Drawing on ecological insights, this book introduces a groundbreaking framework for designing long-duration robots capable of operating in unpredictable environments. Magnus Egerstedt presents the concept of "robot ecology," emphasizing that a robot's behavior is shaped by its surroundings. By focusing on survivability constraints rather than just optimal task performance, the author outlines a method for creating safe and effective robotic behaviors. The book also details the development of the SlothBot, an energy-efficient robot designed for environmental monitoring, offering a holistic approach to robot design in natural settings.
This volume presents the proceedings of the 11th Workshop on Hybrid Systems: Computation and Control (HSCC 2008), which took place in St. Louis, Missouri, from April 22–24, 2008. The workshop focuses on research in embedded, reactive systems that involve the interplay between symbolic/switching and continuous dynamical behaviors. It attracts both academic and industrial researchers to share insights on the latest developments in applications, theoretical advancements, design, analysis, control, optimization, and implementation of hybrid systems, particularly in embedded and networked control systems. This year marked the inaugural CPSWEEK (Cyber-Physical Systems Week), which included HSCC along with RTAS (Real-Time and Embedded Technology and Applications Symposium) and IPSN (International Conference on Information Processing in Sensor Networks). Previous HSCC workshops were held in various locations, including Berkeley, Nijmegen, Pittsburgh, Rome, Palo Alto, Prague, Philadelphia, Zurich, Santa Barbara, and Pisa. We extend our gratitude to the Program Committee members and reviewers for their thorough evaluations and contributions to the discussions. Special thanks to the Steering Committee for their guidance, Patrick Martin for compiling the proceedings, and Jiuguang Wang for maintaining the HSCC 2008 website. January 2008 Magnus Egerstedt Bud Mishra. HSCC 2008 was technically co-sponsored by the IEEE Control Systems Society
