Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 13
 Accessible guide to behavior-based robotics March 10, 2006
calvinnme
26 out of 27 found this review helpful
Behavior-based robotics is quite simply the design of robots where there are no internal "models" of the environment. Instead, the robot's action is state-machine driven via inputs gleaned from the robot's sensors. This book gives very practical advice on building and programming such a robot. Some mathematics is involved, so the reader who knows trigonometry, algebra, and the basics of computer programming would be best prepared to make good use of this book.
Chapter 1 uses the author's Java-based simulator, BSim, to observe the behavior of a working simulated robot. This chapter tries to answer the big picture questions : What exactly is a robot and what are its essential components?
Chapter 2 reviews the concept of the feedback control system in a very accessible fashion. The author uses examples from BSim to demonstrate how good control systems can go bad.
Chapter 3 shows how to build primitive behaviors, introduces the concept of triggers, and discusses ballistic versus servo behaviors.
Chapter 4 deals with arbiters, which is the software construct that all behavior-based systems must have to manage conflict between behaviors.
Chapter 5 begins instruction on writing complete behavior-based programs using everything learned up to this point. Included are techniques for homing, avoidance, and wall-following.
Chapter 6 discusses the task of decomposing a problem into the design of a robot. This chapter specifically discusses the design of "SodaBot", a robot which moves empty soda cans to recycling bins.
Chapter 7 takes a software-centered look at various common sensors, how they function, and the ways that sensor output can be misleading.
Chapter 8 rounds out the book with a case study of a behavior-based robot implementation. The example is a simple one, but it incorporates all software elements needed by any behavior-based robot. The author uses his own "RoCK", which is short for "Robot Conversion Kit", which is a self-contained electronics and sensor package based on Atmel's AVR AT90S8535 microcontroller. The author does an excellent job of discussing the code that must be written to make the robot perform as described.
Chapter 9 is the author's speculation on the features and forms of future robots.
The appendices have useful information on the mathematics of differential drive, the author's simulator "BSim", and some frequently used functions and their pseudocode. Each chapter contains exercises that are design-oriented and therefore have open-ended solutions. Thus there are no solutions given in the book or at its website.
Although this book does an excellent job of covering all of the aspects of programming a behavior-based robot, the reader might benefit from the other major text on the subject, "Behavior-Based Robotics (Intelligent Robotics and Autonomous Agents)" by Ronald Arkin. That book is much more academic and less practical than this one, and it is also rather expensive. Thus, it might be best if you can get it used or from a library. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in behavior-based robots and in the practical details of creating and programming them.
A Practical Guide Indeed January 19, 2004
Randy M. Dumse (Winnsboro, TX United States)
18 out of 18 found this review helpful
You can really see that Jones knows what he is talking about reading this book, and you can see the influence participation in making a practical robot (Roomba) for mass production has had on Jones thinking. Previously Jones authored _Mobile Robots_ with Anita Flynn, a product of MIT research. Now Jones brings many practical and useful explanations in very easily understood terms to the beginner, and hidden depth to the experienced robot programmer. While many of the research level books talk "about" Behavior-Based Programming in general terms, Jones descends into specifics, such as the inner workings of arbitration, and some of the different schemes used, and the difference between ballistic and servo behaviors. Well written, an easy read, and deceptively meaty exercises. One of the appendices of the book cover some much-needed common algorithms. Another the mathematics of differential drive. Plus, this book has a companion web site, also covered in a appendix, written by Daniel Roth, where you can get your own free virtual robot to "play" with and control. You can run your own experiments with their pre-canned behaviors, and watch the results of your concept level programming in simulated action. More than a book, this is a learning opportunity for anyone wanting to understand practical robot programming "behavior style".
Great selection for the curious reader.You know who you are December 1, 2004
Mark Landriscina
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
OK, I'm no uber geek, just someone who is very curious about robotics. I have a moderately strong CS background, but have never before delved into the EE or robotics world.
I was looking for some good books to introduce me to the topic of robotics, an interest that has been scratching at the back of my cranium for some time.
I was hoping that Robot Programming would cover the software fundamentals side of the equation and it did just that. Don't get me wrong, you will not find much in the way of actual code. The book is more conceptual. It does a great job describing the topics that a nascent robot programmer will face.
The only negative was that the robot simulator is a bit over-hyped. I can't say that I ever felt the need to use it. Hey, that's just me. Others might feel differently.
Great job Joe Jones!
Valuable tips learned the hard way April 29, 2004
FlyingPolarBear (Fullerton, CA USA)
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
This book is a collection of tips for robot design that you would otherwise have to learn the hard way through many years of experience. The author provides an overview of techniques that work, as well as common mistakes; overall, an approach for successful design patterns proven over time.
Great book! September 11, 2005
Alan (Eugene, Oregon United States)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
I have many robot books and this is the best and most informative book of all. It is easy to understand and read; I personally couldn't put it down. I wish it was twice as long while still marinating the high info density... Most authors just babble and every few pages actually tell you something; this is not the case with this book!
The programming of a robot is everything... and behavior based programming is the only way to go. This book provides a very good intro into that very subject. The only complaint I have is not about the book but his robot simulation program on is website which is referred to in the text. It seems to be rather slow and over taxing for the PC, but being a Java app it's not that surprising.
Highly recommended to anyone building robots!
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