The goal of the series of Springer Tracts in Advanced Robotics (STAR) is to
bring, in a timely fashion, the latest advances and developments in robotics on
the basis of their significance and quality. It is our hope that the wider dissemination
of research developments will stimulate more exchanges and collaborations
among the research community and contribute to further advancement of this
rapidly growing field.
The monograph written by Dezhen Song is focused on a robotic camera simultaneously
controlled by multiple online users via the Internet. A challenging
match between the collaboratively tele-operated robotic cameras and the
needs from nature environment observation is sought, which greatly extends
the domain of online robots in both application and technology development
directions, including building construction site monitoring, public space surveillance,
and distance education. New solutions are proposed which demonstrate
the enormous potential of Internet-based infrastructures for immediate success in
the market.