ABSTRACT
This chapter tries to give the reader a feel for the sorts of analytical tools that one needs in the study of robotic manipulation. It adoptes a mathematical point of view because of its compactness. The chapter suggests that the technological progress in the years to come will be on a broad front spanning teleoperation, virtual reality, and dextrous manipulation. It gives a brief description of the sorts of environments in which robots will be found. One of the chief areas for the future (and current) use of robots of the conventional size is in hazardous environments. Mining environments are similarly hazardous and there are already quite a few different kinds of mining vehicles and arms that can be remotely operated. Remote surgery is being explored for use on the battlefield and in space, and with greater intelligence, control, and sensing built into surgical manipulators, one can conceive of surgical workstations in the not too distant future.
