This monograph introduces a unifying framework for mapping, planning and exploration with mobile robots considering uncertainty, linking such problems with a common SLAM approach, adopting Pose SLAM as the basic state estimation machinery. Pose SLAM is the variant of SLAM where only the robot trajectory is estimated and where landmarks are used to produce relative motion measurements between robot poses. With regards to extending the original Pose SLAM formulation, this monograph covers the study of such measurements when they are obtained with stereo cameras, develops the appropriate noise propagation models for such case, extends the Pose SLAM formulation to SE(3), introduces information-theoretic loop closure tests, and presents a technique to compute traversability maps from the 3D volumetric maps obtained with Pose SLAM. A relevant topic covered in this monograph is the introduction of a novel path planning approach that exploits the modeled uncertainties in Pose SLAM to search for the path in the pose graph that allows the robot to navigate to a given goal with the least probability of becoming lost. Another relevant topic is the introduction of an autonomous exploration method that selects the appropriate actions to drive the robot so as to maximize coverage, while minimizing localization and map uncertainties. This monograph is appropriate for readers interested in an information-theoretic unified perspective to the SLAM, path planning and exploration problems, and is a reference book for people who work in mobile robotics research in general.

"Robotic Mapping and Exploration" is an important contribution in the area of simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) for autonomous robots, which has been receiving a great deal of attention by the research community in the latest few years. The contents are focused on the autonomous mapping learning problem. Solutions include uncertainty-driven exploration, active loop closing, coordination of multiple robots, learning and incorporating background knowledge, and dealing with dynamic environments. Results are accompanied by a rich set of experiments, revealing a promising outlook toward the application to a wide range of mobile robots and field settings, such as search and rescue, transportation tasks, or automated vacuum cleaning.

"Robotic Mapping and Exploration" is an important contribution in the area of simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) for autonomous robots, which has been receiving a great deal of attention by the research community in the latest few years. The contents are focused on the autonomous mapping learning problem. Solutions include uncertainty-driven exploration, active loop closing, coordination of multiple robots, learning and incorporating background knowledge, and dealing with dynamic environments. Results are accompanied by a rich set of experiments, revealing a promising outlook toward the application to a wide range of mobile robots and field settings, such as search and rescue, transportation tasks, or automated vacuum cleaning.

This pioneering book describes the development of a robot mapping and navigation system inspired by models of the neural mechanisms underlying spatial navigation in the rodent hippocampus. Computational models of animal navigation systems have traditionally had limited performance when implemented on robots. This is the first research to test existing models of rodent spatial mapping and navigation on robots in large, challenging, real world environments.

This book contains a selection of papers accepted for presentation and discussion at ROBOT 2022—Fifth Iberian Robotics Conference, held in Zaragoza, Spain, on November 23-25, 2022. ROBOT 2022 is part of a series of conferences that are a joint organization of SEIDROB—Sociedad Española para la Investigación y Desarrollo en Robótica/Spanish Society for Research and Development in Robotics, and SPR—Sociedade Portuguesa de Robótica/Portuguese Society for Robotic. ROBOT 2022 builds upon several previous successful events, including three biennial workshops and the four previous editions of the Iberian Robotics Conference, and is focused on presenting the research and development of new applications, on the field of Robotics, in the Iberian Peninsula, although open to research and delegates from other countries. ROBOT 2022 featured four plenary talks on state-of-the-art subjects on robotics and 15 special sessions, plus a main/general robotics track. In total, after a careful review process, 98 high-quality papers were selected for publication, with a total of 219 unique authors, from 22 countries.

Probabilistic and combinatorial techniques are often used for solving advanced problems. This book describes different probabilistic modeling methods and their applications in various areas, such as artificial intelligence, offshore platforms, social networks, and others. It aims to educate how modern probabilistic and combinatorial models may be created to formalize uncertainties; to train how new probabilistic models can be generated for the systems of complex structures; to describe the correct use of the presented models for rational control in systems creation and operation; and to demonstrate analytical possibilities and practical effects for solving different system problems on each life cycle stage.

Path Planning (PP) is one of the prerequisites in ensuring safe navigation and manoeuvrability control for driverless vehicles. Due to the dynamic nature of the real world, PP needs to address changing environments and how autonomous vehicles respond to them. This book explores PP in the context of road vehicles, robots, off-road scenarios, multi-robot motion, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs ).

This three-volume set constitutes the refereed proceedings of the Second International Conference on Recent Trends in Image Processing and Pattern Recognition (RTIP2R) 2018, held in Solapur, India, in December 2018. The 173 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 374 submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections in the tree volumes. Part I: computer vision and pattern recognition; machine learning and applications; and image processing. Part II: healthcare and medical imaging; biometrics and applications. Part III: document image analysis; image analysis in agriculture; and data mining, information retrieval and applications.

This open access book bridges the gap between playing with robots in school and studying robotics at the upper undergraduate and graduate levels to prepare for careers in industry and research. Robotic algorithms are presented formally, but using only mathematics known by high-school and first-year college students, such as calculus, matrices and probability. Concepts and algorithms are explained through detailed diagrams and calculations. Elements of Robotics presents an overview of different types of robots and the components used to build robots, but focuses on robotic algorithms: simple algorithms like odometry and feedback control, as well as algorithms for advanced topics like localization, mapping, image processing, machine learning and swarm robotics. These algorithms are demonstrated in simplified contexts that enable detailed computations to be performed and feasible activities to be posed. Students who study these simplified demonstrations will be well prepared for advanced study of robotics. The algorithms are presented at a relatively abstract level, not tied to any specific robot. Instead a generic robot is defined that uses elements common to most educational robots: differential drive with two motors, proximity sensors and some method of displaying output to the user. The theory is supplemented with over 100 activities, most of which can be successfully implemented using inexpensive educational robots. Activities that require more computation can be programmed on a computer. Archives are available with suggested implementations for the Thymio robot and standalone programs in Python.

ISRR, the "International Symposium on Robotics Research", is one of robotics pioneering Symposia, which has established over the past two decades some of the field's most fundamental and lasting contributions. This book presents the results of the eighteenth edition of "Robotics Research" ISRR17, offering a collection of a broad range of topics in robotics. This symposium took place in Puerto Varas, Chile from December 11th to December 14th, 2017. The content of the contributions provides a wide coverage of the current state of robotics research, the advances and challenges in its theoretical foundation and technology basis, and the developments in its traditional and new emerging areas of applications. The diversity, novelty, and span of the work unfolding in these areas reveal the field's increased maturity and expanded scope and define the state of the art of robotics and its future direction.