Homemade Robots

Introduction

The idea of building robots can seem daunting, but you don’t need to be an engineer, scientist, or wizard to get started. You need only some basic know-how and an open mind. Throughout this book, I’ll provide the knowledge you need to begin building robots. In exchange, I’m counting on you to be creative, inquisitive, and determined.

Robots come in many different types. Some robots, called humanoids, are smart and humanlike. These are the kinds you typically see in movies and are probably most familiar with. Other robots are more abstract and sculptural. BEAM robots, for example, are small sculptural robots built on the principle of Biology, Electronics, Aesthetics, and Mechanisms. These robots perform simple actions using basic ...