The second edition of this book would not have been possible without the
comments and suggestions from my students, especially those at Columbia
University. Many of the new topics introduced here are a direct result
of student feedback that helped me refine and clarify the material. My
intention when writing this book was to develop material that I would
have liked to had available as a student. Hopefully, I have succeeded in
developing a reference that covers all aspects of robotics with
sufficient detail and explanation. The first edition of this book was
published in 2007 and soon after its publication it became a very
popular reference in the field of robotics. I wish to thank the many
students and instructors who have used the book or referenced it. Your
questions, comments and suggestions have helped me create the second
edition. Preface This book is designed to serve as a text for
engineering students. It introduces the fundamental knowledge used in
robotics. This knowledge can be utilized to develop computer programs
for analyzing the kinematics, dynamics, and control of robotic systems.