Intermediate Robot Building

For readers of Robot Building for Beginners (Apress, 2002), welcome to the next level! Intermediate Robot Building offers the kind of real-world knowledge that only an experienced robot builder can offer—the kind of knowledge beginners usually have to learn through mistakes. In this book, you'll learn the value of a robot heartbeat and the purpose of the wavy lines in photocells. You'll find out what electronic part you should sand. You'll discover how a well-placed switch can help a robot avoid obstacles better than a pair of feelers. And you'll avoid mistakes that can cause a capacitor to explode.

Want a robot that can explore rooms, follow lines, or battle opponents in mini-sumo? This book presents step-by-step instructions and circuit and part descriptions so that you can build the robot featured in the book or apply the modules to your own robot designs.

Finally, you'll find the complete schematics for Roundabout, a room explorer that requires no programming and uses only off-the-shelf electronics. With Roundabout, you'll use many of the same techniques used by professional robotics engineersand you'll experience many of the same challenges and joys they feel when a robot "comes to life."