Physics, 9th Edition
John D. Cutnell,
(Southern Illinois Univ. at Carbondale)
Kenneth W. Johnson
(Southern Illinois Univ. at Carbondale)
ISBN 978–0–470–87952–8
About the Cover
Grasping an egg is easy, right? For most people, yes. But building a robotic hand capable of that simple act is a bigger challenge than programming a computer to become a Jeopardy! champion. Our world is filled with objects of so many sizes, shapes, and textures that designing robotic perception and motion systems to navigate their way as readily as we do is not as easy as science fiction has made it seem.
The robotic hand pictured on the cover is a marvel of applied physics that closely mimics the human hand. It uses paired-up “air muscles” powered by compressed air to provide a pulling force on wire “tendons” that attach the muscles to hinged finger joints. Sensors provide “touch” and give information to a computer about each finger’s position and pressure. The computer sends commands to each finger’s micromotor for a coordinated grasp.
Who or what is in control? In the case of the present–generation robots that build cars or perform other tasks, software controls the movement. But a new generation of robotic hands is being developed that incorporate a different controller: People with missing or disabled limbs can be taught to control robotic devices directly with their minds. The neural messages from their brains are electric signals and these can be translated into a digital form that triggers micromotors to move the robotic device. The process uses decoding worthy of a science fiction novel.
Researchers are in a race to develop this next generation of brain–controlled prosthetics for “tomorrow’s people.” They are guided by many of the concepts and principles described so vividly in this book–kinematics, dynamics, torque, force, energy, thermal physics, and electricity come into play, for example. In using this book, you will visualize problems, organize data, and develop reasoning strategies, just as these researchers do. You will even get a new appreciation of the physics of grasping an egg.