Introduction to Robotics: Mechanics and Control : 9780201095289

Now in its third edition, Introduction to Robotics by John J. Craig provides readers with real-world practicality with underlying theory presented. With one half of the material from traditional mechanical engineering material, one fourth control theoretical material, and one fourth computer science, the book covers rigid-body transformations, forward and inverse positional kinematics, velocities and Jacobians of linkages, dynamics, linear control, non-linear control, force control methodologies, mechanical design aspects and programming of robots.

This book introduces the science and engineering of mechanical manipulation. This subdiscipline of robotics has its foundations in several classical fields. The major relevant fields are mechanics, control theory, and computer science. In this book, Chapters 1 through 8 cover topics from mechanical engineering and mathematics, Chapters 9 through 11 cover control theoretical material, and Chapters 12 and 13 might be classed as computer science material. Additionally, the book emphasizes computational aspects of the problems throughout; for example, each chapter which is predominantly concerned with mechanics has a brief section devoted to computational considerations.

This book has evolved from class notes used to teach "Introduction to Robotics" at Stanford University during the autumns of 1983 through 1985, and the first edition used at Stanford and many other schools from 1986 through 1988. The present edition has benefited from this use and incorporates corrections and improvements due to feedback from many sources. At Stanford, the introductory robotics course is the first in a three quarter sequence where the second quarter covers computer vision and the third covers artificial intelligence, locomotion, and advanced topics. .

This book is appropriate for a senior undergraduate or first year graduate levei course. It is helpful if the student has had one basic course in statics and dynamics, a course in linear algebra, and can program in a high levellanguage. Additionally it is helpful, though not absolutely necessary, that the student have completed an introductory course in control theory. One aim of the book is to present material in a simple, intuitive way. Specifically, the audience need not be strictly mechanical engineers, though much of the material is taken from that field. At Stanford, many electrical engineers, computer scientists, and mathematicians found the first edition quite readable.