Beginner’s Guide to Robotics and Artificial Intelligence

Due to the rapid development of technology, robotics and artificial intelligence are becoming a crucial part of almost everyone's everyday life. Artificial intelligence and robots have a unique ability to both fascinate and repel humans. Although we usually think of these concepts as relatively new ideas, the dream of escaping tedious routine tasks goes back thousands of years. We humans would like to leave many tasks to machines – typically tasks that we perceive as boring, dirty, or dangerous. Robots are often portrayed in films and referred to in the news media as humanoid machines with supernatural capabilities that aim to take over the earth and keep men as slaves. The fact is that robots have been used at a large scale for at least 50 years - primarily in industrial production. In recent years, considerable technical progress has been made meaning that intelligent robots are marching steadily forward, being more and more absorbed into society. This book gives an insight into the world of robots and artificial intelligence from several perspectives. It debunks myths and illusions and convey why the technologies are exciting and relevant.