Preface
The definition of a robot is a machine that can do human-like tasks. In order to perform these tasks, a robot must be able to see, understand, and interact with the environment. AI is the quickest way to recognize objects and navigate. This book empowers you with the essential skills to efficiently operate your robots using AI techniques such as Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), computer vision, object recognition, genetic algorithms, and reinforcement learning.
So, who is writing this book? As you can see from my biography, I’ve been doing this for over 40 years, starting as a 12-year-old kid doing science fair projects, then as an Air Force enlisted person, an entry level engineer at NASA, and so on. I started doing AI in 1992 and specialized in machine decision making. Today, I design complete flying autonomous vehicles that weigh tens of thousands of pounds. I’m pleased to be putting some of that experience down on paper to share with you.
Why did I write this book? I felt that there was a gap in the available literature for someone coming up in the robotics and autonomy world who needs to move in capability from the hobbyist to the beginnings of industrial and commercial robotics. In doing this, I want to remove as many of what I perceive as barriers between you and what you want to accomplish as a next-level robotics explorer. I left out the equations, the strange jargon, and the mystery and replaced them with straightforward explanations about how to get what you want out of your robot. It is important to remember that my robot, Albert, is just a tool in this process. The objective of the book is not to design a singular robot, but rather to teach a set of skills that I think you need. The real question is where you go from here. Use this text as a springboard to continue to explore, experiment, and continue your education in robotics. From here you can read the works of the people who inspired and/or mentored me: Dr. Robin Murphy, Sebastian Thrun, Dr. Rodney Brooks, Bob Zubrin, Dr. Robert L. Forward, Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, and many others.
