Product Description

Bring a robot to life without programming or assembly language skills!

There's never been a better time to explore the world of the nearly human. With the complete directions supplied by popular electronics author John Iovine, you can:

• Build your first walking, talking, sensing, thinking robot
• Create 12 working robotic projects, using the fully illustrated instructions provided
• Get the best available introduction to robotics, motion control, sensors, and neural intelligence
• Put together basic modules to build sophisticated ‘bots of your own design
• Construct a robotic arm that responds to your spoken commands
• Build a realistic, functional robotic hand
• Apply sensors to detect bumps, walls, inclines , and roads
• Give your robot expertise and neural intelligence

You geteverything you need to create 12 exciting robotic projects using off-the-shelf products and workshop-built devices, including a complete parts list. Also ideal for anyone interested in electronic and motion control, this cult classic gives you the building blocks you need to go practically anywhere in robotics.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #177825 in Books
• Published on: 2001-10-29
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 270 pages

Review
From New Literature Section:

Build your own walking, talking, thinking robot with the projects covered in this book on amateur robotics. Providing you with the building blocks of electronics and motion control, the book enables you to construct a robotic arm that reponds to your spoken command, put together basic modules to create sophisticated robot designs of your own, and more. First-time robot-builders and advanced hobbyists can complete these projects without programming or assembly language skills. (Poptronics )

From the Back Cover
Bound to stir the imagination and inspire plans.--Poptronics, on John Iovine's PIC Microcontroller Project Book

MORE SENSORS--MORE SMARTS--MORE MOVES--MORE POWER--MORE CONTROL--MORE PROJECTS--LOWER COSTS--AMATEUR ROBOTICS COMES INTO ITS OWN!

Robots, Androids, and Animatrons Second Edition

The time has come for you to bring a robot to life! With the plummeting costs of microcontrollers, quantum improvements and price reductions in other technologies, and the availability of a slew of exciting components in the electronics marketplace, there's never been a better time to explore the world of the nearly human. With the complete directions supplied by popular electronics author John Iovine in this revised Robots, Androids, and Animatrons, you can:

• Build your first walking, talking, sensing, thinking robot
• Create 12 working robotic projects, using the fully illustrated instructions provided
• Get the best available introduction to robotics, motion control, sensors, and neural intelligence
• Put together basic modules to build sophisticated ‘bots of your own design
• Construct a robotic arm that responds to your spoken commands
• Build a realistic, functional robotic hand
• Apply sensors to detect bumps, walls, inclines , and roads
• Give your robot expertise and neural intelligence
• Do all of this without programming or assembly language skills

PERFECT FOR FIRST-TIME ROBOT BUILDERS--AND FOR MORE ADVANCED HOBBYISTS WHO WANT TO ADD TO THEIR SKILLS
If you have basic electronics abilities, Robots, Androids, and Animatrons gives you everything you need to create 12 exciting robotic projects using off-the-shelf products and workshop-built devices--including a complete parts list. Also ideal for anyone interested in electronic and motion control, this book--already a cult classic--gives you the building blocks you need to go practically anywhere in robotics. You'll find hours of amusement here --and perhaps the germ of your new best friend!

About the Author
John Iovine is the author of several popular TAB titles that explore the frontiers of scientific research. He has written Homemade Holograms: The Complete Guide to Inexpensive, Do-It-Yourself Holography; Kirlian Photography: A Hands-On Guide; Fantastic Electronics: Build Your Own Negative-Ion Generator and Other Projects; and A Step into Virtual Reality. He is also the “Amazing Science” columnist for Poptronics magazine.

Customer Reviews

Iovine's Robots,Androids and Animatrons:a great introduction
If you are looking for a comprehensive yet easily understood review and guide to robotics, this is a perfect book. After an introduction and history, the author discusses the primary elements of robots: power, drives and sensors. Then he explains one of the central topics in hobby robotics: neural networks. Iovine does an excellent job of contrasting this type of robot with more traditional types, and in doing so can save the novice many hours of research. The remaining chapters are devoted to specific types of robots--everything from battery powered "walkers" and solar-bots, to underwater and blimp-like devices. He also describes robotic arms, how to control robots with computers, and finally, how to construct an android hand! For all of these projects, Iovine provides schematic electrical diagrams and directions for construction.

This is indeed a terrific summary and guide to the fascinating field of hobby robotics.

Interesting and worthwhile
Robots, Androids and Animatrons covers a lot of bases. It provides tantalizing information and commentary on technology currently under development and envisioned for the coming few decades. The text is clear, and the projects are straightforward, creative and interesting. Iovine provides a taste of a variety of technologies, and ideas about where to go for additional, related information outside the scope of the book. This is not the consummate 'bot hobbyist's manual that McComb's Robot Builder's Bonanza is, but it will make a valuable addition to many an enthusiast's library. The style of the text is geared toward younger and less experienced readers. For example, Iovine discusses the BASIC Stamp, and does not discuss any other microcontrollers. He does not go into much detail or depth on any particular topic. I'd say that Iovine's audience is probably best represented by scientifically-inclined high-school students. However, there is an interesting section on employing DTMF (touch-tone dialing) for remote control which I think would tickle the fancy of any hobbyist. There are also sections on speech control, telepresence, pneumatics, and a robotic fish that contain information I haven't seen duplicated elsewhere. Not all of Iovine's projects are cheap. Some of the required parts are a little exotic, and may only be available through Images Company, to which John constantly refers. Readers seeking less expensive or alternative sources may have to get creative. But this is a minor inconvenience. Robotics isn't a cheap hobby, exotic parts are sometimes unavoidable, and Iovine's projects are super neat. His book is interesting and worthwhile.

Good Book if you have some electronics experience
This book is good for someone who has some electronic experience and seems to be geared toward a beginner in robotics (Not electronics).This book requires you know basic electronic components and gives a good platform to begin building robots. Not all the projects in this book are cheap and do require the purchase of the BASIC Stamp but the basic stamp is an important tool in building more complex robots as a person progresses into robotics.Overall it was well worth the money.