Introduction to Ethorobotics

Judit Abdai, Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary.Ádám Miklósi, Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary.

This is an important book for engineers, roboticists as well as ethologists. Based on their wealth of knowledge and experience in animal behaviour, the authors provide an innovative approach towards developing robot in general, and specifically interactive, social robots. The authors' ethorobotic framework can revolutionize how we design robots as 'species' that can benefit human society. The book will be greatly appreciated by researchers, students, and anyone interested in the intersection of robotics and ethology.Kerstin Dautenhahn, Director of Social and Intelligent Robotics Research Lab, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of WaterlooThis book fosters collaboration between behavioural scientists and engineers to create highly functional robots for animal and human environments. It offers an accessible introduction to animal behaviour for engineers, a guide to basic robotic construction for non-engineers, and discusses the evolution and ethical considerations of ethorobotics.Farshid Amirabdollahian, Professor of Human-Robot Interaction, School of Engineering and Computer Science, the University of HertfordshireWhat can we learn from animal behaviour in designing robots that will work well in everyday human environments? While so much research - and the popular imagination - focuses on ‘human-like’ robots, Miklosi and Abdai focus on other animals. After all, dogs have been our companions going back into pre-history, yet relatively little effort has been focused on what makes them so attractive to us. Written by longstanding researchers in the field, this book will broaden your horizons, and hopefully stimulate new research directions for socially-capable robots.Ruth Aylett, Professor of Computer Science at Heriot-Watt University in EdinburghAn Introduction to Ethorobotics explores how we can create intelligent machines that not only perform tasks but can also take advantage of ethological knowledge to the construction of social robots. Whether you're an undergraduate student, a postgraduate, or a researcher focusing on robotics and cognition, this book offers insightful perspectives and thought-provoking discussions that will leave you pondering the role of ethology in our increasingly robotic world.Vicente Matellán Olivera, Full Professor of Computer Science, University of LeónBridging the gap between animal behavior and robotics, this comprehensive guide is a must-read for biologists, engineers, and anyone curious about how nature can inspire technology. Iolanda Leite, Associate Professor, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, KTH Royal Institute of Technology

• Preface Introduction 1. Ethology: The science of animal behaviour 2. Ethorobotics: Ethological approach to interactive, social robots 3. An introduction to robot construction 4. Ethorobotics in practice: past, present and future – case studies