Robot Book: Build & Control 20 Electric Gizmos, Moving Machines, and Hacked Toys
To Team Science and all the amazing teachers at PCHS MW
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS BOOKS DON T HAPPEN WITHOUT GREAT PEOPLE Thanks to all the people who helped turn an idea for The Robot Book into a reality Kathy Green for being a great agent Jerome Pohlen and the creative people at Chicago Review Press for making it look great Thanks to my wonderful family Michele you are amazing Nicole and Jordan for helping me build most of the activities in this book Although it is impossible to list them all a special thanks to all the great people I work
INTRODUCTION BUILDING ROBOTS SHOULD BE FUN Hacking old elec tronics and repurposing them is a start to something more complex Making robots or bots for short should be a creative and educational experience The activities in this book will help you get your feet wet in the robot world You will learn the basics of electronics and how simple robots function You will make things move shake and walk Program ming and building more complex robots are tasks for the future you will have to do much more work before you can create a robot to clean your room or do your homework This book starts with simple vibration bots Vibration bots use motors to make them move Next you will learn how to hack old toys and give them new life as your own personal robots Finally the book will give you some hints on where to go next if you love robotics Science should be fun and rewarding and experi mentation is the key Always start with a plan but realize that trial and error also can be valuable Don't be afraid to modify and change the plans in this book to make your own unique robots Have a blast and enjoy
