adapt to their learning/teaching needs.
The book also contains insights from industry practitioners and experts, providing an added layer of context for the chapters.
We’d Love to hear your thoughts and feedback - https://foundations-of-robotics.org/
From the back cover of the book:
This open access book introduces key concepts in robotics in an easy to understand language using an engaging project-based approach. It covers contemporary topics in robotics, providing an accessible entry point to fundamentals in all the major domains. A section is dedicated to introducing programming concepts using Python, which has become a language of choice in robotics and AI. The book also introduces the reader to the Robot Operating System (ROS), the ubiquitous software and algorithmic framework used by researchers and the industry. The book provides an inspired, up-to-date and multidisciplinary introduction to robotics in its many forms, including emerging topics related to robotics on Machine Learning, ethics, Human-Robot Interaction, and Design Thinking. The book also includes interviews with industry experts, providing an additional layer of insight into the world of robotics. The book is made open access through the generous support from Kinova Robotics. The book is suitable as an undergraduate textbook in a relevant engineering course. It is also suitable for students in art and design, high school students, and self-learners who would like to explore foundational concepts in robotics.