Foundations of Robotics

This textbook explores the foundational principles of robotics, focusing on its core pillars: modeling, planning, and control. Balancing mathematical rigor and physical intuition, a coherent formalism is established and used throughout the book. At the same time, technological challenges and application-driven solutions are given appropriate consideration.

With a general perspective that includes both fixed-base manipulators and mobile robots, the book presents the essential tools for understanding key topics such as kinematics, statics, trajectory planning, dynamics, and motion control. In its second part, more advanced topics are addressed, including wheeled robots, visual control, motion planning, force control, flexible robots and cooperative manipulation.

To support the learning process, appendices provide essential background material on linear algebra, mechanics, differential geometry, control theory, and graph search algorithms. The practical implementation of the methodologies is emphasized throughout, with over 50 worked examples and case studies, many supported by simulations. Additionally, more than 190 end-of-chapter problems are included, with a Solutions Manual available for instructors adopting the book for their courses.

Foundations of Robotics is designed for use as a textbook in both undergraduate and graduate robotics courses within engineering programs, making it an ideal resource for students and educators alike.

Bruno Siciliano is Professor of Robotics at University of Naples Federico II, where he is the Director of PRISMA Lab. He is also Honorary Professor at Óbuda University, where he holds the Kálmán Chair. He is a Fellow of IEEE, ASME, IFAC, AIIA and AAIA. He has received wide international recognition including the recent IEEE RAS Pioneer in Robotics and Automation Award (2024) and Engelberger Award (2022). He has published over 450 journal and conference papers and 24 books. His book Robotics: Modelling, Planning and Control is one of the most widely adopted textbooks worldwide and has been translated into Chinese, Greek and Italian. He is co-editor of the Springer Tracts in Advanced Robotics series and the Springer Proceedings in Advanced Robotics series. He has co-edited the Springer Handbook of Robotics that has received the AAP PROSE Award for Excellence in Physical Sciences & Mathematics and has also been the winner in the category Engineering & Technology (2009). He has delivered over 30 keynotes and 150 invited talks at institutions worldwide. His research team has been granted over 25 European projects, including a Synergy Grant and an Advanced Grant from the European Research Council. He has served the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society as President (2008‒2009), Vice-President for Technical Activities (2000‒2003) and Vice-President for Publications (2008), as a member of the AdCom (1996‒1999, 2005), and as a Distinguished Lecturer (2004‒2007). He has served on the Editorial Boards of several journals as well as Chair or Co-Chair for numerous international conferences. He has been a Board Director of the European Robotics Association (2013‒2021). Professor Siciliano is currently an IFAC Pavel J. Nowacki Distinguished Lecturer, a member of the International Foundation of Robotics Research Board, and a member of the Nature Italy Board of Trustees.

Luigi Villani is Professor of Control and Robotics at University of Naples Federico II. He is one of the founders of PRISMA Lab. He has published over 200 papers in international journals and conferences, and he has co-authored three textbooks, one of which is the well-known Robotics: Modelling, Planning and Control. He is a contributing author to the award-winning Springer Handbook of Robotics and of the book Robotics Goes MOOC: Knowledge. He has been Associate Editor of IEEE Transactions on Robotics (2007‒2011), IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technology (2005‒2011), and IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters (2016‒2017), and he has served on the Program Committee of many international conferences.

Giuseppe Oriolo is Professor of Control and Robotics at Sapienza University of Rome, where he is the Director of DIAG Robotics Lab. He is an IEEE Fellow. He has published over 230 papers in international journals and conferences, with four best paper awards. He has co-authored two textbooks, one of which is the well-known Robotics: Modelling, Planning and Control. He is a contributing author to the award-winning Springer Handbook of Robotics. He has been Associate Editor (2001‒2005) and Senior Editor (2009‒2014) of the IEEE Transactions on Robotics, Area Chair for the RSS conference series (2008‒2009), Editor of the Conference Paper Review Board for the IROS Conference series (2014‒2016). He has served on the Program Committees of numerous international conferences.

Alessandro De Luca is Professor of Automation and Robotics at Sapienza University of Rome, where he has been the first Director of the Master in Control Engineering (2014‒2019). He is an IEEE Life Fellow. He has published over 240 papers in international journals and conferences, with four best paper awards. He is a contributing author to the award-winning Springer Handbook of Robotics. He has received the Helmholtz-Humboldt Research Award (2005) and the IEEE George Saridis Leadership Award in Robotics and Automation (2019). He has been the founding Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Transactions on Robotics (2004‒2008) and Vice-President for Publication Activities of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society (2012‒2013). He has been the General Chair of ICRA 2007, the Program Chair of ICRA 2016, and the Chair of the Panel in Systems and Communication Engineering for Advanced Grants of the European Research Council (2009‒2013). He has been the Coordinator of the European research project SAPHARI (2011‒2015) on safe physical human‒robot interaction.