This volume argues for a new image of science that understands both natural and social phenomena to be the product of mechanisms, casting the work of science as an effort to understand those mechanisms. Glennan offers an account of the nature of mechanisms and of the models used to represent them in physical, life, and social sciences.

This volume presents the latest research and industrial applications in the areas of mechanism science, robotics and dynamics. The respective contributions cover such topics as computational kinematics, control issues in mechanical systems, mechanisms for medical rehabilitation, mechanisms for minimally invasive techniques, cable robots, design issues for mechanisms and robots, and the teaching and history of mechanisms. Written by leading researchers and engineers, and selected by means of a rigorous international peer-review process, the papers highlight numerous exciting ideas that will spur novel research directions and foster multidisciplinary collaborations. They reflect the outcomes of the 8th European Conference on Mechanism Science (EuCoMeS) in 2020.

This volume addresses fundamental issues in the philosophy of science in the context of two most intriguing fields: biology and economics. Written by authorities and experts in the philosophy of biology and economics, Mechanism and Causality in Biology and Economics provides a structured study of the concepts of mechanism and causality in these disciplines and draws careful juxtapositions between philosophical apparatus and scientific practice. By exploring the issues that are most salient to the contemporary philosophies of biology and economics and by presenting comparative analyses, the book serves as a platform not only for gaining mutual understanding between scientists and philosophers of the life sciences and those of the social sciences, but also for sharing interdisciplinary research that combines both philosophical concepts in both fields. The book begins by defining the concepts of mechanism and causality in biology and economics, respectively. The second and third parts investigate philosophical perspectives of various causal and mechanistic issues in scientific practice in the two fields. These two sections include chapters on causal issues in the theory of evolution; experiments and scientific discovery; representation of causal relations and mechanism by models in economics. The concluding section presents interdisciplinary studies of various topics concerning extrapolation of life sciences and social sciences, including chapters on the philosophical investigation of conjoining biological and economic analyses with, respectively, demography, medicine and sociology.

This book collects the most recent advances in mechanism science and machine theory with application to engineering. It contains selected peer-reviewed papers of the sixth International Conference on Mechanism Science, held in Nantes, France, 20-23 September 2016, covering topics on mechanism design and synthesis, mechanics of robots, mechanism analysis, parallel manipulators, tensegrity mechanisms, cable mechanisms, control issues in mechanical systems, history of mechanisms, mechanisms for biomechanics and surgery and industrial and nonindustrial applications.

After two succesful conferences held in Innsbruck (Prof. Manfred Husty) in 2006 and Cassino in 2008 (Prof Marco Ceccarelli) with the participation of the most important well-known scientists from the European Mechanism Science Community, a further conference was held in Cluj Napoca, Romania, in 2010 (Prof. Doina Pisla) to discuss new developments in the field. This book presents the most recent research advances in Mechanism Science with different applications. Amongst the topics treated are papers on Theoretical kinematics, Computational kinematics, Mechanism design, Mechanical transmissions, Linkages and manipulators, Mechanisms for biomechanics, Micro-mechanisms, Experimental mechanics, Mechanics of robots, Dynamics of multi-body systems, Dynamics of machinery, Control issues of mechanical systems, Novel designs, History of mechanism science etc.

This book contains the papers of the European Conference on Mechanisms Science (EUCOMES 2012 Conference). The book presents the most recent research developments in the mechanism and machine science field and their applications. Topics addressed are theoretical kinematics, computational kinematics, mechanism design, experimental mechanics, mechanics of robots, dynamics of machinery, dynamics of multi-body systems, control issues of mechanical systems, mechanisms for biomechanics, novel designs, mechanical transmissions, linkages and manipulators, micro-mechanisms, teaching methods, history of mechanism science and industrial and non-industrial applications. This volume will also serve as an interesting reference for the European activity in the fields of Mechanism and Machine Science as well as a source of inspirations for future works and developments.

The First International Symposium on the Education in Mechanism and Machine Science (ISEMMS 2013) aimed to create a stable platform for the interchange of experience among researches of mechanism and machine science. Topics treated include contributions on subjects such as new trends and experiences in mechanical engineering education; mechanism and machine science in mechanical engineering curricula; MMS in engineering programs, such as, for example, methodology, virtual labs and new laws. All papers have been rigorously reviewed and represent the state of the art in their field.