Hi all,
I got a notice from the Chibots group about this new book on robots and I was lucky enough to find it at one of my local libraries.
As the title suggests, this book is about mobile robots and is intended to be a textbook for undergraduates over about one quarter.
First, do not let the math scare you.
A lot of the ideas are presented with simple algebra and the text does a good job of explaining what they are doing with the math to help the robot navigate and plan movements.
There are many good presentations on the aspects of navigation, field of view for mobile cameras and my favorite, the mapping of 3D mobile space to 3D real space.
Take a good look at those calculations. In 1982 is successfully implemented them for a real time IR camera mounted on a helicopter using an Intel 8085 and a 9511 math coprocessor chip.
Talk about challenging. But after I saw the smiles on the test pilots, all of the effort was worth it.
The book also has a good tutorial on various world coordinate systems, including global coordinates and Universal Trans Mercator (UTM). UTM is a staple coordinate system for most applications, but it fails over the poles, but it is very efficient for about 85% of the earths surface.
I found the book a good refresher. If you are a die hard Robotics maker, you should add this one to your library.
If you are just wanting a good basis for robotics, get it from the library and study it very hard. It is full of useful explanations that you can use on guided and unguided robots.
So if you have the time, try to get a copy from your local library, but you might find it hard to find. It is not the subject that most public libraries will stock. You will have better luck getting it at a university with a good engineering sectiion.
Thanks,
DAB
