A Subject Resource Guide on Robotics
INFO 674
Mary Gardner
August 23, 2009
2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 4
CLASSIFICATION ........................................................................................................ 4
REFERENCE RESOURCES.............................................................................................. 5
BIBLIOGRAPHIES........................................................................................................ 5
DICTIONARIES ............................................................................................................ 5
ENCYCLOPEDIAS........................................................................................................ 5
HANDBOOKS ............................................................................................................... 6
PATENTS – UNITED STATES .................................................................................... 6
PATENTS – FOREIGN.................................................................................................. 7
RESEARCH RESOURCES ............................................................................................... 7
ABSTRACTING & INDEXING TOOLS ...................................................................... 7
BOOKS/MONOGRAPHS .............................................................................................. 8
JOURNALS .................................................................................................................... 9
NEWSLETTERS .......................................................................................................... 14
TECHNICAL REPORTS ............................................................................................. 14
CONFERENCES & MEETINGS ................................................................................. 15
CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS ................................................................................ 16
ASSOCIATIONS & SOCIETIES ................................................................................ 17
GOVERNMENT RESEARCH CENTERS .................................................................. 18
UNIVERSITY RESEARCH CENTERS ...................................................................... 20
ONLINE AND MULTIMEDIA RESOURCES ............................................................... 21
INFORMATIONAL WEBSITES................................................................................. 21
INTERNET DISCUSSION SITES / BLOGS .............................................................. 22
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MULTIMEDIA ............................................................................................................. 22
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INTRODUCTION
Robotics is a field that has moved quite literally from science fiction to
reality. The term “robot” was coined by Czech playwright Karel Capek in his
1921 play R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots). Over the next century, popular
works such as Isaac Asimov’s I, Robot trilogy, the Star Trek television show, and
the Star Wars movies further lodged the of notion of anthropomorphic machines
into our collective imagination. During this same time period, advances such as
the modern electronic computer and sensor technology were paving the way for
the development of real industrial robots. By the 1960’s, the first robots that could
be programmed to respond to external sensory information were being
developed at MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory. In the 40 years since, robots have been
developed to perform an astonishing number of tasks that humans either cannot,
or would rather not, perform. Exploring volcanoes, identifying and disposing of
hazardous materials, clearing land mines, entering collapsed buildings to look for
survivors are just a few of these “dirty, dangerous, and dull” tasks that robots now
undertake for our benefit.
This research guide is intended for use by students at the undergraduate
level or above with a limited knowledge of robotics. It is intended to provide the
novice researcher with a starting point for further exploration of the field. Robotics
is a multidisciplinary research area encompassing aspects of mechanical,
electrical, and electronic engineering, computer science, artificial intelligence,
and mathematics. The breadth of the field makes the compilation of a
comprehensive research guide for robotics difficult, if not impossible. To limit the
scope of this guide, only resources with robotics as the main topic were included,
except where only interdisciplinary resources are available (e.g. abstracting and
indexing resources).
CLASSIFICATION
Main Library of Congress Subject Headings and Classification
Numbers:
Robots; Robotics
Robotics—Bibliography
Robotics—Military applications
Robotics in medicine
Robot industry
Robots, Industrial
TJ210.2 – TJ211.495
Z5853.R58
UG450
R857.R63
HD9696.R62-.R624
TS191.8
Dewey Decimal System:
Robots; Robotics
Robots, Industrial
Robot industry
629.892
670.4272
338.47629892
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REFERENCE RESOURCES
BIBLIOGRAPHIES
Benne, P.J. (2002). Robotics: A bibliography with indexes. Hauppauge, N.Y.:
Nova Science.
Focuses on the book literature, with access through author, subject, and
title indexes.
Garoogian, A. (1984). Robotics, 1960-1983: An annotated bibliography.
Brooklyn, N.Y.: CompuBibs.
DICTIONARIES
Paley, S.M. (1993). Illustrated dictionary of robotics: English, German, French,
Russian. Paris. La Maison du dictionnaire.
Rosenberg, J.M. (1986). Dictionary of artificial intelligence and robotics. New
York: Wiley.
Tver, D.F. & Bolz, R.W. (1983). Robotics sourcebook and dictionary. New York:
Industrial Press.
Waldman, H. (1985). Dictionary of robotics. New York: Macmillan, London:
Collier Macmillan.
ENCYCLOPEDIAS
Dorf, R.C. & Nof, S.Y. (1988). International encyclopedia of robotics: applications
and automation. New York: Wiley.
Gibilisco, S. (2002). Concise Encyclopedia of Robotics. New York: McGraw Hill.
Useful reference for beginning students and hobbyists. Over 400 brief
articles explaining basic concepts and terminology. Recommended by
Choice.
Gibilisco, S. (1994). The McGraw-Hill illustrated encyclopedia of artificial
intelligence and robotics. New York: McGraw-Hill.
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HANDBOOKS
Kurfess, T.R. (2005). Robotics and automation handbook. Boca Raton.: CRC
Press.
Nof, S. Y. (Ed.) (1999). Handbook of industrial robotics (2nd ed.). New York: John
Wiley.
Somewhat dated but still useful. Covers topics in the theory, design,
control, and applications of robotics, with a large glossary.
Siciliano, B. & Khatib, O. (Eds.). (2008). Springer Handbook of Robotics. New
York: Springer.
“[A] very large and truly encyclopedic work, covering all aspects of
robotics from fundamental principles to applications. It should be an
immensely valuable reference for students and practitioners of robotics for
many years to come." (George A. Bekey, IEEE Robotics and Automation
Magazine, September, 2008). Winner of the 2008 American Publishers
Awards for Professional and Scholarly Excellence (PROSE) Award for
Excellence in Physical Sciences & Mathematics.
PATENTS – UNITED STATES
The main U.S. patent classification for robots is Class 901 – Robots
http://www.uspto.gov/web/patents/classification/uspc901/defs901.htm#C901S00
1000 See Section III – References to Other Classes - to determine which other
patent classes should be searched for additional information.
United States Patent and Trademark Office
http://patft.uspto.gov/
Can be searched by patent number, or by key word using the Quick or
Advanced Search options, with certain limitations for patents issued from
1790 through 1975. Full text is available from 1976 and full page images
from 1790.
Other sources to search for U.S. patents:
Google Patent Search (Beta)
http://www.google.com/patents
Basic search by key word or patent number, or Advanced Patent Search
function which includes limiters such as Document Status, Patent Type,
Issue Date, or Filing Date.
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www.pat2pdf.org
Enter a U.S. patent number to obtain the patent in PDF format.
PATENTS – FOREIGN
Canadian Intellectual Property Office
http://brevets-patents.ic.gc.ca/opic-cipo/cpd/eng/introduction.html
European Patent Office
http://www.espacenet.com/
Japan Patent Office
http://www.jpo.go.jp/
RESEARCH RESOURCES
ABSTRACTING & INDEXING TOOLS
ABI/INFORM Global
Subscription service from ProQuest. Provides citations with abstracts, and
full-text where available for articles in over 1000 business and science
periodicals including trade journals, newsletters, and specialized
newspapers. Coverage begins in 1971.
Compendex
Comprehensive subscription bibliographic database of scientific and
technical engineering research, covering all engineering disciplines.
IEEE Explore
Contains full text documents from IEEE books, journals, transactions,
magazines, letters, conference proceedings, standards, and IET
(Institution of Engineering and Technology) publications. Most content
available from 1988, with select content dating as far back as 1948.
Browsable and searchable, with advanced search capabilities including
field or full text key word and phrase searching, and Boolean operators.
INSPEC
Subscription database providing citations and abstracts, plus full text
where available, for journal articles and conference proceedings in subject
areas of electrical, electronic, and control engineering, physics,
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information technology, communications, computers, computing, and
manufacturing and production engineering. Coverage begins in 1896.
ISI Web of Science
Subscription service providing citations and abstracts, plus full text where
available, for journal articles and conference proceedings for all areas of
science. Coverage begins in 1980.
Wilson Applied Science & Technology Abstracts (Dialog File 99)
“Provides comprehensive abstracting and indexing of more than 400 core
English-language scientific and technical publications . . . includ[ing] trade
and industrial publications, journals issued by professional and technical
societies, and specialized subject periodicals, as well as special issues
such as buyers' guides, directories, and conference proceedings. . .
.Types of materials indexed include feature articles, interviews, obituaries,
biographies, speeches, and product evaluations.” Indexing coverage
begins in 1983; abstracts are available from March 1993. Updated
monthly.
BOOKS/MONOGRAPHS
This list is not intended to be exhaustive, but rather to highlight a few recent,
well-reviewed books that provide broad coverage of an important topic in
robotics, or robotics in general.
Bekey, G.A. (2005). Autonomous robots: From biological inspiration to
implementation and control. Cambridge,MA: MIT Press.
Suitable for academic use and as a reference book. Surveys applications
and implementations of autonomous robots and examines the underlying
technology, including control, architectures, learning, manipulation,
grasping, navigation, and mapping.
Choset, H. M., Lynch, K.M., Hutchison, S., Kantor, G., Burgard, W., Kavraki, L.E.,
et al. (2005). Principles of robot motion: Theory, algorithms, and
implementation. Intelligent robotics and autonomous agents. Cambridge,
Mass: MIT Press.
Intended for advanced undergraduates or new graduate students with an
interest in robotics motion. The text “makes the mathematical
underpinnings of robot motion accessible to students of computer science
and engineering, relating low-level implementation details to high-level
algorithmic concepts.” (from the book abstract)
Mataric, M.J. (2007). The robotics primer (Intelligent robotics and autonomous
agents). Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
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Intended for a broad audience, in both academic and non-academic
settings. Covers topics such as the definition of robots, the history of
robotics, components, locomotion, controls, learning, and the future of the
filed, including ethical considerations. A Choice Outstanding Academic
Title, 2008.
Nocks, L. (2007). The robot: The life story of a technology. Westport, Conn.:
Greenwood Press.
Recommended for upper-level undergraduates through faculty, as well as
general readers. A “biography” of the robot, covering the entire history of
the technology from its roots in mythology through the present, along with
its effects on our society and culture. A Choice Outstanding Academic
Title, 2007.
Siegwart, R. & Nourbakhsh, I.R. (2004). Introduction to autonomous mobile
robots. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Intended as a textbook or a working tool for newcomers to robotics. “An
overview of the technology of mobility--the mechanisms that allow a
mobile robot to move through a real world environment to perform its
tasks--including locomotion, sensing, localization, and motion planning.”
(from the book abstract)
Thrun, S, Burgard, W, & Fox, D. (2005). Probabilistic robotics. Cambridge, MA:
MIT Press.
Probabilistic robotics is concerned with perception and control in uncertain
situations. Each chapter includes example implementations in pseudo
code, detailed mathematical derivations, discussions from a practitioner’s
perspective, and exercises and projects. Supplementary materials are
available at the book’s web site: http://www.probabilistic-robotics.org.
JOURNALS
Advanced Robotics
Publisher:
Frequency:
Established:
Format(s):
Published jointly by Brill and the Robotics Society of Japan
15 issues/year
1986
Print and electronic
Web Page:
http://www.rsj.or.jp/AR/index_e.html
Electronic Issues Available At:
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http://brill.publisher.ingentaconnect.com/content/vsp/arb
Official journal of the Robotics Society of Japan. An international,
interdisciplinary journal publishing original research papers and review
papers on analysis, theory, design, development, implementation and use
of robots and robot technology, along with aspects of social and
managerial analysis and policy regarding robots.
Autonomous Robots
Publisher:
Frequency:
Established:
Format(s):
Springer Netherlands
Irregular, 6-8 issues/year
1994
Print and electronic
Web Page:
http://www.springer.com/computer/artificial/journal/10514
Electronic Issues Available At:
http://www.springerlink.com/content/0929-5593
Focuses on papers on theory and applications of robotic systems capable
of movement and some degree of self-sufficiency. Coverage includes
topics such as real-time vision, terrain mapping and recognition, selfcalibration and repair, self-reproducing intelligent structures, and much
more.
IEEE Robotics and Automation Magazine (IEEE RAM)
Publisher:
Frequency:
Established:
Format(s):
IEEE Robotics and Automation Society
Quarterly
1994
Print and electronic
Web Page:
http://www.ieee-ras.org/ram
Electronic Issues Available At:
http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/RecentIssue.jsp?punumber=100
Focuses on robotics and automation technology as applied to real-world
systems. As noted on the magazine’s web page, IEEE RAM was
established “to provide a forum for publications which lay between the
academic and theoretical orientation of scholarly journals . . . and the
vendor sponsored trade publications.” Ranked by Thompson Journal of
Citation Reports as one of the top four Robotics publications world-wide.
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IEEE Transactions on Robotics (formerly IEEE Journal of Robotics
and Automation (1985-1988) and IEEE Transactions on Robotics and
Automation (1989-2004)
Publisher:
Frequency:
Established:
Format(s):
IEEE Robotics and Automation Society
Bi-monthly
1985
Print and electronic
Web Page:
http://www.ieee-ras.org/tro
Electronic Issues Available At:
http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/RecentIssue.jsp?punumber=8860
“Covers both theory and applications on topics including: kinematics,
dynamics, control, and simulation of robots and intelligent machines and
systems; design of robotic mechanisms; man-machine interface and
integration; motion and manipulation; robotics-related computer hardware,
software, and architectures; linkage to computer-aided engineering;
robotics in manufacturing and flexible automation; robotics and automation
in less structured environments; vision and other non-contact sensory
systems; and tactile and other contact sensory technology.” (see web
page). Most-cited journal in robotics according to the Institute for Scientific
Information’s Journal Citation Report.
Industrial Robot
Publisher:
Frequency:
Established:
Format(s):
Emerald Group Publishing
Bi-monthly
1973
Print and electronic
Web Page:
http://info.emeraldinsight.com/products/journals/journals.htm?id=ir
Electronic Issues Available At:
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/viewContainer.do?containerType=J
ournal&containerId=10674
Peer-reviewed articles about robots in industrial settings including the
automotive and plastic industries, military applications, farming, and health
care/medical robots.
International Journal of Humanoid Robotics
Publisher: World Scientific Publishing
Frequency: Quarterly
Established: 2004
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Format(s):
Print and electronic
Web Page:
http://www.worldscinet.com/ijhr/ijhr.shtml
Electronic Issues Available At:
http://www.worldscinet.com/ijhr/ijhr.shtml
Relatively new journal “dedicated to advancing new theories, new
techniques, and new implementations contributing to the successful
achievement of future robots which not only imitate human beings, but
also serve human beings.”
International Journal of Robotics Research
Publisher:
Frequency:
Established:
Format(s):
Sage Publications
Monthly
1982
Print and electronic
Web Page:
http://www.sagepub.com/journalsProdDesc.nav?prodId=Journal201324
Electronic Issues Available At:
http://ijr.sagepub.com/
Supplementary Material (video clips, charts, graphs, models, programs,
etc.) Available At:
http://www.ijrr.org/
Peer-reviewed, scholarly articles on current research in robotics, including
applied mathematics, artificial intelligence, computer science, and
electrical and mechanical engineering.
Journal of Field Robotics (formerly Journal of Robotics Systems)
Publisher:
Frequency:
Established:
Format(s):
Wiley Periodicals
12 issues/year
1984
Print and electronic
Web Page:
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/117946193/grouphome/home.
html
Electronic Issues Available At:
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/117946193/grouphome/home.
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html
Focuses on experimental robotics. Publishes scholarly articles of both
theoretical and practical significance, dealing with the fundamentals of
robotics in dynamic and unstructured environments such as mining,
subsea, construction, forestry, military and space.
Journal of Intelligent and Robotic Systems
Publisher:
Frequency:
Established:
Format(s):
Springer Netherlands
15 issues/year
1988
Print and electronic
Web Page:
http://www.springer.com/engineering/robotics/journal/10846
Electronic Issues Available At:
http://www.springerlink.com/content/0921-0296
Publishes original, peer-reviewed papers on theoretical and practical
aspects of intelligent systems and robotics, including topics such as multirobot systems, underwater robots, aerial vehicles, sensor-based controls,
and industrial robotic systems.
Robotica
Publisher:
Frequency:
Established:
Format(s):
Cambridge University Press
Bi-monthly
1983
Print and electronic
Web Page:
http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayJournal?jid=ROB
Electronic Issues Available At:
http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayJournal?jid=ROB
Official journal of the International Federation of Robotics. “Coverage
includes activities in hostile environments, applications in the service and
manufacturing industries, biological robotics, dynamics and kinematics
involved in robot design and uses, on-line robots, robot task planning,
rehabilitation robotics, sensory perception, software in the widest sense,
particularly in respect of programming languages and links with CAD/CAM
systems, telerobotics and various other areas.”
Robotics and Autonomous Systems
Publisher: Elsevier
Frequency: Monthly
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Established: 1984
Format(s): Print and electronic
Web Page:
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/505622/de
scription#description
Electronic Issues Available At:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/09218890
Affiliated with the Intelligent Autonomous Systems Society. Carries articles
describing fundamental developments in the field of robotics with special
emphasis on autonomous systems.
NEWSLETTERS
RRSD News
http://rrsd.ans.org/pages/newsletters.html
Newsletter for the American Nuclear Society Robotics and Remote
Systems Division.
TECHNICAL REPORTS
Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) Online
http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/index.html
Provides citations and full-text (when available) access to unclassified
research reports generated for and by the United States Department of
Defense from early 1900’s to the present. Choose “Technical Reports”
option in drop-down box on the DTIC home page, or click “Technical
Reports” box on the “More Search Options” page, to search by key word
or phrase in Title, Author, or Full Record. Several sort options are
available, along with other display options.
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp
Citations, full-text online documents, images, and videos dating from 1915
to the present, including patents, conference papers, journal articles,
meeting papers, research papers, and technical videos. Browsable in
reverse chronological order, and searchable by keyword and phrase in
several fields.
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National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
http://www.ntis.gov/search/index.aspx
Citations, full-text online documents, images, and videos dating from 1915
to the present, including patents, conference papers, journal articles,
meeting papers, research papers, and technical videos. Browsable in
reverse chronological order, and searchable by keyword and phrase in
several fields.
Robotics Institute Technical Reports
http://www.ri.cmu.edu/publication_techreports.html?menu_id=381
Citations and abstracts of technical reports published by the Robotics
Institute since 1980. Most reports are also available in full text in PDF
format. Searchable by year, date range, and keyword (in Subject, Author,
Title, and Abstract fields).
CONFERENCES & MEETINGS
Once again, this is not intended to be a comprehensive list. Included are a few of
the more important or well-known robotics conferences that are held each year.
International Conference on Advanced Robotics (ICAR)
http://www.icar2009.org/index/
Sponsored by the German Robotics Society and the IEEE Robotics and
Automation Society. The 2009 conference was built on the theme of “able
robots,” and solicited papers addressing the ideas of capable, affordable,
measurable, and dependable robots.
International Conference on Field and Service Robotics (FSR)
http://www.ifrr.org/fsr.php
Series of bi-annual conferences established in 1997 and held in Asian,
American, and European locations successively. Sponsored by the
International Foundation of Robotics Research to report and encourage
the development of field and service robotics.
International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS)
http://www.iros.org/
Series of annual conferences established in 1988 and sponsored by the
IEEE Robotics and Automation Society, the IEEE Industrial Electronics
Society, the Robotics Society of Japan, the Society of Instruments and
Control Engineers, and New Technology Foundation.
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International Symposium of Experimental Robots
http://www.ifrr.org/iser.php
Series of bi-annual conferences established in 1989 and sponsored by the
International Foundation of Robotics Research to provide a forum for
experimental robotics research. The meeting is single-track and the
number of papers presented is small to allow maximum interaction
between participants.
International Symposium of Robotics Research (IFRR)
http://www.ifrr.org/isrr.php
Series of bi-annual symposia established in 1986 and sponsored by the
International Foundation of Robotics Research. Open to all areas of
robotics research.
International Symposium on Robotics (ISR)
http://www.ifr.org/events/isr/
Series of annual symposia established in 1970 and sponsored by the
International Federation of Robotics “to provide opportunities for
researchers and engineers worldwide to present their pioneering works
and to share ideas in the fields of Robotics.”
Robotics: Science and Systems Conference (RSS)
http://www.ifrr.org/rss.php
Series of annual single-track conferences established in 2005 and
sponsored by the International Foundation of Robotics Research. RSS
“brings together researchers working on algorithmic or mathematical
foundations of robotics, robotics applications, and analysis of robotic
systems.”
Workshop on the Algorithmic Foundations of Robotics (WAFR)
http://www.wafr.org/
Series of bi-annual single-track workshops established in 1994 and
sponsored by the International Foundation of Robotics Research. WAFR
focuses on algorithm development and analysis rather than on specific
problems or applications.
CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS
Proceedings for many of the conferences listed above are available at the
conference website listed below the conference name. Here are some additional
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sources for conference proceedings:
IEEE Xplore
http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/conferences.jsp
IEEE and IET (Institution of Engineering and Technology) conference
proceedings from 1988 with select IEEE content dating from the 1950’s.
Content is updated weekly, with email alerts and RSS feed available. Full
text PDF documents can be browsed and searched with sophisticated
Advanced Search and pilot CrossRef search options available.
ISI Web of Science
Subscription service. Conference Proceedings Citations Index – Science
database covers conference literature in all scientific and technical fields.
Provided by Thompson Reuters.
Proceedings First
Subscription service. Worldwide, multidisciplinary index to published
conferences, workshops, symposia, and other meetings held by the British
Library Document Supply Centre. Coverage from 1993. Provided by
FirstSearch/OCLC. Also available through Dialog file 65 "Inside
Conferences".
ASSOCIATIONS & SOCIETIES
IEEE Robotics and Automation Society (RAS)
http://www.ieee-ras.org/
Established in 1987 as the successor to the IEEE Robotics and
Automation Council. Interests encompass both applied and theoretical
issues in robotics. RAS “strives for the advancement of the theory and
practice of robotics and automation engineering and science and of the
allied arts and sciences, and for the maintenance of high professional
standards among its members”
International Federation of Robotics (IFR)
http://www.ifr.org/
Established in 1987 “to promote and strengthen the robotics industry
worldwide, to protect its business interests, [and] to cause public
awareness about robotics technologies”
International Foundation of Robotics Research (IFRR)
http://www.ifrr.org/
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Established in 1986 “to promote the development of robotics as a scientific
field establishing the theoretical foundations and technology basis for its
ever expanding applications, with emphasis on its potential role to benefit
humans.” IFRR’s main activity is to provide the robotics research
community with a forum devoted to all aspects of robotic research by
sponsoring several series of symposia.
Laboratory Robotics Interest Group (LRIG)
http://lab-robotics.org/
Special interest group focusing on laboratory automation, with a majority
of members from the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.
Robotics and Remote Systems Division (RRSD) of the American
Nuclear Society
http://rrsd.ans.org/
Founded in 1960 as the Hot Laboratories Division, the current name was
adopted in 1992. Areas of technical interest include mobile robots,
industrial robots, manipulators, inspection and maintenance, reprocessing
and fuel fabrication, computer vision, and artificial intelligence.
Robotics Industry Association (RIA)
http://www.robotics.org/index.cfm
Trade group organized in 1974 to serve the robotics industry. Members
include robot manufacturers, researchers, users, component suppliers,
systems integrators, and consulting firms.
The Robotics Society of Japan (RSJ)
http://www.rsj.or.jp/index_e.html
Founded in 1983 to “promot[e] progress in academic fields and provid[e]
specialists with a venue for announcing their research and exchanging
technical information.” RSJ publishes two journals, presents robotics
seminars and holds and sponsors several conferences and symposia.
GOVERNMENT RESEARCH CENTERS
For a more complete list of government and university research centers, see The
Robot Report Directory of Educational and Research Facilities:
http://www.therobotreport.com/index.php/educational_research_facility
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Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
http://www.darpa.mil/index.html
DARPA is home to many robotics research and development projects,
including the Urban Ops Hopper, a hopping robot, and the MultiDimensional Mobility Robot, using serpentine mobility. DARPA also
provides a great deal of funding to other entities for robotics research.
The Intelligent Systems and Robotics Center (ISRC, Sandia National
Laboratories
http://www.sandia.gov/isrc/home.html
Robotics research and development for DARPA, the U.S. Department of
Energy, the U.S. Department of Defense, and U.S. industry partners,
focusing on economic competitiveness, engineered collectives, high
consequence system integration, intelligent systems modeling and
simulation, and robotic vehicles.
Mobility and Robotics Systems Section 347 of the NASA Jet
Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) at California Institute of Technology
http://www-robotics.jpl.nasa.gov/index.cfm
JPL’s 100+ robotics engineers work on all aspects of robotics for space
exploration and related terrestrial applications. The web site includes
information on JPL robotics projects, publications, patents, awards,
personnel, facilities, and video and image galleries.
NASA Ames Autonomous Systems and Robotics
http://ti.arc.nasa.gov/tech/asr/
Research groups include Adaptive Control and Evolvable Systems,
Control Agent Architectures, Deployable Autonomy Technologies,
Intelligent Robotics, and Planning and Scheduling Systems.
Robotics at the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific
http://www.nosc.mil/robots/
Robotics research and development dating back the 1960’s, currently
organized into two groups: the Unmanned Systems Branch developing
land, air, and sea surface robots; and the Ocean Systems Division,
developing underwater robots.
Wisconsin Center for Space Automation and Robots at the University
of Wisconsin, Madison
http://wcsar.engr.wisc.edu/
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Founded by NASA in 1986 “to develop state-of-the-art robotics and
automation technologies that will benefit NASA’s Space Exploration
Vision, national defense needs, and commercial applications, thereby
contributing to an improved quality of life on Earth.”
UNIVERSITY RESEARCH CENTERS
The Center for Biologically Inspired Robotics Research at Case
Western University
http://biorobots.cwru.edu/
Research focuses on advancing the field of robotics using insights gained
from the study of biological mechanisms.
The Center for Robotics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT) Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL)
http://robotics.csail.mit.edu/
Much of the Center for Robotics’ research is based on an approach to
robotics as a partner to biology and neuroscience in testing biological
theories and answering fundamental questions such as why humans and
animals walk efficiently, or how insect swarms construct objects. Research
groups include the Robot Locomotion Group, the Living Breathing Robots
group, and the Robotics, Vision, and Sensor Networks group.
The Center for Robotics and Embedded Systems (CRES) at the
University of Southern California Viterbi School of Engineering
http://cres.usc.edu/Home/
“CRES projects span the areas of service, humanoid, distributed,
reconfigurable, space, and nano robotics and impact a broad spectrum of
applications, including assistance, training and rehabilitation, education,
environmental monitoring and cleanup, emergency response, homeland
security, and entertainment.” CRES was established in 2002.
The Center for Robotics and Intelligent Machines at Georgia Tech
University (RIM@Georgia Tech)
http://www.rim.gatech.edu/
RIM@Georgia Tech emphasizes education, and basic and applied
research in robotics, with a focus on personal and everyday robotics, and
the future of automation. Multidisciplinary research is carried out in over a
dozen different laboratories, including the Intelligent Machines Dynamics
Laboratory, the Human Automation Systems Laboratory, the Mobile Robot
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Lab, and the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Research Facility. RIM@Georgia
was established in 2006.
The Robotics Institute (RI) at Carnegie Mellon University
http://www.ri.cmu.edu/index.html
RI was established in 1979 “to conduct basic and applied research in
robotics technologies relevant to industrial and societal tasks.” Today,
“over 50 full-time faculty are continually advancing the state-of-the-art in a
diversity of robotics-related fields, including space-robotics, computer
graphics, medical robotics, computer vision, artificial intelligence, and
many others.” RI currently has 8 research centers: The Center for
Integrated Manufacturing Decision Systems (CIMDS); the Center for the
Foundations of Robotics (CFR); the Field Robotics Center (FRC); the
Magnetic Levitation Haptic Consortium (MLHC); the Medical Robotics
Technology Center (MRTC); the National Robotics Engineering Center
(NREC); and the Quality of Life Technology Center (QoLT).
Robotics Research Group (RRG) at The University of Texas, Austin
http://www.robotics.utexas.edu/rrg/
Established in 1985, the RRG conducts basic and applied research in
open architecture intelligent machine technology, primarily focused on
robotics. RRG’s three main research threads are: development of highperformance modular actuators; development of high-dexterity and
precision robotic manipulators, along with associated software; and
development of integrated workcells and software for workcell integration
and operation.
The Stanford Artificial Intelligence Lab (SAIL)
http://ai.stanford.edu/
Areas of robotics research at SAIL include robotics and bio-informatics,
machine learning and robotics, and haptics.
ONLINE AND MULTIMEDIA RESOURCES
INFORMATIONAL WEBSITES
Robotics Online
http://www.robotics.org/index.cfm
Industrial robotics web site maintained by the Robotics Industry
Association. Includes technical papers case studies, news, blogs, videos,
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articles, industry statistics, a who’s who directory, and much more.
The Robot Report
http://www.therobotreport.com/
News, and useful directories of various aspects of the business of
robotics.
Robotics Trends
http://www.roboticstrends.com/
“An online news, information and analysis portal focused on business and
technology trends for people who build, buy, invest in, and seek to
understand the personal, service, mobile and military robotics market.” A
division of EH Publishing, Inc. established in 2003.
Robots Among Us
http://www.scientificamerican.com/report.cfm?id=Robots%20IDR
2009 ScientificAmerican.com in-depth report.
INTERNET DISCUSSION SITES / BLOGS
Robot Café
http://www.robotcafe.com/
Well-regarded web site including robotics news, discussion forums,
directories of products, companies, competitions, organizations,
resources, and more.
Robots.net
http://www.robots.net/
A multiple-award-winning robotics news and discussion web site
maintained by current and past members of the Dallas Personal Robotics
Group. Includes blogs, list of member projects with links, and a current
and extensive list of robot competitions.
MULTIMEDIA
Robotics Institute Videos
http://www.ri.cmu.edu/news_video.html?menu_id=387
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Videos of Robotics Institute (RI) and Vision and Autonomous Systems
Center (VASC) seminars, along with videos of current projects.
Robotics Research Group Learn More Multimedia Listing
http://www.robotics.utexas.edu/rrg/learn_more/multi_listing/
Videos on various aspects of robotics, including hand grasping, obstacle
avoidance, path planning, and coffee making.