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Zoobots: Wild Robots Inspired by Real Animals
Innovations in the world of robotics are multiplying, with many cutting-edge breakthroughs, and this exciting and timely new book for young readers explores one particularly intriguing area: the world of robo-animals, or zoobots. In an attempt to design robots that can solve problems or perform tasks that humans can't, or just can't do easily, roboticists have been looking at the unique skills some animals have. Using something called mechatronics -- mechanical and electrical engineering combined with computer science -- they are finding ways to closely mirror those skills in robot form. Some fascinating examples from the book of what zoobots can do include: finding survivors of a fire using sensitive, computerized "whiskers"; scaling skyscraper walls using super stickiness; or delivering drugs deep within the human body using microscopic whiptails for locomotion. Twelve zoobots are described, each on its own two-page spread. Award-winning children's author Helaine Becker's text is comprehensive, yet clear and lively, and is made more manageable by being broken up into shorter segments. The futuristic design of the book includes vivid, detailed color illustrations by Alex Ries, of both the zoobot prototypes as well as the animals from which their skills were derived. This imaginative and interesting nonfiction book will definitely capture the imaginations of technology buffs. It also has enormous potential for classroom use in exploring everything from basic technology and robots, to engineering concepts, to inventions. A glossary and an index make it work well as a wonderful reference tool.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2014
1 person is currently reading
238 people want to read
About the author
Helaine Becker
97 books78 followersHelaine Becker has written over 70 books, including the #1 National bestseller, A Porcupine in a Pine Tree,and its sequel, Dashing through the Snow, Sloth at the Zoom, Dirk Daring, Secret Agent, the Looney Bay All-Stars chapter book series, non-fiction including Counting on Katherine, Worms for Breakfast and Zoobots (all Junior Library Guild Selections), Monster Science, You Can Read, Lines Bars and Circles, and Boredom Blasters, plus many picture books and young adult novels. She also writes for children’s magazines and for children's television. Her show Dr. Greenie's Mad Lab was a finalist at MIP.com Junior in Cannes.
She has won the Lane Anderson Award for Science Writing for Children twice,once for The Big Green Book of the Big Blue Sea and once for The Insecto-Files, and the Picture Book of the Year Award from the Canadian Booksellers Association for A Porcupine in a Pine Tree. She has also won three Silver Birch awards and a Red Cedar award.
Helaine Becker holds U.S. and Canadian citizenship. She attended high school in New York, university in North Carolina (Go Blue Devils!!!!) and now lives in Toronto with her husband and dog, Ella. She has two really handsome sons.
She has won the Lane Anderson Award for Science Writing for Children twice,once for The Big Green Book of the Big Blue Sea and once for The Insecto-Files, and the Picture Book of the Year Award from the Canadian Booksellers Association for A Porcupine in a Pine Tree. She has also won three Silver Birch awards and a Red Cedar award.
Helaine Becker holds U.S. and Canadian citizenship. She attended high school in New York, university in North Carolina (Go Blue Devils!!!!) and now lives in Toronto with her husband and dog, Ella. She has two really handsome sons.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
January 29, 2014
As usual I received this book free in exchange for a review. This time it was from NetGalley. Despite that kindness I give my candid thoughts below and attempt to write a balanced and well-rounded review. Let me know how I do!
In a nutshell this book centers around 12 animal-inspired robots. Each entry is formatted like a dossier giving the robot's name, team (land, air, water), realm (animal family to which it belongs), a few of its vital statistics, its potential uses and a bit about the animal that inspired it.
To the positive, I can see how this book might bridge that gap between animal-lover and future engineer. Lots of kids love animals and if you can somehow use that inspired interest to get them into more math and science classes then that's a real win. So conceptually this one has a great head start. Also, the text is detailed, engaging and seems at about the right level for a 10-12-year-old child. It uses words that they might find challenging but they're often defined in-line and there's a glossary if all else fails. Finally, even as an adult I find these machines potently fascinating so the topic has a broad range of undeniable appeal. It is also a great touch that for each 'Zoobot' they include a 'status' indicating just how far along production is.
On the negative side, I wish that they had included more actual photographs of their subjects. All the animals are real enough and many of the Zoobots are "working prototypes" but all the graphics are illustrations rather than photos. While they are great illustrations it gives the book a unnecessarily cartoonish feel. Also, each Zoobot has a header that's some seemingly appropriate verb. For example the pill bug Zoobot's header is "Spray!" with others of "Stick!", "Ripple!", "Whip!", and most off-putting of all "SNOOORRRFF!" I found these especially childish and rather a waste of space.
In summary, this book is solid but image is everything when it comes to kids. It's filled with interesting content but the presentation seems a bit childish in places and I'm concerned that it won't hit the target age group quite the right way. Or maybe I just have really picky kids.
In a nutshell this book centers around 12 animal-inspired robots. Each entry is formatted like a dossier giving the robot's name, team (land, air, water), realm (animal family to which it belongs), a few of its vital statistics, its potential uses and a bit about the animal that inspired it.
To the positive, I can see how this book might bridge that gap between animal-lover and future engineer. Lots of kids love animals and if you can somehow use that inspired interest to get them into more math and science classes then that's a real win. So conceptually this one has a great head start. Also, the text is detailed, engaging and seems at about the right level for a 10-12-year-old child. It uses words that they might find challenging but they're often defined in-line and there's a glossary if all else fails. Finally, even as an adult I find these machines potently fascinating so the topic has a broad range of undeniable appeal. It is also a great touch that for each 'Zoobot' they include a 'status' indicating just how far along production is.
On the negative side, I wish that they had included more actual photographs of their subjects. All the animals are real enough and many of the Zoobots are "working prototypes" but all the graphics are illustrations rather than photos. While they are great illustrations it gives the book a unnecessarily cartoonish feel. Also, each Zoobot has a header that's some seemingly appropriate verb. For example the pill bug Zoobot's header is "Spray!" with others of "Stick!", "Ripple!", "Whip!", and most off-putting of all "SNOOORRRFF!" I found these especially childish and rather a waste of space.
In summary, this book is solid but image is everything when it comes to kids. It's filled with interesting content but the presentation seems a bit childish in places and I'm concerned that it won't hit the target age group quite the right way. Or maybe I just have really picky kids.
October 5, 2014
First reviewed on Redeemed Reader
Anthropomorphic robots are the stuff of science fiction movies, but they really exist! Zoobots is a very well-organized, well-illustrated guide to some of the anthropomorphic robots which are in actual use right now. Ranging from robots based on the lowly roly poly all the way to the human-like Geminoid, the robots in Zoobots are each meticulously modeled after a particular living creature in an attempt to make use of that creature’s unique gifts and abilities. The resulting robots can do some amazing jobs—from delivering cancer-fighting medication at the cellular level to battling large-scale forest fires. Each robot is described using the following headings: “name,” “team,” “realm,” “super skill,” “specifications,” “applications,” and “special ops,” with a final section about the animal that inspired that particular robot. A detailed diagram of the robot and a drawing of the living creature accompany the text.
Of particular note for my conservative friends is the section describing each zoobot’s inspiration. Its title is “Evolved From” which appears to be designed to add to the feel of this book as a scientific tome on various animal species. This use of words is unfortunate because there is very little else on most of the robots’ pages that even hints at evolution. In fact, the mere existence of these amazing animal abilities and the team of humans that is required even to come close to mimicking those traits in robotic form showcases the marvelous complexity of creation itself. The Geminoid robot modeled after humans is also written in this vein, but the equating of humans with other animals is troublesome.
Anthropomorphic robots are the stuff of science fiction movies, but they really exist! Zoobots is a very well-organized, well-illustrated guide to some of the anthropomorphic robots which are in actual use right now. Ranging from robots based on the lowly roly poly all the way to the human-like Geminoid, the robots in Zoobots are each meticulously modeled after a particular living creature in an attempt to make use of that creature’s unique gifts and abilities. The resulting robots can do some amazing jobs—from delivering cancer-fighting medication at the cellular level to battling large-scale forest fires. Each robot is described using the following headings: “name,” “team,” “realm,” “super skill,” “specifications,” “applications,” and “special ops,” with a final section about the animal that inspired that particular robot. A detailed diagram of the robot and a drawing of the living creature accompany the text.
Of particular note for my conservative friends is the section describing each zoobot’s inspiration. Its title is “Evolved From” which appears to be designed to add to the feel of this book as a scientific tome on various animal species. This use of words is unfortunate because there is very little else on most of the robots’ pages that even hints at evolution. In fact, the mere existence of these amazing animal abilities and the team of humans that is required even to come close to mimicking those traits in robotic form showcases the marvelous complexity of creation itself. The Geminoid robot modeled after humans is also written in this vein, but the equating of humans with other animals is troublesome.
October 7, 2014
There are a lot of robots in with working prototypes or with prototypes in development and many of these are designed based on various animals we have today. Think of a giant fireproof pillbug filled with water that can help detect and put out forest fires. Or robotic cockroachs and starfish that can explore and infiltrate enemy bunkers…or work with search and rescue teams, getting through passages too small for people or dogs. Someone, some team, thought about the unique properties of each animal and how those properties could be used to aid people.
Each of 12 robots is presented on black facing pages with narrative printed in white and with large and vibrantly colored photos of both the robot described and the animal it is based on.
Very interesting book. 3rd or 4th grade and up through middle school, although many students will have a lot of questions. Most of these can be answered by putting the name of the robot into a Google search (Octobot, Whitesides Color Changer, etc.) but there are 1 or 2 with such common names the search becomes somewhat complicated. I would have liked to see something to tell us the scale of these robots, how big they are, and in the case of the Ole Pill Bug, how much water can it carry.
Each of 12 robots is presented on black facing pages with narrative printed in white and with large and vibrantly colored photos of both the robot described and the animal it is based on.
Very interesting book. 3rd or 4th grade and up through middle school, although many students will have a lot of questions. Most of these can be answered by putting the name of the robot into a Google search (Octobot, Whitesides Color Changer, etc.) but there are 1 or 2 with such common names the search becomes somewhat complicated. I would have liked to see something to tell us the scale of these robots, how big they are, and in the case of the Ole Pill Bug, how much water can it carry.
May 11, 2014
The bright, vivid pictures accompanied by straightforward, understandable text will attract children who enjoy reading about both science and animals. The definitions and uses of different animals as well as robotic pictures of animal robot prototypes will fascinate children. The only suggested enhancement would be to include some examples of wild animal robots that are currently being used. All of the zoo bots included in the text were prototypes. While they are fascinating it would be even more amazing to read about current ones being used.
September 13, 2016
This book is a great take on both robotics and animals. Each page gives a detailed description of the inspiration behind the robot, what its "super power" is, what it's purpose is, and how it works. This is followed by a picture of the prototype robot (or concept) and further description. My 8-year-old science and nature loving boy called the book "Awesome", even though the text is a little higher reading level. The text would be more appropriate for 4th - 8th graders. An interesting book that science focused kids will love!
May 19, 2014
Drawing on the characteristics of various animals, scientists are creating robots that can perform in the same way as those creatures while having the advantage of technology. Thus, robot prototypes based on the Pygmy Shrew, the Snake, the Gecko, the Bat, and even from Bacteria have been designed. Two pages show the animal that inspired the creation while describing what each one can do. I loved the names of some of these critters: Stickybot III, Octobot, and Shrewbot. This is technology at its most fascinating.
March 23, 2014
Heliane Becker has come up with a cute idea with her book Zoobots. I have to say the set up was my favorite part. The book is set up like a non-fiction animal book. Each bot gets one page with its facts and statistics. Informing the read so they know everything about that particular bot. Due to this it was not a read straight through book for me. It comes off as more of a fictional resource but still cute. 3 stars
December 14, 2015
Kids will love this, and it's got super cool scientific information, too. And while I personally think this is fascinating, I'm frustrated having to wonder WHERE is the bibliography information? It feels like it's possible that someone with a very creative mind made this whole thing up. And if it's a fictionalized book of "zoobots" that's fine, but it's definitely listed as a nonfiction book. Hmmmm...
July 30, 2014
My son loved this book and found the information fascinating. I also found it interesting to learn that robots are made so small and how far technology can go, he plans on using this as a science presentation for this years up and coming science fair. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to read this book!
September 15, 2014
I thought it was amazing because it made me think about what it whould be likeif they were relesed to the wild how will they react if they came across a real animal.I also found out that what it whould be like if like I was one of the animals and how I whoud react if I was one of them.That was why thisbook is amazing.
December 29, 2014
An amazing little book supposedly written for youth. It contains information that I have not seen in adult materials. It is succinct, understandable, and jam-packed with information. One section even talks about the combination of organic and inorganic materials in a bacterium. The illustrations are excellent but may not show a clear picture of the actual bot. A good book for all ages!
August 15, 2014
Very interesting concept and an attractive boo. However the lack of a bibliography or background information on the labs developing these robots will make it harder for young readers to check whether this is truly a nonfiction book or something along the lines of the Pacific Tree Octopus website.
November 12, 2014
A clever idea, with lots of kid appeal. I would have liked more information about how these are actually being used in real life, including real photographs. Unfortunately, there are no source notes or bibliography.
January 7, 2015
Fascinating stories of 12 robots that are being created, based on different animals. The text is clear and engaging and the illustrations are excellent. I wish references had been included but there was only an index and a glossary at the end.
February 13, 2014
This was entertaining and educational. I know lots of kids who will check this book out.
July 26, 2016
Full of fascinating, and kind-of scary, robot prototypes inspired by animals, including people.
July 26, 2014
Liked the book, got it for my niece trying to get her into robotics...thought it needed more Real Life images and robots but otherwise a great little read.
July 12, 2014
Awesome. Great for reluctant readers. Love to see how scientists have used inspiration from nature.
July 21, 2014
Find out about animals that have inspired some create and inventive robots! A great book to pair with a maker station!
September 4, 2014
Absolutely fascinating! The information about these zoobot prototypes is presented in a fun and engaging way. Readers will appreciate the format and enjoy the photos and illustrations.
December 2, 2015
Zoobots – Wild Robots inspired by Real Animals by Helaine Becker, illustrated by Alex Ries – Really cool to look through these inventive robots that were inspired by real animals.
December 23, 2015
Really cool robot animal features!
February 27, 2015
Robots modeled after insect and animal abilities.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews