The Robot: The Life Story of a Technology – $19.95

The book starts off well enough with background, but as soon as the author hits the more modern developments, she focuses on Mobile Robots and Humanoids. She has left out manipulators and redundant robots, as well as the difficulties and challenges ahead with respect to these areas, which tie in strongly with the areas she did focus on.

It is obvious the author decided to talk to only a handful of researchers, leaving out lab and groups whose contributions have been equal, if not more, in the field, such as The Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon (disclosure: I am not affiliated to that program in any way). Had the author prefaced her take on the state-of-the-art accordingly, the reader might get a better sense of the vastness and scope of the field, but to an unsuspecting or lay reader, this book might just end up providing some insight into only a few aspects of robots. In the end, the author leaves enough behind to make this book not quite are worthwhile a read as one would have liked.

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Robots fascinate us, and they have become increasingly important in post–World War II industry and space exploration. Where did the idea for such devices come from? What varied uses do they serve in our world, and where do they seem to be headed? Lisa Nocks traces the history of the robot, from the earliest concepts in ancient myth to mechanical toys of the Enlightenment, from the Jacquard punch card loom in the Industrial Revolution to Japanese car-making devices, and from rovers on Mars and the latest developments in artificial intelligence to the service robotics of the twenty-first century. This volume includes a timeline of important events, a glossary of terms, descriptions and statistics of robot labs and companies around the world, and a helpful bibliography of primary and secondary sources for further research.

Doing a science fair project is an inevitable part of any child’s school career. There are many things they can build, but nothing makes an impact like building a robot. But, if you’re not engineer minded or fluent in the physics behind designing one, it can be quite a task to help guide a child when putting together a well-designed robot.

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Building a robot can be difficult for young or old who do not know the engineering or physics behind building them. Robot Building for Beginners is for those who don’t know anything about building robots, and have only rudimentary knowledge of how to use a multimeter or have never heard of a resistor.

If you’re looking to jump start the interest of someone who doesn’t know anything about building robots, or trying to find out for yourself about the fun of putting together a robot, than this book makes a great first read. Continue Reading

Robot Building for Beginners (Technology in Action) by David Cook is for people who love to build robots or think they may love to build robots. Cook is an engineering manager at Motorola who has 20 years of experience as a software developer. He has created everything from award-winning computer games to mobile background-check applications for police. He is able to explain his years of robot experiences to the average backyard scientist in a comfortable and helpful manner. You may have heard of him before at the  popular robot site RobotRoom.com. Continue Reading