Comprehensive Robotics for Extreme and Challenging Environments

There are many environments which humans cannot access or if they can, there is a high level of risk. Radioactive environments, offshore wind farms, subterranean mines, agricultural land, oceans and volcanoes are just some of the challenging environments which humans need to explore, investigate and work in. Mobile robots are one of the key technologies which could access these environments, significantly reducing the risk to humans. In addition, many of the proposed technologies of the future, such as Net-Zero energy generation, can only be realised at the scales required through the use of robotic inspection and maintenance systems. In the same way Industrial Robotics revolutionised mass manufacturing 30 – 40 years ago, mobile robots will revolutionise many sectors in the future. Robots are, particularly ones with autonomous capabilities, are complex systems which combine mechatronics with artificial intelligence. They require expertise in mechanical, electrical and materials engineering as well as computer science. The interplay between these disciplines leads to complex behaviours that require multi-disciplinary solutions. This work will explore the breadth of underlying technologies required develop robots for extreme and challenging environments, from the hardware systems that enable robots to move and interact with their environments, to the artificial intelligence software that enables levels of autonomy and the human-robot-interfaces that allow humans and robots to work together. Each topical Section in this multi-volume work will give ample space to explore the full breadth of the robotics field, going beyond the fundamentals to look more closely at the emerging challenges of verification, security, trust, ethics, sustainability and the impact on wider society that the adoption of robotics will have. This work will introduce state-of-the-art developments across these diverse areas, with an emphasis on the complex interactions between them and the emerging areas of future research.