I am just starting out in robotics, and have read several amateur robotics books. I have some power tools in the garage, I vaguely remember a little bit about electronics from a course I took in college, and I love to build things. But before I read this book, I really didn't know anything about robotics.
This book (and it's follow-on companion, Intermediate Robot Building by the same author) is extraordinarily good. I believe it is absolutely the best book for the beginning roboticist. The author starts at the very beginning (what do resistors look like when you first get them from the store?), explains how to build a robot in wonderful detail (exactly how to solder, precisely what to look for in a multimeter), and makes it great fun with his obvious enthusiasm, the sense of accomplishment that you get when you understand something new, and his quiet humor.
In this book, the author has you build a specific small, wheeled robot called Sandwich. And you can absolutely follow him through every, careful, interesting step to build this exact robot. But in some sense, the specifics of Sandwich don't really matter. Perhaps you want to build a combat robot, an animatronic figure, or a soccer-playing RoboCup contestant. Every basic skill that the author shows you in this book is enormously useful in building any other kind of robot: making a robot base, choosing and mounting motors, designing a circuit, wiring up LEDs. You have to start somewhere, and this is the place to start. He tells you exactly what parts to look for, and where to get them. And he explains EVERYTHING, so that by the time you put the book down, you really KNOW things.
I have seen many other amateur robotics books. Every other book I have read (again, except for the sequel to this book) skips over big details, over gives a broad scattershot overview, or points you in the right direction but leaves the specifics to the reader. Those other books have their uses, once you already have an idea of what building robots is all about. But this book gives you those very important first steps. And it's not the least bit overwhelming.
I can't recommend this book enough. It's a tour de force!
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