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In a world suffering from an ageing population and declining birth rate, service robotics and mechatronics have an increasingly vital role to play in maintaining a safe and sustainable environment for everyone. Mechatronics can be used in the reconstruction or restoration of various environments which we rely upon to survive; for example the reconstruction of a city after an earthquake, or the restoration of polluted waters

This collection of papers was originally presented at the 7 th International Conference on Machine Automation, 2008, in Awaji, Japan, and covers a variety of new trends in service robotics and mechatronics.

Service Robotics and Mechatronics showcases the latest research in the area to provide researchers and scientists with an up-to-date source of knowledge and basis for further study, as well as offering graduate students valuable reference material.

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Keiichi Shirase is a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering of Kobe University, Kobe, Japan. He graduated from the Department of Mechanical Engineering of Kobe University in 1984, and received a DrEng degree in Mechanical Engineering from Kobe University in 1989.

He was a research associate in the Department of Mechanical System Engineering of Kanazawa University from 1984 to 1996. He moved to Osaka University, and was an associate professor from 1996 to 2003. Then, he moved to Kobe University in 2003 as a professor.

He is a member of ASME, JSME and JSPE (Japanese Society of Precision Engineering), and contributes to the technical activities as a committee member of JSME and JSPE.

His current research interests are Autonomous Machine Tools, Mechatronics, and Human Oriented Manufacturing Systems.

Seiji Aoyagi is a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering of Kansai University, Osaka, Japan. He received his BEng, MEng, and PhD in precision machinery engineering from the University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan, in 1986, 1988, and 1994, respectively. From 1988 to 1995, he was with the Department of Mechanical Systems Engineering of Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan, as a research associate and as an associate professor. He then moved to Kansai University and was an associate professor from 1996 to 2002.

His current research interests are Robotics, Mechatronics, and MEMS.

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