Includes bibliographical references (p. [445]-476) and indexes.

Whence behaviour?; animal behaviour; robot behaviour; behaviour-based architectures; representational issues for behavioural systems; hybrid deliberative/rective architectures; perceptual basis for behaviour-based control; adaptive behaviour; social behaviour; fringe robotics - beyond behaviour.

This introduction to the principles, design, and practice of intelligent behaviour-based autonomous robotic systems is a survey of the robotics field. The author presents the tools and techniques central to the development of this class of systems in a comprehensive manner. Following a discussion of the relevant biological and psychological models of behaviour, he covers the use of knowledge and learning in autonomous robots, behaviour-based and hybrid robot architectures, modular perception, robot colonies, and future trends in robot intelligence. The text throughout refers to actual implemented robots and includes many pictures and descriptions of hardware, making it clear that these are not abstract simulations, but real machines capable of perception, cognition and action