Fundamentals of Mechanics of Robotic Manipulation

This book has evolved from a course on Mechanics of Robots that the author has thought for over a dozen years at the University of Cassino at Cassino, Italy. It is addressed mainly to graduate students in mechanical engineering although the course has also attracted students in electrical engineering. The purpose of the book consists of presenting robots and robotized systems in such a way that they can be used and designed for industrial and innovative non-industrial applications with no great efforts. The content of the book has been kept at a fairly practical level with the aim to teach how to model, simulate, and operate robotic mechanical systems. The chapters have been written and organized in a way that they can be red even separately, so that they can be used separately for different courses and readers. However, many advanced concepts are briefly explained and their use is empathized with illustrative examples. Therefore, the book is directed not only to students but also to robot users both from practical and theoretical viewpoints. In fact, topics that are treated in the book have been selected as of current interest in the field of Robotics. Some of the material presented is based upon the author’s own research in the field since the late 1980’s.

From the reviews of the first edition:

"It presents in a very practical manner the fundamentals of robotic mechanics … . Hence students in computer science and artificial intelligence, to name a few, will benefit from reading this book. … a very nice point of this book is that all theoretical concepts are systematically illustrated by examples … . I will strongly recommend this book as initial reading for students … . I will also recommend this book as starting point for engineers who have to deal with robotic or automated systems." (J-P. Merlet, Meccanica, Vol. 41, 2006)