The McGraw‐Hill Illustrated Encyclopedia of Robotics and Artificial Intelligence

Citation

Abbott, P. (1998), "The McGraw‐Hill Illustrated Encyclopedia of Robotics and Artificial Intelligence", Assembly Automation, Vol. 18 No. 1, pp. 89-89. https://doi.org/10.1108/aa.1998.18.1.89.1

An introductory level encyclopaedia of robotics and AI and their peripheral technologies, with some 500 alphabetically arranged entries on the subjects. Given the breadth of subject coverage and the size of volume, this is not intended as a definitive reference work, rather a first step for someone who would like to get a feel for the subject. The technical level of the information is very basic, and as such readable by anyone at any level. The subject matter is indeed encyclopaedic, including basic concepts for the primary themes in addition to electronics, computer technology and even brief biographies of luminaries in the field. The latter include historical perspectives on the development of the technologies from both real developments and the imaginations of those such as Clarke and Asimov. Most common components for robotics are covered to some extent.

The writing style makes for very easy reading and the ample cross referencing of entries provides a chaotic means of enjoying the book without having to read it cover to cover. Although some of the information is at a relatively trivial level and definitely for the novice, the information sometimes contained in the more historical or anecdotal entries proves to be of interest to even the more experienced.