Robots, Androids and Animatrons

by John Iovine

An arm, an insect, or a human-like figure that walks, talks, and obeys commands are just a few of the projects that can be built by following the simple instructions in this state-of-the-art guide. John Iovine, a specialist in "fantastic electronics" shows how to create working robots and androids by combining off-the-shelf products and workshop constructed materials and devices.

Genres: Nonfiction, Robots

270 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1997

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good introduction to the subject for those interested in an overview and for people interested in some simple projects. It includes some simple circuits using NE555 timer chips and some electric motor drive circuits. An excellent part is the inclusion of air muscles with great how-to drawings and photographs. Using electric motors to move arms and such requires too much power and weight for many mobile devices. He does not take the next step of providing a mobile power source such as carbon dioxide cylinders, probably for safety reasons, but that would make the muscles really powerful.
Hard to rate this as there are many other more recent thick books on all the areas he covers - but as an introduction it is quite good.