Page 39 - Robot Builder's Bonanza

8 WELCOME TO THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF ROBOTICS!

Figure 1-4 Schematics are like
road maps for building electronics.
You only need to learn about a
dozen common symbols, and you’re
well on your way to building the
typical robot circuit.

PROGRAMMING BACKGROUND

Modern robots use a computer or microcontroller to manage their actions. In this book you’ll
find plenty of projects, plans, and solutions for connecting the hardware of your robot to any
of several kinds of ready- made robot brains.
Like all computers, the ones for robot control need to be programmed. If you are new or
relatively new to computers and programming, start with Chapter 36, “Programming Con-
cepts: The Fundamentals.” None of the projects in this book require expensive or complex
programming tools.

MECHANICAL BACKGROUND
Some robot builders are more comfortable with the mechanical side of robot building than the
electronic or programming sides— they can see gears meshing and pulleys moving. As with
electronics, you don’t need an extensive knowledge of mechanical and engineering theory to
build robots.
This book provides several start- to- finish robot designs using a variety of materials, from
cardboard to space- age plastic to aluminum. If you’re a workshop beginner, you’ll find helpful
tips on what tools to use and the best materials for constructing your robot bodies.
If you’re one of those who just hate the idea of cutting a piece of wood, or drilling through
plastic, there’s good news: you’ll find plenty of mail- order sources for purchasing bare- bones
robot mechanics. You still need to assemble things, but you can get by with just a screwdriver.
These sources are listed in Appendix B, as well as throughout the book and on the RBB
Online Support site referenced in Appendix A.

THE WORKSHOP APTITUDE
To be a successful robot builder, you should be comfortable working with your hands. Even if
you don’t build your own robot bodies start to finish, you’ll need to assemble the parts using
basic tools.

01-chapter-1.indd 8 4/21/11 11:42 AM