The Robot: The Life Story of a Technology by Lisa Nocks (English) Paperback Book

The Nile on eBay   The Robot by Lisa Nocks

This volume includes a timeline of important events, a glossary of terms, descriptions and statistics of robot labs and companies around the world, and a helpful bibliography of primary and secondary sources for further research.

FORMATPaperback LANGUAGEEnglish CONDITIONBrand New Publisher Description

Robots fascinate us, and they have become increasingly important in post-World War II industry and space exploration. Where did the idea for such devices come from? What varied uses do they serve in our world, and where do they seem to be headed? Lisa Nocks traces the history of the robot, from the earliest concepts in ancient myth to mechanical toys of the Enlightenment, from the Jacquard punch card loom in the Industrial Revolution to Japanese car-making devices, and from rovers on Mars and the latest developments in artificial intelligence to the service robotics of the twenty-first century. This volume includes a timeline of important events, a glossary of terms, descriptions and statistics of robot labs and companies around the world, and a helpful bibliography of primary and secondary sources for further research.

Author Biography

Lisa Nocks is a University Lecturer at New Jersey Institute of Technology in the Federated Department of History, NJIT/Rutgers. She writes on the recent history of technology and the social impact of techno-science.

Table of Contents

AcknowledgmentsIntroductionTimelinePart I: Ancestors1. Between Ritual, Myth, and Machine: Robot Ancestors2. Automata to AutomationPart II: The Early Years3. Into the Factory: The First Robots4. Smarter Machines: Artificial Intelligence and RoboticsPart III: Growth of the Field5. Getting Around: Perception, Locomotion, and Power6. Robots among Us: The Latest DevelopmentsConclusionGlossary of TermsFurther ReadingIndex

Review

Concise and direct to the point, Nocks' technography on the robot offers a rich overview of the systems we understand as robotic. It summarizes the 30-some-year-long history of a plethora of ideas, experiments, and implementations that have found their places in our everyday lives. Choice What distinguishes this book from others is its attempt to cover the long history of robots, as well as to take the time to explain how many of the technologies actually work. -- Peter Asaro Isis

Long Description

Human-like (or hominoid) machines fascinate us, and they have become increasingly important in post - World War II industry and space exploration. Where did the idea for such devices come from? What varied uses do they serve in our world, and where do they seem to be headed? Lisa Nocks capitalizes on the salience of these issues, tracing the development of the robot from jacquemarts (human-form clocks) to the robot Elektro and his robotic dog at the 1939 World's Fair to Japanese car-making devices to rovers on Mars and programmable fighting hominoids in Western pop culture.

Review Text

""What distinguishes this book from others is its attempt to cover the long history of robots, as well as to take the time to explain how many of the technologies actually work.""

Review Quote

"What distinguishes this book from others is its attempt to cover the long history of robots, as well as to take the time to explain how many of the technologies actually work." -- Peter Asaro, Isis

Details ISBN0801890713 Author Lisa Nocks Short Title ROBOT Pages 224 Publisher Johns Hopkins University Press Language English ISBN-10 0801890713 ISBN-13 9780801890710 Media Book Format Paperback Year 2008 Imprint Johns Hopkins University Press Subtitle The Life Story of a Technology Place of Publication Baltimore, MD Country of Publication United States Audience Age 18-22 Affiliation New Jersey Institute of Technology Position University Lecturer DOI 10.1604/9780801890710 NZ Release Date 2008-12-29 US Release Date 2008-12-29 UK Release Date 2008-12-29 Publication Date 2008-12-29 DEWEY 629.89209 Illustrations 20 Halftones, black and white Audience General AU Release Date 2008-11-14 We've got this

At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it.With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love!

TheNile_Item_ID:136558797;