Download or read book Seeing Like a Rover written by Janet Vertesi and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2015-04-22 with total page 331 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the years since the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit and Opportunity first began transmitting images from the surface of Mars, we have become familiar with the harsh, rocky, rusty-red Martian landscape. But those images are much less straightforward than they may seem to a layperson: each one is the result of a complicated set of decisions and processes involving the large team behind the Rovers. With Seeing Like a Rover, Janet Vertesi takes us behind the scenes to reveal the work that goes into creating our knowledge of Mars. Every photograph that the Rovers take, she shows, must be processed, manipulated, and interpreted—and all that comes after team members negotiate with each other about what they should even be taking photographs of in the first place. Vertesi’s account of the inspiringly successful Rover project reveals science in action, a world where digital processing uncovers scientific truths, where images are used to craft consensus, and where team members develop an uncanny intimacy with the sensory apparatus of a robot that is millions of miles away. Ultimately, Vertesi shows, every image taken by the Mars Rovers is not merely a picture of Mars—it’s a portrait of the whole Rover team, as well.
Download or read book Planetary Rovers written by Alex Ellery and published by Springer. This book was released on 2015-12-30 with total page 721 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This will be the only book on planetary rover development covering all aspects relevant to the design of systems
Download or read book Red Rover written by Roger Wiens and published by Basic Books. This book was released on 2013-03-12 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For centuries humankind has fantasized about life on Mars, whether it’s intelligent Martian life invading our planet (immortalized in H.G. Wells’s The War of the Worlds) or humanity colonizing Mars (the late Ray Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles). The Red Planet’s proximity and likeness to Earth make it a magnet for our collective imagination. Yet the question of whether life exists on Mars—or has ever existed there—remains an open one. Science has not caught up to science fiction—at least not yet. This summer we will be one step closer to finding the answer. On August 5th, Curiosity—a one-ton, Mini Cooper-sized nuclear-powered rover—is scheduled to land on Mars, with the primary mission of determining whether the red planet has ever been physically capable of supporting life. In Getting to Mars, Roger Wiens, the principal investigator for the ChemCam instrument on the rover—the main tool for measuring Mars’s past habitability—will tell the unlikely story of the development of this payload and rover now blasting towards a planet 354 million miles from Earth. ChemCam (short for Chemistry and Camera) is an instrument onboard the Curiosity designed to vaporize and measure the chemical makeup of Martian rocks. Different elements give off uniquely colored light when zapped with a laser; the light is then read by the instrument’s spectrometer and identified. The idea is to use ChemCam to detect life-supporting elements such as carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen to evaluate whether conditions on Mars have ever been favorable for microbial life. This is not only an inside story about sending fantastic lasers to Mars, however. It’s the story of a new era in space exploration. Starting with NASA’s introduction of the Discovery Program in 1992, smaller, scrappier, more nimble missions won out as behemoth manned projects went extinct. This strategic shift presented huge opportunities—but also presented huge risks for shutdown and failure. And as Wiens recounts, his project came close to being closed down on numerous occasions. Getting to Mars is the inspiring account of how Wiens and his team overcame incredible challenges—logistical, financial, and political—to successfully launch a rover in an effort to answer the eternal question: is there life on Mars?
Download or read book The Design and Engineering of Curiosity written by Emily Lakdawalla and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-03-27 with total page 408 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book describes the most complex machine ever sent to another planet: Curiosity. It is a one-ton robot with two brains, seventeen cameras, six wheels, nuclear power, and a laser beam on its head. No one human understands how all of its systems and instruments work. This essential reference to the Curiosity mission explains the engineering behind every system on the rover, from its rocket-powered jetpack to its radioisotope thermoelectric generator to its fiendishly complex sample handling system. Its lavishly illustrated text explains how all the instruments work -- its cameras, spectrometers, sample-cooking oven, and weather station -- and describes the instruments' abilities and limitations. It tells you how the systems have functioned on Mars, and how scientists and engineers have worked around problems developed on a faraway planet: holey wheels and broken focus lasers. And it explains the grueling mission operations schedule that keeps the rover working day in and day out.
Download or read book Mobile Robots in Rough Terrain written by Karl Iagnemma and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2004-07-08 with total page 136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This monograph discusses issues related to estimation, control, and motion planning for mobile robots operating in rough terrain, with particular attention to planetary exploration rovers. Rough terrain robotics is becoming increasingly important in space exploration, and industrial applications. However, most current motion planning and control algorithms are not well suited to rough terrain mobility, since they do not consider the physical characteristics of the rover and its environment. Specific addressed topics are: wheel terrain interaction modeling, including terrain parameter estimation and wheel terrain contact angle estimation; rough terrain motion planning; articulated suspension control; and traction control. Simulation and experimental results are presented that show that the desribed algorithms lead to improved mobility for robotic systems in rough terrain.
Download or read book Dynamics and Control of Autonomous Space Vehicles and Robotics written by Ranjan Vepa and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2019-05-02 with total page 371 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Presents the established principles underpinning space robotics with a thorough and modern approach. This text is perfect for professionals in the field looking to gain an understanding of real-life applications of manipulators on satellites, and of the dynamics of satellites carrying robotic manipulators and of planetary rovers.
Download or read book Shaping Science written by Janet Vertesi and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2020-11-06 with total page 355 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Shaping Science, Janet Vertesi draws on a decade of immersive ethnography with NASA’s robotic spacecraft teams to create a comparative account of two great space missions of the early 2000s. Although these missions featured robotic explorers on the frontiers of the solar system bravely investigating new worlds, their commands were issued from millions of miles away by a very human team. By examining the two teams’ formal structures, decision-making techniques, and informal work practices in the day-to-day process of mission planning, Vertesi shows just how deeply entangled a team’s local organizational context is with the knowledge they produce about other worlds. Using extensive, embedded experiences on two NASA spacecraft teams, this is the first book to apply organizational studies of work to the laboratory environment in order to analyze the production of scientific knowledge itself. Engaging and deeply researched, Shaping Science demonstrates the significant influence that the social organization of a scientific team can have on the practices of that team and the results they yield.
Download or read book Our Robots Ourselves written by David A. Mindell and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2015-10-13 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “[An] essential book… it is required reading as we seriously engage one of the most important debates of our time.”—Sherry Turkle, author of Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age From drones to Mars rovers—an exploration of the most innovative use of robots today and a provocative argument for the crucial role of humans in our increasingly technological future. In Our Robots, Ourselves, David Mindell offers a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the cutting edge of robotics today, debunking commonly held myths and exploring the rapidly changing relationships between humans and machines. Drawing on firsthand experience, extensive interviews, and the latest research from MIT and elsewhere, Mindell takes us to extreme environments—high atmosphere, deep ocean, and outer space—to reveal where the most advanced robotics already exist. In these environments, scientists use robots to discover new information about ancient civilizations, to map some of the world’s largest geological features, and even to “commute” to Mars to conduct daily experiments. But these tools of air, sea, and space also forecast the dangers, ethical quandaries, and unintended consequences of a future in which robotics and automation suffuse our everyday lives. Mindell argues that the stark lines we’ve drawn between human and not human, manual and automated, aren’t helpful for understanding our relationship with robotics. Brilliantly researched and accessibly written, Our Robots, Ourselves clarifies misconceptions about the autonomous robot, offering instead a hopeful message about what he calls “rich human presence” at the center of the technological landscape we are now creating.
Download or read book The Mars Rovers written by Patricia Hutchison and published by Momentum. This book was released on 2016 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Compelling narrative nonfiction text presents the story of the Mars rovers, featuring the intrigue and excitement behind the missions. Additional features to aid comprehension include a table of contents, fact-filled captions and callouts, infographics, a glossary, a listing of source notes, sources for further research, and an introduction to the author.
Download or read book Curiosity The Story of a Mars Rover written by Markus Motum and published by Candlewick Press. This book was released on 2025-01-07 with total page 56 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “A handsome and engaging children’s book. . . . This accessible look at interplanetary exploration will appeal to a broad range of young space enthusiasts.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) On August 6, 2012, the rover Curiosity touched down on the rocky surface of Mars—and now she’s ready to guide you through her journey. From idea to creation and beyond, this fact-filled, stylish book introduces readers to Curiosity and her mission: to discover more about the red planet and search for evidence of life. How did Curiosity get her name? What tools does she use to carry out her tasks? The popular NASA rover narrates how and why she traveled more than 350,000,000 miles to explore a planet no human has ever visited . . . and what she has been doing there for the past decade or so. Markus Motum brings Curiosity’s story to life in vivid color: the deep blues of space set off the warm, rusted hues of Mars’s dusty red surface, marking this lovable rover and her mission as something special—truly a world apart.
Download or read book Introduction to the Mechanics of Space Robots written by Giancarlo Genta and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2011-10-27 with total page 613 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Based on lecture notes on a space robotics course, this book offers a pedagogical introduction to the mechanics of space robots. After presenting an overview of the environments and conditions space robots have to work in, the author discusses a variety of manipulatory devices robots may use to perform their tasks. This is followed by a discussion of robot mobility in these environments and the various technical approaches. The last two chapters are dedicated to actuators, sensors and power systems used in space robots. This book fills a gap in the space technology literature and will be useful for students and for those who have an interest in the broad and highly interdisciplinary field of space robotics, and in particular in its mechanical aspects.
Download or read book Robot Memetics written by Walt Truszkowski and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-01-30 with total page 82 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides a novel perspective on the concept of memetics as applied to the development and evolution of intelligent robots and robotic communities/cultures. It provides a framework for the emergence of a hybrid community of people and intelligent robots collaborating to realize mutual benefits and scientific objectives. It aims to show that as the hybrid community emerges, so does its culture. Once this foundational work is done, the book illustrates the robot memetic ideas in the context of a space exploration scenario based on the development and operation of a human/robot settlement on Mars.
Download or read book Metareasoning for Robots written by Jeffrey W. Herrmann and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2023-05-12 with total page 102 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is a state of the art resource that robotics researchers and engineers can use to make their robots and autonomous vehicles smarter. Readers will be able to describe metareasoning, select an appropriate metareasoning approach, and synthesize metareasoning policies. Metareasoning for Robots adopts a systems engineering perspective in which metareasoning is an approach that can improve the overall robot or autonomous system, not just one component or subsystem. This book introduces key concepts, discusses design options for metareasoning approaches and policies, and presents approaches for testing and evaluation of metareasoning policies. After considering the conceptual design phase, it discusses how to implement metareasoning in the robot’s software architecture and how to synthesize metareasoning policies. Every chapter has references to valuable works on robotics and metareasoning, and the book uses examples from the author’s own research and from other research groups to illustrate these ideas. In addition, this book provides links to books and papers for readers who wish to investigate these topics further.
Download or read book Robotics A Very Short Introduction written by Alan Winfield and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2012-09-27 with total page 168 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Robotics is a key technology in the modern world. Robots are a well-established part of manufacturing and warehouse automation, assembling cars or washing machines, and, for example, moving goods to and from storage racks for Internet mail order. More recently robots have taken their first steps into homes and hospitals, and seen spectacular success in planetary exploration. Yet, despite these successes, robots have failed to live up to the predictions of the 1950s and 60s, when it was widely thought - by scientists and engineers as well as the public - that by turn of the 21st century we would have intelligent robots as butlers, companions, or co-workers. This Very Short Introduction explains how it is that robotics can be both a success story and a disappointment, how robots can be both ordinary and remarkable, and looks at their important developments in science and their applications to everyday life. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
Download or read book Robot Spacecraft written by Joseph A. Angelo and published by Infobase Publishing. This book was released on 2014-05-14 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Presents a history of robot spacecraft and their use as well as related scientific concepts and brief biographies of important individuals.
Download or read book Robots Cyborgs and Androids written by Jason Porterfield and published by The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. This book was released on 2018-07-15 with total page 66 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: People have long dreamed of creating machines that can carry out the same tasks as people. These dreams have led to the creation of many sci-fi books, movies, and shows that attempt to depict how people would live with robots, cyborgs, and androids. This compelling book traces the history of robotics as a science, while describing in vivid detail some of the most influential works in all of science fiction, including those by E. T. A. Hoffmann, Fritz Lang, Eando Binder, and Isaac Asimov. Readers will ponder intriguing questions about the ethics of how robots, cyborgs, and androids are used and treated.
Download or read book Parallel Computation Systems For Robotics Algorithms And Arch written by Amir Fijany and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 1992-08-31 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book presents an extensive survey of the state-of-the-art research in parallel computational algorithms and architectures for robot manipulator control and simulation. It deals not only with specifics but also includes general and broader issues which serve as a useful foundation to the topic. The educational flavor of the book makes it a necessary resource for researchers, engineers and students wanting to be familiarized with the potential offered by the application of parallel processing to robotic problems, and its current issues and trends.
