Nature's Robots

Nature's Robots
Author: Charles Tanford
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Total Pages: 312
Release: 2003-11-27
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0191578517

Proteins are amazingly versatile molecules. They make the chemical reactions happen that form the basis for life, they transmit signals in the body, they identify and kill foreign invaders, they form the engines that make us move, and they record visual images. All of this is now common knowledge, but it was not so a hundred years ago. Nature's Robots is an authoritative history of protein science, from the origins of protein research in the nineteenth century, when the chemical constitution of 'protein' was first studied and heatedly debated and when there was as yet no glimmer of the functional potential of substances in the 'protein' category, to the determination of the first structures of individual proteins at atomic resolution - when positions of individual atoms were first specified exactly and bonding between neighbouring atoms precisely defined. Tanford and Reynolds, who themselves made major contributions to the golden age of protein science, have written a remarkably vivid account of this history. It is a fascinating story, involving heroes from the past, working mostly alone or in small groups, usually with little support from formal research groups. It is also a story that embraces a number of historically important scientific controversies. Written in clear and accessible prose, Nature's Robots will appeal to general readers with an interest in popular science, in addition to professional scientists and historians of science.

Medieval Robots

Medieval Robots
Author: E. R. Truitt
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
Total Pages: 296
Release: 2015-06-11
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 0812246977

Medieval robots took such forms as talking statues, mechanical animals, or silent metal guardians; some served to entertain or instruct while others performed surveillance or discipline. Medieval Robots explores the forgotten history of real and imagined machines that captivated Europe from the ninth through the fourteenth centuries.

Robots Inspired by Nature

Robots Inspired by Nature
Author: Angie Smibert
Publisher: Focus Readers
Total Pages: 32
Release: 2018-08
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 9781641850452

Identifies and explores innovative robotic technology that was inspired by nature. Accessible text, supplementary sidebars, and an interesting infographic reveal for readers the science behind these technologies and the animals and plants that inspired them.

Robot Navigation from Nature

Robot Navigation from Nature
Author: Michael John Milford
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 203
Release: 2008-02-11
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 3540775196

This pioneering book describes the development of a robot mapping and navigation system inspired by models of the neural mechanisms underlying spatial navigation in the rodent hippocampus. Computational models of animal navigation systems have traditionally had limited performance when implemented on robots. This is the first research to test existing models of rodent spatial mapping and navigation on robots in large, challenging, real world environments.

Living with Robots

Living with Robots
Author: Paul Dumouchel
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Total Pages: 281
Release: 2017-11-06
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 0674971736

Preface to the English edition -- Introduction -- The substitute -- Animals, machines, cyborgs, and the taxi -- Mind, emotions, and artificial empathy -- The other otherwise -- From moral and lethal machines to synthetic ethics

Beastly Bionics

Beastly Bionics
Author: Jennifer Swanson
Publisher: National Geographic Kids
Total Pages: 100
Release: 2020
Genre: JUVENILE NONFICTION
ISBN: 142633673X

Discover more than 40 examples of technology influenced by animals, meet some of the scientists and the story behind their inventions, and learn about some of the incredible creatures who have inspired multiple creation

Rights for Robots

Rights for Robots
Author: Joshua C. Gellers
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 140
Release: 2020-10-26
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 1000264599

Bringing a unique perspective to the burgeoning ethical and legal issues surrounding the presence of artificial intelligence in our daily lives, the book uses theory and practice on animal rights and the rights of nature to assess the status of robots. Through extensive philosophical and legal analyses, the book explores how rights can be applied to nonhuman entities. This task is completed by developing a framework useful for determining the kinds of personhood for which a nonhuman entity might be eligible, and a critical environmental ethic that extends moral and legal consideration to nonhumans. The framework and ethic are then applied to two hypothetical situations involving real-world technology—animal-like robot companions and humanoid sex robots. Additionally, the book approaches the subject from multiple perspectives, providing a comparative study of legal cases on animal rights and the rights of nature from around the world and insights from structured interviews with leading experts in the field of robotics. Ending with a call to rethink the concept of rights in the Anthropocene, suggestions for further research are made. An essential read for scholars and students interested in robot, animal and environmental law, as well as those interested in technology more generally, the book is a ground-breaking study of an increasingly relevant topic, as robots become ubiquitous in modern society. The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/ISBN, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.

Gods and Robots

Gods and Robots
Author: Adrienne Mayor
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 294
Release: 2020-04-21
Genre: History
ISBN: 0691202265

Traces the story of how ancient cultures envisioned artificial life, automata, self-moving devices and human enhancements, sharing insights into how the mythologies of the past related to and shaped ancient machine innovations.

Robotics in Nature

Robotics in Nature
Author: Claudia Martin
Publisher: Greenhaven Publishing LLC
Total Pages: 66
Release: 2017-12-15
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 1534563032

How are robots used in nature? Readers discover the answer to this question as they examine the complex relationship between technology and the natural world. This and other aspects of STEM, science, technology, engineering, and math, are presented to readers through clear, informative text that aims to make challenging concepts easier to understand. Fact boxes provide readers with additional information, and vivid photographs keep and hold readers' interest with each turn of the page.

Robots Inspired by Nature

Robots Inspired by Nature
Author: Angie Smibert
Publisher: North Star Editions, Inc.
Total Pages: 35
Release: 2018-08-01
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 164185247X

Identifies and explores innovative robotic technology that was inspired by nature. Accessible text, supplementary sidebars, and an interesting infographic reveal for readers the science behind these technologies and the animals and plants that inspired them.