The Workshops on Autonomous Systems emanated from a gathering with the doctoral students of just three chairs at Fernuniversität in Hagen, which we organise twice per year for a number of years now. Their purpose is to discuss on-going research and to create a community spirit. Furthermore, they serve as a means of structuring the students' research processes. The workshop has grown and matured in several respects. The doctoral students presenting their work do not come from a single university anymore, but from three. Besides them and their supervisors, also other scientists became interested in the event and contribute to its programme. Following the model of Advanced Study Institutes, they are available on the premises for relaxed, informal discussions outside the formal sessions. Finally, with the co-sponsorship of Gesellschaft für Informatik, the German Computer Society, and this surprisingly comprehensive volume of contributions published by Springer-Verlag the workshop turned into a visible scientific event.

This compilation probably looks like one of the craziest things a human being could spend his or her time on. Yet nobody would wonder at someone taking a short walk every day - after twenty five years that person would have covered a surprisingly long distance. This is exactly the story behind this list, which appeared first as a few pages within the directory StarGuides (or whatever name it had at that time) and as a distinct sister publication since 1990. The idea behind this dictionary is to offer astronomers and related space scientists practical assistance in decoding the numerous abbreviations, acronyms, contractions and symbols which they might encounter in all aspects of the vast range of their professional activities, including traveling. Perhaps it is a bit paradoxical, but if scientists quickly grasp the meaning of an acronym solely in their own specific discipline, they will probably encounter more difficulties when dealing with adjacent fields. It is for this purpose that this dictionary might be most often used. Scientists might also refer to this compilation in order to avoid identifying a project by an acronym which already has too many meanings or confused definitions.

Autonomous Learning Systems is the result of over a decade of focused research and studies in this emerging area which spans a number of well-known and well-established disciplines that include machine learning, system identification, data mining, fuzzy logic, neural networks, neuro-fuzzy systems, control theory and pattern recognition. The evolution of these systems has been both industry-driven with an increasing demand from sectors such as defence and security, aerospace and advanced process industries, bio-medicine and intelligent transportation, as well as research-driven – there is a strong trend of innovation of all of the above well-established research disciplines that is linked to their on-line and real-time application; their adaptability and flexibility. Providing an introduction to the key technologies, detailed technical explanations of the methodology, and an illustration of the practical relevance of the approach with a wide range of applications, this book addresses the challenges of autonomous learning systems with a systematic approach that lays the foundations for a fast growing area of research that will underpin a range of technological applications vital to both industry and society. Key features: Presents the subject systematically from explaining the fundamentals to illustrating the proposed approach with numerous applications. Covers a wide range of applications in fields including unmanned vehicles/robotics, oil refineries, chemical industry, evolving user behaviour and activity recognition. Reviews traditional fields including clustering, classification, control, fault detection and anomaly detection, filtering and estimation through the prism of evolving and autonomously learning mechanisms. Accompanied by a website hosting additional material, including the software toolbox and lecture notes. Autonomous Learning Systems provides a ‘one-stop shop’ on the subject for academics, students, researchers and practicing engineers. It is also a valuable reference for Government agencies and software developers.

This collection of twenty-three timely contributions covers a well-selected repertory of topics within the autonomous systems field. The book discusses a range of design, construction, control, and operation problems along with a multiplicity of well-established and novel solutions.

This prescient Research Handbook analyses the ethical development of Artificial Intelligence systems through the prism of meaningful human control. It encapsulates a multitude of disciplinary lenses including technical, philosophical and legal, making a crucial contribution to the ongoing discourse about control and responsibility in the field of AI.