Tian Seng Ng - Robotic Vehicles: Systems and Technology

This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

The registered company address is: 152 Beach Road, #21-01/04 Gateway East, Singapore 189721, Singapore

Global warming has led to changes in the way we live. On the road, diesel and gasoline engines-driven vehicles are diminishing gradually. The new hybrid vehicles carry out their mission to roam the streets. Forging ahead, we can see electric cars making their way through their popularism, as well. Throughout the decades, many developments have evolved in automobile technology. Nowadays, where computer control technology is becoming increasingly popular, the technological breakthrough has progressed to combine with computed technology for more precise and complete automation. The time has arrived for automakers to further their development to automated control in the zero-emission vehicle. Software advancement aspires to create a simulation platform to replace real-time testing, rewarding in its economic benefits. In academics, the study in nano-electronics finds its use in automobiles to perform at high speed in the limited space of the vehicle compartment. Smart sensors are entangling in the machine vision world. Autonomous control techniques in drones, robots, and automobiles are seeing its future when combining the machine vision technology for implementing in the land and air vehicles or machine systems.

Many research and studies over the years have found significant improvements in the development of aerial and land vehicle technology. Presently, many enterprises and software developing company venture to establish the concept for engineering a self-driving car. With the latest machine learning techniques such as deep learning, platforms for artificial intelligence arise to drive the functionality of an autonomous system. With the success of the semiconductor and software technology, the integration of smart sensors, algorithms, and computer modules helps to increase the reliability of the self-driving car. Cars can select its route automatically for its travelling path to avoid congested traffic and bad weather. The autonomous vehicle has mobile eyes all round to detect objects as well as to avoid a collision. The coming generations of vehicles may even respond to human intervention in speech and action to control and drive the car. Our future road mobility envisages a voice-commanded zero-emission drive engine that operates on several tasks autonomously, not forgetting about safety reliability in the changing era. The changing evolution from hybrid vehicles to electric vehicles developing further on to autonomous cars is becoming a reality.

Modern technology in the automobile has brought us to the present advancements in automatic control vehicular systems and progressing towards the millenniums. Future road transportation will depend heavily on research investments in the domain of automobile technology. Advancement in the vehicular sensing depends heavily on the current technology in smart cameras and other sensing capabilities. This book introduces the new features in automobiles and studies the factors involving the autonomous vehicle. It focuses on the present technology at large. The system embraces machine vision, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and deep learning. It forecasts the latest development of modern technology in automated cars to expose readers to the engineering features, functions, simulation, embedded system, connectivity, sensing, control, processing, and communication of the autonomous vehicle. Moreover, the context also expressed the control technology of the six-legged walking robot. Autonomous robots can participate in the search and rescue mission, where tasks are impossible for humans. We deployed them in environments where it possesses threats to human safety. Examples of such applications are bomb disposing and fallen buildings. These robots can enter the debris to detect signs of human life. In the air, several types of rotor-propelled crafts are pathing the ways. They have the capability of delivering human organs to organ transplant patients. Amazon has provided air parcel and fast food delivery using these rotorcrafts. It cuts downtime and cost when considering one of these options. Swarms of rotor copters apply to surveillance and military missions. The adoption of modern technological successes inspires us to develop and build the vision of futuristic robotic machines and vehicles.

The author would like to express his sincere gratitude to Mark Pitchford for the preparation of some of the contents in vehicle safety. He would also like to thank Associate Professor Ng Heong Wah for his expertise and guidance on the automobile system topics. He is the leading Professor for the solar car teams in NTU, which have won numerous titles in overseas competitions. Sincere gratitude goes to Assistant Professor Mir Feroskhan of the aerospace division and Associate Professor Nickols Francis Malcolm John, who had offered his expertise joining Prof Ng in supervising the solar car team members. Moreover, A/P Nickols Francis has also contributed to the creation of the ground robotic system, which walks on its six legs. Not forgetting the support team assisting the Professors, Deputy Director Mr. Roger Tan Kay Chia, Assistant Director Mr. Iskandar Shah Salleh, the laboratory supporting staff Mr. Ang Teck Meng, Mdm Agnes Tan Siok Kuan, and Mr. You Kim San, who work in the Robotic Research Centre and many others working to help in the engineering laboratory.