Robot Building For Dummies [Paperback]

Roger Arrick (Author), Nancy Stevenson (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0764540696 | ISBN-13: 978-0764540691 | Publication Date: October 10, 2003 | Edition: 1

Discover what robots can do and how they work

Find out how to build your own robot and program it to perform tasks

Ready to enter the robot world? This book is your passport! It walks you through building your very own little metal assistant from a kit, dressing it up, giving it a brain, programming it to do things, even making it talk. Along the way, you'll gather some tidbits about robot history, enthusiasts' groups, and more.

The Dummies Way
* Explanations in plain English
* "Get in, get out" information
* Icons and other navigational aids
* Tear-out cheat sheet
* Top ten lists
* A dash of humor and fun

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Discover what robots can do and how they work

Find out how to build your own robot and program it to perform tasks

Ready to enter the robot world? This book is your passport! It walks you through building your very own little metal assistant from a kit, dressing it up, giving it a brain, programming it to do things, even making it talk. Along the way, you’ll gather some tidbits about robot history, enthusiasts’ groups, and more.

The Dummies Way

• Explanations in plain English
• "Get in, get out" information
• Icons and other navigational aids
• Tear-out cheat sheet
• Top ten lists
• A dash of humor and fun

About the Author

Roger Arrick is president and founder of Arrick Robotics, a maker of PC-based motion control systems for a variety of scientific applications. Robot building is his hobby and his passion.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 1 edition (October 10, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764540696
• ISBN-13: 978-0764540691
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #155,233 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Good resource, but only if you want to build his kit, December 27, 2004

By 

Charles Lindsay (Burley, ID US) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Robot Building For Dummies (Paperback)

I bought this book thinking it would tell me how to program my own robot, and maybe how to make one from scratch. It just tells you a little bit of the basics, them moves on how to build the robot on his site. But it is an excellent book if you can afford his kit and dont want to move on to anything very advanced.

51 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't waste your money on the book or the required $318 kit, May 24, 2004

By 

boter_99 "boter_99" (Boston, Ma USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Robot Building For Dummies (Paperback)

I have been into the hobby of robotics for many years now and have to say that "THIS BOOK IS USELESS TO ANYONE HOPING TO BEGIN OR IMPROVE THEIR ROBOTICS SKILL SET". I was given this book as a gift for my birthday and have to admit it was a wasted gift. The first half (3rd actually) of the book is based on pure beginner how to and info, fine. Through out the basic discussion of gear ratios , batteries and electronics are references to the Arobot kit and how it is mentioned later. In the second half (3rd actually) of the book, where Roger starts the high level discussion on robotics, all you do is construct the $235 - $318 robot kit that he sells on his web page. The most helpful information in the whole book came from the list of 10's section (the last 3rd) found in all dummies books. If it weren't a gift I would have gotten my money back.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Got me started into robotics, October 10, 2004

By 

T Danson "tdanson" (LA, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Robot Building For Dummies (Paperback)

This book pretty easy to understand. Most others I looked at were too focused on one area or didn't show me how to actually get a real robot. I was reluctant to spend the money needed to buy a robot but finally did and it's awesome. I've added the light sensor and the camera with the movable head so far. This is my new hobby and its cool!

TD
Go Wranglers!