Customer Reviews

Insectronics : Build Your Own Walking Robot

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Although the book seems very thorough on the surface, as you begin to build the robot described, obvious flaws come to play, Parts seem to jump at you from nowhere, dimensions seem to be incorrect, and the "debugging" leaves something to be desired.

However, it is a good resource for the first time 'bot builder, and can get you thinking in the ways of design, construction and programming.

As for the bot itself... As reproduced exactly from the books instructions there are problems structurally, and programatically, that can be overcome with some ingeuity.

So, If you are looking for a fool proof step by step to bot building, try Gordon Mccomb's Robot builder Bonanza, however if you are a step or two into the game already, then get this book.

I've been a big fan of walking robots since seeing them on television all the time and wanted to build one, but, where to start?
*** This book is where it's at!! ***
I'm really impressed with this book. A lot of the other robotics books don't really give you enough information to actually build the robots but this one does - and is very detailed - right down to giving the exact aluminum cutting and drilling dimensions and then actually showing great pictures of what each finished piece looks like. So when I to put the pieces together it actually worked.
It gives all the info for making the circuit boards. I was always apprehensive about making printed circuit boards but they turned out great and made the robot look so professional.
The cool thing about programming the robot is that the author includes all the .HEX files (and you can download them from a website - listed in the book too) needed to program the microcontroller so you don't have to actually compile code if you don't want to. The only thing is that you need a Pic programmer but it was very inexpensive but you can get a pre-programmed chip from the website too. Way cheaper than using a Basic stamp...
The infrared sensor chapter makes building an affordable sensor really easy - I actually used if for a different project too.
The room mapping with the sonar sensor is fascinating because it seems like the robot is really alive the way it knows where to go.
I'm going to add the radio control - haven't yet - but it looks pretty easy to interface to the microcontroller. And then use this technique for a video camera.
The gripper design looks great too - it could also be used for a robot arm if you wanted.
I have to say that for the low price of the book you get much great info!!
Even if you don't build the exact robot in the book, the detailed practical information about interfacing, motion control and sensor monitoring can be used for any project.
This bot is going to be useful for some artificial intelligence software that I intend to write - a perfect platform for experimentation.
The author writes in a style that makes is easy to understand and he has a way of simplifying the hard stuff... and the robot really does seem like it's alive.

I've been building robots for several years now and this has to be the best book on the subject of building a walking robot! Easy to follow instructions and explanation of the code make this a winner in my book! The Author has a website that allows you to easily download the code and templates for construction. This is a winner!

An excellent book if you want to build a walking robot that really works!! I've been looking for a book like this for years. The details for building the mechanics and electronics are actually very exact and accurate. I had absolutely no problems building two of these robots. This book even gives the printed circuit board design artwork for the microcontroller board circuit and the infrared sensors, which none of the other robotics books do. This book is packed full of great practical knowledge like interfacing a radio remote control system, sonar rangefinding, and an excellent robot gripper - among other things... WELL WORTH THE MONEY. I also bought Amphibionics which is also a great book with plans for four biologically inspired robots - a really cool snake robot, frog, aligator and turtle.

This is an excellent way of learning about the PIC microcontroller. I personally learn best by hands on experience. Karl Williams shows you everything about assembling a robot from scratch. Great Job! You can find parts at [website] or build it on your own.

None better.
The book is laid out so you complete building steps in stages. Every piece is diagramed and dimensioned. If you can cut and drill this book will get you up and walking.
The later chapters provide enhancements such as a gripper and how to hookup radio control.
Karl Williams has taken a complex topic and done an excellent job of distilling it to very usable directions.

Karl Williams shows you how to build robots from scratch using parts from you local electronics parts store. You get your hands dirty by learning how to assemble every aspect of a robot. From cutting pieces of aluminum parts to programming microcontrollers, youll learn it all in this book. Its a great place to start for the beginner robot builder on a budget or the advanced builder trying to learn some new techniques. I highly recommend it. Also see his new book Amphibionics.

This book is truly amazing for robot hobbyist like me. I built a different robot using Karl Williams instructions even though it for the robot in his book. I built the robot too and it's real easy to build. I built the main controller board using a solderless breadboard and made the infared sensor board using the radioshacks PCB kits, it was a little different though. For the programs I had to tweak them because i couldn't afford the Picbasic pro, so with my little imagination I got some of the programs to work. This book is a must get and it's one of my favorites too. if you want to built a walking robot this one is worth building. so don't just look and read the book build it and I promise you will have lot's of fun just messing around with it.

Although it is becoming out-of-date, it is still a very helpful source for beginners like me. It covers many aspects of robot design around a complete sample robot project. The topics it partially covers are shortly; PCB making, PIC circuit design and PIC programming, legged robots walking gaits, robotic sensors.

This book is incomplete. The author leaves some vital information out on most if not all of the electronic components of the build.The book is well organized but the lists provided are not specific enough! For
example,Mr.Williams tells you to purchase a 4 MHZ crystal, 78L05 voltage regulator etc. But what he neglects to tell you is were to get these parts,who makes them,and the specific part number. The problem lies in
fact that there many variations of these parts. Finding the right parts
so far on the internet has been a guessing game at best and a complete waste of my time! And forget about getting any help from the author or his website. It's been three and half months since I e-mailed him without
a single reply. He sells the circuit boards on his website, but doesn't
have a shopping cart to make the purchase. Of coarse, if he doesn't answer e-mails, would you want to send your hard earned money to this guy? Until Mr. Williams provides all the necessary information in his book and on his website you to will be disappointed too.