As the world at our time has to face developments like keen climate change and globalisation, one may ask about the significance of building human-like machines, which probably will never operate as effective as humans in their diversity of potentialities. The benefits from tumbling two-legged mechatronic creatures and multiprocessor-based question-and-answer games seem hard to discover for noninvolved persons. In general the benefits from fundamental research are not evident – and humanoid robotics research means fundamental research in the field of robotics. It is an enormous challenge for all humanoid researchers that evolution has originated such effective sensors, controllers and actuators. Building humanoid robots involves the development of lightweight and energy-saving actuators, fast and intelligent sensors and exceptional complex control systems. By merging these technologies we investigate the cooperation of complex sensor-actor systems as well as and human-machine interaction. In analogy to space research humanoid robotics research, driven by the goal to copy and serve the pride of creation, will have a strong impact in daily live products.
In this book the variety of humanoid robotic research can be obtained. The first chapter deals with remarkable hardware developments, whereby complete humanoid robotic systems are as well described as partial solutions. In the second chapter diverse results around the biped motion of humanoid robots are presented. The autonomous, efficient and adaptive two-legged walking is one of the main challenge in humanoid robotics. The two-legged walking will enable humanoid robots to enter our environment without rearrangement.
Developments in the field of visual sensors, data acquisition, processing and control are to be observed in third chapter. In the fourth chapter some “mind building” and communication technologies are presented.