This text for senior undergraduate and first-year graduate courses introduces the science and engineering of mechanical manipulation. Early chapters cover topics in mechanical engineering and mathematics, and later chapters cover control-theoretical material. Two final chapters look at topics related to computer science. The text emphasizes computational aspects of problems, with each chapter on mechanics containing a brief section devoted to computational considerations. The audience for the book is not restricted to mechanical engineers, and includes electrical engineers, computer scientists, and mathematicians. Author information is not given. Annotation c2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)