I would like to learn more about AI and Robotics programming and theory. Any books or sources of information will do, so long as they do not require significant prior knowledge of these fields. Cost is also not that much of a factor, but cheaper is preferred.
+1 : A good introductory book (and detailed in the right places) for a broad treatment of AI.
Jacob
2009-10-17 18:54:21
+1
A:
AI and Robots theory is a very broad area, so it would be helpful if you narrowed down your interest, otherwise this is probably too broad a question.
For example, if you read Godel, Escher and Bach it would help with understanding some of the limits of AI.
Which computer language would you be using? That will strongly influence an AI book recommendation.
If you are going to be just programming, and are not interested in building, then you can get a Lego Mindstorm kit, and there are various books on using that: http://shop.lego.com/product/?p=8547&LangId=2057&ShipTo=US
I think it is a good introduction to robotics, as you can then better determine what you want to see in a robot that is beyond what you can do with the lego kit.
James Black
2009-10-17 18:28:44
I would be using Java. I tried Lego Mindstorms several years ago when I was in high school, but don't remember much about it.
award88
2009-10-17 18:36:44
If you know nothing about AI, I think it is a good introduction, as he helps to show what AI is about, and some of the limits of it. And, it is easier to read than most AI books I have read.
James Black
2009-10-17 19:00:22
I must disagree. It's an awesome book, no doubt but its aim isn't just to expound the basics of AI. It tries to "braid" together commonalities in disciplines which may seem unrelated to AI and uses them to explain AI in a very deep and intuitive manner. But if you just want to learn the basics of AI, it's a bit heavy :)
Jacob
2009-10-17 19:15:56
@Jacob - Toward the end of the book he goes into the AI part of it, which actually caught me by surprise.
James Black
2009-10-17 19:27:43
GEB is a great book ! .... but do not use it to learn AI ... it is a (very) mature read ! ...
Arkapravo
2010-03-16 08:05:01
@Arkapravo - You won't learn AI from GEB, but you will learn about the limits of what AI can do, which is helpful.
James Black
2010-03-17 00:57:04
@James Black : As I said ..... it is a mature read !... then again GEB is lot more than just AI ...there is plenty of mathematical philosophy in it too !
Arkapravo
2010-03-17 03:21:15
+9
A:
Robotics and Game AI have enough in common, that it's often cheaper to buy a few reasonably priced game AI books before buying a really serious reference like Russell and Norvig. At least in the stores I've checked, the price of "AI: A Modern Approach" has skyrocketed so much recently that it may not be the best place to start.
General texts that I've used frequently during my research
- Probabilistic Robotics by Thrun et al.
- Principles of Robot Motion: Theory, Algorithms and Implementations by Chost, Lynch et al.
- Robot Motion Planning by Latombe
- Planning Algorithms by LaValle
Texts I've found helpful to get started with implementing things I've read about
- Programming Game AI by example by Buckland
- Real-time Collision Detection by Ericson (see also http://realtimecollisiondetection.net/blog/
- Artificial Intelligence for Games by Millington (take some examples with a grain of salt)
Websites of interest
- Boids/Flocking based on the work of Craig Reynolds
- Stanford Robotics Videos by Khatib
Andrew Walker
2009-10-20 01:32:53