= Robotics
<Robotics> studies the design, modelling and control of machines that interact with their surroundings through sensing and motion. A robot combines <sensors>, <actuators>, computation and a mechanical structure. A <robot arm> must relate joint motion to the position and orientation of its end effector; a mobile robot must also estimate where it is relative to its environment.<Modern Robotics: Mechanics, Planning, and Control by Kevin M. Lynch and Frank C. Park>[Introductory scope; rigid-body configurations and motion]{ref}
<Kinematics> asks which motions a mechanism permits. Dynamics determines the <forces> and <torques> needed to produce them, while <feedback control> corrects deviations using measurements. A desired path is useful only when the mechanism can realize it within constraints such as motor effort, contact and obstacles. These connections make robotics a meeting point of <mechanics>, <geometry>, <statistical inference> and <control theory>.
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