Cybernics is the interdisciplinary fusion of humans and robots. It has special research implications for aging populations, among all of us in general. The book collects 16 modified lectures for self-study into four parts: Part 1, “Overview of Cybernics”; Part 2, “Cybernoid”; Part 3, “Next-Generation Interface”; and Part 4, “Management Technology for Next-Generation Systems.” A broad spectrum of students and practitioners should read this book.

The chapters conveniently begin with an abstract, keywords, and an introduction. Part 2 has five chapters primarily focused on motion issues. Chapter 3, “Robot Motion Control for Physical Assistance,” contains the most advanced algorithms in the text. Most chapters may be profitably read without specialized knowledge. One interesting chapter considers research for regenerating spinal cord injuries utilizing olfactory stem cells.

Photographs, drawings, charts, and end-of-chapter reference lists are common. Next-generation interfaces augment humans. This might, for example, involve mediated communication or robotics that support childhood education, which are covered in two chapters. Ethical considerations are sprinkled throughout the material.

Part 4 has three chapters, two of which address ethics, safety, and human assistive robots. The last chapter, “Standards and Statutes: ‘Soft’ Law and ‘Hard’ Law,” addresses how standards shall be set in light of intellectual property and competition law.

A comprehensive index is quite useful for the casual reader. One concludes the book with the impression that cybernics is a cutting-edge future research and development field that will have explosive growth. This book grows both understanding and excitement about what the future may hold. Possibilities abound.