Climbing and Walking Robots

Nowadays robotics is one of the most dynamic fields of scientific researches. The shiftof robotics researches from manufacturing to services applications is clear. During thelast decades interest in studying climbing and walking robots has been increased. Thisincreasing interest has been in many areas that most important ones of them are: mechanics,electronics, medical engineering, cybernetics, controls, and computers. Today's climbing and walking robots are a combination of manipulative, perceptive, communicative, andcognitive abilities and they are capable of performing many tasks in industrial and non-industrial environments. Surveillance, planetary exploration, emergence rescue operations,reconnaissance, petrochemical applications, construction, entertainment, personal services,intervention in severe environments, transportation, medical and etc are some applicationsfrom a very diverse application fields of climbing and walking robots. By great progress inthis area of robotics it is anticipated that next generation climbing and walking robots willenhance lives and will change the way the human works, thinks and makes decisions.This book presents the state of the art achievments, recent developments, applications andfuture challenges of climbing and walking robots. These are presented in 24 chapters by authors throughtot the world The book serves as a reference especially for the researcherswho are interested in mobile robots. It also is useful for industrial engineers and graduatestudents in advanced study.