Books
The American Robot by
Although they entered the world as pure science fiction, robots are now very much a fact of everyday life. Whether a space-age cyborg, a chess-playing automaton, or simply the smartphone in our pocket, robots have long been a symbol of the fraught and fearful relationship between ourselves and our creations. Though we tend to think of them as products of twentieth-century technology--the word "robot" itself dates to only 1921--as a concept, they have colored US society and culture for far longer, as Dustin A. Abnet shows to dazzling effect in The American Robot. In tracing the history of the idea of robots in US culture, Abnet draws on intellectual history, religion, literature, film, and television. He explores how robots and their many kin have not only conceptually connected but literally embodied some of the most critical questions in modern culture. He also investigates how the discourse around robots has reinforced social and economic inequalities, as well as fantasies of mass domination--chilling thoughts that the recent increase in job automation has done little to quell. The American Robot argues that the deep history of robots has abetted both the literal replacement of humans by machines and the figurative transformation of humans into machines, connecting advances in technology and capitalism to individual and societal change. Look beneath the fears that fracture our society, Abnet tells us, and you're likely to find a robot lurking there.
Call Number: TJ211 .A34 2020ISBN: 9780226692715Publication Date: 2020-03-27
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Applications in Civil, Mechanical, and Industrial Engineering by
In today's developing world, industries are constantly required to improve and advance. New approaches are being implemented to determine optimum values and solutions for models such as artificial intelligence and machine learning. Research is a necessity for determining how these recent methods are being applied within the engineering field and what effective solutions they are providing. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Applications in Civil, Mechanical, and Industrial Engineering is a collection of innovative research on the methods and implementation of machine learning and AI in multiple facets of engineering. While highlighting topics including control devices, geotechnology, and artificial neural networks, this book is ideally designed for engineers, academicians, researchers, practitioners, and students seeking current research on solving engineering problems using smart technology.
ISBN: 1799803031Publication Date: 2019-11-29
Engineering Transition by
Transition Engineering: Building a Sustainable Future examines new strategies emerging in response to the mega-issues of global climate change, decline in world oil supply, scarcity of key industrial minerals, and local environmental constraints. These issues pose challenges for organizations, businesses, and communities, and engineers will need to begin developing ideas and projects to implement the transition of engineered systems. This work presents a methodology for shifting away from unsustainable activities. Teaching the Transition Engineering approach and methodology is the focus of the text, and the concept is presented in a way that engineers can begin applying it in their work.
ISBN: 9780367362430Publication Date: 2019-09-30
Engineering Your Future by
Engineering Your Future: A Comprehensive Introduction to Engineering, Ninth Edition, is an authoritative guide to the academic expectations and professional opportunities in engineering, a field that is both academically rigorous and creatively demanding. Today's engineering students are facedwith endless career opportunities. Engineering Your Future clarifies those options and directs students down the path to a rewarding career in the engineering field. Featuring exceptionally broad coverage, it offers instructors unparalleled flexibility for any introductory course.The market is segmented between a soft approach to engineering-leaving out math and physics altogether, and a more comprehensive approach to engineering including math and physics. Oakes Brief is for the former segment and Oakes Comprehensive is for the latter segment. The book is successful becauseit covers the basic course needs well.
Call Number: TA157 .O223 2018ISBN: 9780190279264Publication Date: 2016-12-28
Hacking Darwin by
"A gifted and thoughtful writer, Metzl brings us to the frontiers of biology and technology, and reveals a world full of promise and peril." -- Siddhartha Mukherjee MD, New York Times bestselling author of The Emperor of All MaladiesandThe Gene Passionate, provocative, and highly illuminating, Hacking Darwin is the must read book about the future of our species for fans of Homo Deusand The Gene. After 3.8 billion years humankind is about to start evolving by new rules... From leading geopolitical expert and technology futurist Jamie Metzl comes a groundbreaking exploration of the many ways genetic-engineering is shaking the core foundations of our lives -- sex, war, love, and death. At the dawn of the genetics revolution, our DNA is becoming as readable, writable, and hackable as our information technology. But as humanity starts retooling our own genetic code, the choices we make today will be the difference between realizing breathtaking advances in human well-being and descending into a dangerous and potentially deadly genetic arms race. Enter the laboratories where scientists are turning science fiction into reality. Look towards a future where our deepest beliefs, morals, religions, and politics are challenged like never before and the very essence of what it means to be human is at play. When we can engineer our future children, massively extend our lifespans, build life from scratch, and recreate the plant and animal world, should we?
ISBN: 9781492670094Publication Date: 2019-04-23
The Perfectionists by
The revered New York Times bestselling author traces the development of technology from the Industrial Age to the Digital Age to explore the single component crucial to advancement--precision--in a superb history that is both an homage and a warning for our future. The rise of manufacturing could not have happened without an attention to precision. At the dawn of the Industrial Revolution in eighteenth-century England, standards of measurement were established, giving way to the development of machine tools--machines that make machines. Eventually, the application of precision tools and methods resulted in the creation and mass production of items from guns and glass to mirrors, lenses, and cameras--and eventually gave way to further breakthroughs, including gene splicing, microchips, and the Hadron Collider. Simon Winchester takes us back to origins of the Industrial Age, to England where he introduces the scientific minds that helped usher in modern production: John Wilkinson, Henry Maudslay, Joseph Bramah, Jesse Ramsden, and Joseph Whitworth. It was Thomas Jefferson who later exported their discoveries to the fledgling United States, setting the nation on its course to become a manufacturing titan. Winchester moves forward through time, to today's cutting-edge developments occurring around the world, from America to Western Europe to Asia. As he introduces the minds and methods that have changed the modern world, Winchester explores fundamental questions. Why is precision important? What are the different tools we use to measure it? Who has invented and perfected it? Has the pursuit of the ultra-precise in so many facets of human life blinded us to other things of equal value, such as an appreciation for the age-old traditions of craftsmanship, art, and high culture? Are we missing something that reflects the world as it is, rather than the world as we think we would wish it to be? And can the precise and the natural co-exist in society?
Call Number: TA19 .W56 2018ISBN: 9780062652553Publication Date: 2018-05-08
Radical Matter by
A must- have for professionals at the cutting edge of design, Radical Matter: Revolutionary Materials and Design for a Sustainable Future presents the ten "Big Ideas" that will shape and inform the choices of materials, design methods, and manufacturing processes made by designers in the years to come.Drawing from a worldwide community of designers who are pushing boundaries with innovative works that go beyond the notion of "sustainable design," Radical Matter demonstrates how holistic systems of design, production, and consumption will benefit our world environmentally, socially, and economically.The ten "Big Ideas" unpack the themes that are impacting our material world through cutting-edge case studies and expert opinions: Repair Is Beautiful; Today's Trash, Tomorrow's Raw Material; Natural Assets; The Waste Revolution; Lessons from the Past; Co-Creation; Material Connections; Short Life Materials; Living Materials; and Future Mining. The book includes an invaluable directory of resources for cutting-edge materials and a definitive list of global research centers, innovation hubs, academic courses, and material libraries. Radical Matter contains a wealth of information to help design professionals and students turn revolutionary concepts into reality.
Call Number: TS171.4 .F72 2018ISBN: 9780500519622Publication Date: 2018-04-17
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- NSF - EngineeringInvestments in engineering research and education are critical building blocks for the nation's future prosperity. Engineering breakthroughs address national challenges, such as smart manufacturing, resilient infrastructure and sustainable energy systems. Engineering also brings about new opportunities in areas ranging from advanced photonics to prosthetic devices.
Research funded by the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Directorate for Engineering (ENG) has enriched the understanding of natural systems, enhanced electronics, fortified the nation's infrastructure and introduced the exciting possibilities of engineering to the next generation.