This book gathers the proceedings of MEDICON 2019 – the XV Mediterranean Conference on Medical and Biological Engineering and Computing – which was held in September 26-28, 2019, in Coimbra, Portugal. A special emphasis has been given to practical findings, techniques and methods, aimed at fostering an effective patient empowerment, i.e. to position the patient at the heart of the health system and encourages them to be actively involved in managing their own healthcare needs. The book reports on research and development in electrical engineering, computing, data science and instrumentation, and on many topics at the interface between those disciplines. It provides academics and professionals with extensive knowledge on cutting-edge techniques and tools for detection, prevention, treatment and management of diseases. A special emphasis is given to effective advances, as well as new directions and challenges towards improving healthcare through holistic patient empowerment.

This volume contains the proceedings of the RAAD 2018 conference, covering major areas of research and development in robotics. It provides an overview on the advances in robotics, more specifically in novel design and applications of robotic systems; dexterous grasping, handling and intelligent manipulation; intelligent cooperating and service robots; advanced robot control; human-robot interfaces; robot vision systems and visual serving techniques; mobile robots; humanoid and walking robots; field and agricultural robotics; bio-inspired and swarm robotic systems; developments towards micro and nano-scale robots; aerial, underwater and spatial robots; robot integration in holonic manufacturing; personal robots for ambient assisted living; medical robots and bionic prostheses; intelligent information technologies for cognitive robots etc.
The primary audience of the work are researchers as well as engineers in robotics and mechatronics.

One of the very important parts of any digital system is the control unit, coordin- ing interplay of other system blocks. As a rule, control units have irregular str- ture, which makes process of their logic circuits design very sophisticated. In case of complex logic controllers, the problem of system design is reduced practically to the design of control units. Actually, we observe a real technical boom connected with achievements in semiconductor technology. One of these is the development of integrated circuit known as the "systems-on-a-programmable- chip" (SoPC), where the number of elements approaches one billion. Because of the extreme complexity of microchips, it is very important to develop effective design methods oriented on particular properties of logical elements. Solution of this problem permits impr- ing functional capabilities of the target digital system inside single SoPC chip. As majority of researches point out, design methods used in case of industrial packages are, in case of complex digital system design, far from optimal. Similar problems concern the design of control units with standard ?eld-programmable logic devices (FPLD), such as PLA, PAL, GAL, CPLD, and FPGA. Let us point out that modern SoPC are based on CPLD or FPGA technology. Thus, the development of eff- tive design methods oriented on FPLD implementation of logic circuits used in the control units still remains the problem of great importance.

Manipulation using dextrous robot hands has been an exciting yet frustrating research topic for the last several years. While significant progress has occurred in the design, construction, and low level control of robotic hands, researchers are up against fundamental problems in developing algorithms for real-time computations in multi-sensory processing and motor control. The aim of this book is to explore parallels in sensorimotor integration in dextrous robot and human hands, addressing the basic question of how the next generation of dextrous hands should evolve. By bringing together experimental psychologists, kinesiologists, computer scientists, electrical engineers, and mechanical engineers, the book covers topics that range from human hand usage in prehension and exploration, to the design and use of robotic sensors and multi-fingered hands, and to control and computational architectures for dextrous hand usage. While the ultimate goal of capturing human hand versatility remains elusive, this book makes an important contribution to the design and control of future dextrous robot hands through a simple underlying message: a topic as complex as dextrous manipulation would best be addressed by collaborative, interdisciplinary research, combining high level and low level views, drawing parallels between human studies and analytic approaches, and integrating sensory data with motor commands. As seen in this text, success has been made through the establishment of such collaborative efforts. The future will hold up to expectations only as researchers become aware of advances in parallel fields and as a common vocabulary emerges from integrated perceptions about manipulation.

Beginning in the mid 1980's, VLSI technology had begun to advance in two directions. Pushing the limit of integration, ULSI (Ultra Large Scale Integration) represents the frontier of the semiconductor processing technology in the campaign to conquer the submicron realm. The application of ULSI, however, is at present largely confined in the area of memory designs, and as such, its impact on traditional, microprocessor-based system design is modest. If advancement in this direction is merely a natural extrapolation from the previous integration generations, then the rise of ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit) is an unequivocal signal that a directional change in the discipline of system design is in effect. In contrast to ULSI, ASIC employs only well proven technology, and hence is usually at least one generation behind the most advanced processing technology. In spite of this apparent disadvantage, ASIC has become the mainstream of VLSI design and the technology base of numerous entrepreneurial opportunities ranging from PC clones to supercomputers. Unlike ULSI whose complexity can be hidden inside a memory chip or a standard component and thus can be accommodated by traditional system design methods, ASIC requires system designers to master a much larger body of knowledge spanning from processing technology and circuit techniques to architecture principles and algorithm characteristics. Integrating knowledge in these various areas has become the precondition for integrating devices and functions into an ASIC chip in a market-oriented environment. But knowledge is of two kinds.

China Satellite Navigation Conference (CSNC 2022) Proceedings presents selected research papers from CSNC 2022 held during 25th-27th May, 2022 in Beijing, China. These papers discuss the technologies and applications of the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), and the latest progress made in the China BeiDou System (BDS) especially. They are divided into 10 topics to match the corresponding sessions in CSNC2022 which broadly covered key topics in GNSS. Readers can learn about the BDS and keep abreast of the latest advances in GNSS techniques and applications.

This volume contains the Proceedings of the 4th IFToMM Symposium on Mechanism Design for Robotics, held in Udine, Italy, 11-13 September, 2018. It includes recent advances in the design of mechanisms and their robotic applications. It treats, among others, the following topics: mechanism design, mechanics of robots, parallel manipulators, actuators and their control, linkage and industrial manipulators, innovative mechanisms/robots and their applications.
This book can be used by students, researchers and engineers in the relevant areas of mechanisms, machines and robotics.

Vibration and noise reduce the perceived quality, productivity, and efficiency of many and limit production speeds electromechanical systems. Vibration can cause defects during manufacturing and produce premature failure of finished products due to fa­ tigue. Potential contact with a vibrating system or hearing darnage from a noisy machine can produce a dangerous, unhealthy, and uncomfortable operating environ­ ment. Recent advances in computer technology have allowed the development of so­ phisticated electromechanical systems for the control of vibration and noise. The demanding specifications of many modern systems require higher performance than possible with the traditional, purely mechanical approaches of increasing system stiff­ ness or damping. Mechatronic systems that integrate computer software and hard­ ware with electromechanical sensors and actuators to control complex mechanical systems have been demonstrated to provide outstanding vibration and noise reduc­ tion. The current trends toward higher speed computation and lower cost, higher performance sensors and actuators indicate the continuing possibilities for this con­ trol approach in future applications.