Everybody's favorite amateur robotics book is bolder and better than ever -- and now features the field's "grand master" Myke Predko as the new author! Author duo McComb and Predko bring their expertise to this fully-illustrated robotics "bible" to enhance the already incomparable content on how to build -- and have a universe of fun -- with robots. Projects vary in complexity so everyone from novices to advanced hobbyists will find something of interest.

NEW TO THIS EDITION:

30 completely new projects
All projects have been revamped to be more customizable
More visual -- illustrations of the final product are right at the beginning of the chapter

Everything you need to build from plans provided or create your own designs:
* Robot Basics * Construction Techniques * Computer and Electronic Control * Power, Motors, and Locomotion * Practical Robotics Projects * Sensors and Navigation * Robot Programming * Tips, Tricks, and Tidbits

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.0 based on 7 reviews)

Good book for enthusiast wannabes

The book has lots of good ideas for small scale projects. Some of the projects are defined better than the others. Who knows, may be it can turn some wannabes into real enthusiasts.

November 23, 2008

Survey vs. How to

I enjoy the 3rd edition of this book. What it does well is that it breaks up the problem of building a robot into multiple sections in which builders get ideas on what to change for their robots. This includes changes in anything from what sensors to use to recommendations and ideas about building your own chassis from wood to plastic to well, whatever. It also gives you a nice reference to places to get parts and also references to other books to get even more information on individual topics. It doesn't really get into the level that other McComb books did such as the Lasers, Ray Guns, and Light Cannons: Projects from the Wizard's Workbench by Gordon McComb - it instead just briefly surveys a great many topics across a very very wide spectrum of possibilities. It's great for ideas- but it seems to lack a bit of a universal thread such as a representative building example that goes through the whole design process. But then again, it's not an engineering textbook... it's a bonanza.
May 29, 2008

Robot Builder Reference

This is a good reference book for beginning robot builders. However, if you are really interested in getting started then invest the money into a cheap kit like Parallax's Basic Stamp2. Then move up to one of their robotics kits to get a hands on feel.
April 05, 2007

Interesting and informative

A good way to describe this book is a cross between a textbook, a trade journal, and a catalog. Being definately a large volume, it attempts to cover a lot of information in bite sized chapters. I would think the best use for this book is as a reference. You can build some of the projects listed in it as stand alone applications, but they work best when combining them with your own ideas, or supplementing info from other book projects.

All in all, this book is a good addition to a robot reference library.
March 07, 2007

Forget roboreptile, buy this book and build your own robot!

Why spend a lot of money on this year's big thing in robots - Roboreptile - and wind up with something that can only do a few basic commands and then falls over? Instead, buy this book, and you and your child can bond while building your own robots.

This is a very healthy update to the 2nd edition, and makes it well worth your while to purchase, read, and use as a reference book. The third edition has been updated to show most of the latest technologies that robot builders have been using. Gordon has done a very good job at organizing a wide variety of current information into his book, and Myke Predko is a welcome addition to the authoring team, bringing with him is vast knowledge of microcontrollers.

This book covers much of the basics of building robots, such as electronics, motors and motor control. There are plenty of diagrams, schematics, and details on the basics of building robots. There is even quite a bit of source code, and instructions on where to find and buy supplies for the projects outlined in the book. There are experiments with range finding, sound, ultrasonics, infrared, and a host of other popular technologies.

The first four parts of the book are on the technologies and skills needed to build robots, but part five gives you some sample robots to build where you can apply your knowledge. This includes a roverbot, a walking robot, and robots with arms that have gripping capabilities. The final sections of the book cover more advanced topics such as navigation, sensor integration, object detection, speech synthesis, and even computer vision. It's a great source for complete instructions unlike many other hastily constructed books on the subject that omit individual robot construction steps or get them wrong entirely. I highly recommend it for the budding robot building enthusiast.
December 09, 2006

SIMILAR PRODUCTS

Robot Building for Beginners
by David Cook

Robot Builder's Sourcebook : Over 2,500 Sources for Robot Parts
by Gordon McComb

Intermediate Robot Building
by David Cook

Building Robot Drive Trains (Robot DNA Series)
by Dennis Clark, Michael Owings

JunkBots, Bugbots, and Bots on Wheels: Building Simple Robots With BEAM Technology
by David Hrynkiw, Mark Tilden