Exploring ethorobotics

Have you ever wondered what a social robot would look like? Like in the movie Bicentennial Man or Wall-e or any other film about robots? Like many things in science-fiction literature, it starts out as a fantasy but sooner or later it becomes reality.

Ethorobotics, a young scientific field founded by Hungarian researcher, Adam Miklosi is about to find out how a robot can become socially part of our life. It may seem like a daunting idea at first, but in reality there are many practical benefits to be gained, for example, in nursing homes where staff are overworked, companion robots could be very useful.

The very first book on this topic by Adam Miklosi and Judit Abdai (editors) is out now at Taylor and Francis.

Key Features of the Book Include:

Interdisciplinary Approach: This pioneering text explores the emerging discipline of ethorobotics which brings together the fields of animal behaviour and robotics. It encourages closer collaboration between behavioural scientists and engineers to facilitate the creation of robots with a higher degree of functionality in animal/human environments and to broaden understanding of animal behaviour in new and intriguing ways.

Structural thinking: Utilising the knowledge of key ethologists and roboticists in the field today, this book is divided into four major parts. 

1. The first part is written for those with little or no background in the biology of animal behaviour, particularly for those coming from an engineering background seeking an accessible introduction to the field and how it can be applied to robotic behaviour. Topics include physical and social problem solving in animals, facets of sociality and communication.

2. The second part explores the core theme of ethorobotics, the basic framework of the discipline, the field’s evolution, and current topics including ethical considerations, autonomy, to ‘living’ social robots. 

3. The third part is an introduction to the basic construction of robots for non‑engineers, and the possibilities offered by current technical achievements and their limitations to the study of animal behaviour.

4. The fourth and final chapter looks at ethorobotics in practice through key research projects which have had the biggest impact.

This is a ground‑breaking interdisciplinary text which will appeal to upper‑level undergraduates, postgraduates, and researchers focusing on animal behaviour and cognition, as well as those undertaking courses in engineering, social robotics, biologically inspired robotics, AI, and human–robot and animal–robot interactions.

More information:

• ISBN 9781032023335
• 516 Pages 115 B/W Illustrations
• September 27, 2024 by Routledge
• Cover is made by Alexandra Iván and the publisher

Source: Institute of Biology