Robotics Books

The style of writer for explaining the contents is difficult to understand.
I need to repeatedly open the pages already read to understand the meaning of the contents.

But information of the resources and web info of the micom vendor and supplier is very usefull for me.

Si Ud. ya tiene experiencia con microcontroladores, este libro es de mucha uitilidad para revisar soluciones prácticas a problemas típicos. Yo personalmente ya realicé el experimento del control remoto (pág 371) y funciona muy bien, me estoy divirtiendo bastante y mi próximo objetivo es el NTSC.

A wealth of information! Such incredible projects! Video, Remote Control, Robotics, Servo, RS-232 Serial I/O. The author does a superb job at explaining many complex topics, and makes the instruction set easier with diagrams. The book is not really about the 8051 Microcontroller, but rather the family of 8051 compatible devices, which uses the Industry Standard 8051 set of instructions.

First off, a book should never be written in the first person. "I wrote this program...", "I did this better..", etc., etc. This guy loves to blow his own horn. More "I"s in this book than in a dark alley peep show. Very annoying to read with all of the "I"s and other bad grammar.

Second, if someone is new to the 8051 architecture this book is not for them. The author does a bad job of explaining many simple concepts, especially the 8051 memory layout. His diagrams and explanations are illogical and down right confusing. And when it came to more advanced topics such as serial IO via interrupts, hardly a peep of good information or examples.

There are many good books on 8051/8052 micro-controllers and this is definitely not one of them.

The author give me an impression that he just started to learn about 8051 right before starting to write this book.
In this book, it is not much explanation on the hardware features. Being able to connect to external memory is one of the biggest strength of 8051. Surprisingly, the author failed to eleborate on it. His book on PIC is a great book. However, I think he treats 8051 as PIC, which is not the objective of the 8051 book. The projects included in this book are more like PIC project, where small memory, I/O circuit is needed.

However, the programming portion in this book gives rather simple and not bad explanation to assembly language beginner like me. I think that is the only useful part in this book.

Hans Moravec 3D mapping technology will give computer depth perception; the capability of identify objects; and the ability to recognize texture, color, and material composition. Moravec initial 3D map prototype constructed a 256x256x64 cell volume equating to 4 million plus cells; the prototype used three cameras, produced a stereoscopic range, and generated 5,000 evidence rays in 5 seconds. The hope was the 3D map would allow robots to navigate effectively. CPU power was needed. 1,000 MIP is the minimum powered required to create the 3D map; the robot speed is a slow travel at this computational threshold; the 3D map will allow the robot to find doors, stairs, walls, and other 3D objects. 3D maps robots will be used by industrial companies and these robots will take the form of Automatic Ground Vehicles and fork-lift trucks and simple consumer vacuum cleaners.

Moravec three rules of robot success are: 1) The robot must be reasonable priced 2) The customer should not have to call in specialist to put a robot to work or to change its routine 3) The robot must be reliable for at least six months before encountering a problem or a situation requiring downtime for reprogramming or other alterations.

In the 90s, Dean Pomerleau built ALVINN, a neural network with 5,000 adjustable connections, whose desired desire was built to imitate a human driver; the NN output determined the steering position; some of the camera pictures simulated being further left in the lane with corresponding adjustments in steering; NN time to learn new roads was reduced to 5 minutes; the system provided neural interconnection weights for many road types. A new road type was determined by comparing the lower half of the image with the upper half and if they matched the road up ahead was the same locally, otherwise the new road type was added to the library. The NN input was a low resolution of the road using the blue from green substitution. In 1991, ALVINN traversed a busy 30km highway at 70km/h and Pomerleau earned his PHd.

Todd Jochem, a student of Pomerleau, built the next generation of code called RALPH. RALPH used 32x32 pixel low resolution picture of the road. The land ahead appeared as a wedge in the distance. If the road angles left or right, it estimated the blur in brightness changes, one cell from the next and the sharpest vector was kept. RALPH learning was instantaneous and driving became a technique of sliding over memorized vectors. RALPH drove from Washington DC to San Diego, 98.2% of the time in control, at an average speed of 100km/hr.

Rod Brooks declared the model based approach to robotics was unworkable. Brooks designed behavior control through layers, he called reflexes, for example, one behavior might cause the robot to steer away from an obstacle and another keep the robot traveling along the wall. The limiting ability to reflexive modeling was a limitation in cognitive ability, like a moth trapped in a street light. Brooks designed Cog which represented a larger number of learning reflexes allowing the robot to learn visually by imitation. Moravec thinks that reflexive technology will accomplish its desired goal, however, states, "I think there is a faster route, on that imitates at a higher level of abstraction" referencing conditioning modeling. Moravec concludes most practical automatic machines are behavior based.

The retina modeling is the benchmark breakthrough for the beginning of modern robotics. The retina is a centimeter across and a half millimeter thick and has 100 million neurons: horizontal cells which are light sensitive, narrower bipolar cells connected by Amacrine cells, and ganglion cell, which bundle to form the optic nerve. A million ganglion cells measure light intensity and differences over space and time. A 1000 MIPs machine could match the 10 scans a second.

1st generation robots will emerge around 2010 and possess 3,000 mips computation power; their size, shape, and strength will be human like; they will be efficient mobile devices on flat ground and able to traverse stair and manipulate everyday objects; and 2,4, and 6 legged robots will be able to cross most terrains and carry their own power supply, moving slowly, and for short distances. The robots will be heavy with perhaps three motors per limb. Movement may be done through shape bending alloys. A "Shape Bending alloy" bends at room temperature, but when heat is applied, it will return to its original shape with force. Robots will be able to perceive their surroundings with sensors, video camera configured for stereoscopic vision necessary to construct a 3D map and from the map it will be able to recognize locations, plan trajectories, and detect objects by color, shape, and location.

2nd generation robots will emerge around 2020 and have 100,000 MIPS, a 30 fold increase in computation power. 2nd gen robots will be capable of adaptive learning; the robots will adjust its behavior in response to the action past effectiveness, as the robot actual behavior is nudged closer to the human ideal. Robots will be packaged with learning models and probably be capable of being trained by humans through conditioning modules and these conditioning modules watch for desirable and undesirable situations that act on task oriented programs. Conditioning signals come in two categories: positive which raise the probabilities and negative which lowers the probabilities; character is a product of the suite of condition modules of he host. 2nd gen robots will be able to learned from 1st gen robots. 2nd gen robots will use central computer stimulations of robots, in action, to approximate results by gathering data and generalizing from the data, of other robots. A proper simulation would the result of thousands of learned models for various basic interactions and these simulations would be used to effectively construct condition suite by super central computers. 2nd generation robots will find jobs everywhere.

3rd generation robots will have 3 million MIPS and they will learn by faster through trial and error simulation, done by human supervision and super computers at the factory which will be capable of stimulating in real time. The robot will be able to recognize objects for what it is, so the proper interaction modules can be brought up called perception modules. Because these robots will be processing faster than real time they can run prediction simulations to determine if a response will turn out badly and alter its plan of action. In the spare time the computer could preplay previous experiences and try variations on them, learning new ways to improve performance and invent its own simple programs in response to a specialized conditioning module. Adaption is a process of corrective sequences of robot actions and how close they are to the desired end, very similar to the affects of genetic algorithms. These robots will need time to play and use their ability to adapt, imitate, and create simple programs of its own. They will have a theorm prover to find an absolutely correct solution, of arbitrary generality, subtlety, and deviousness, if one exists.

The 4th generation machine will have 100 million MIPS and advanced mechanized reasoning. These robots will write their own programs, understand natural languages, and understand concept and statements more deeply.

Philosophically Moravec wrestles with the word "IS". What is the purpose of this life? Mans purpose is too be born, learn good over evil, and gain increase through a family. Man environment provides beauty and enjoyment for man. A machine should never have dominion over a man. Moravec explains the purpose of man within the context of natural laws. He calls the natural laws stable, measurable, definable, and reliable. Any rationale beyond natural law is considered obscured. Existence cannot be explained by natural laws only. Even Moravec cannot advocate annihilation and clings to the idea that his consciousness will continue either in another form or through robots. God is the reason for mans existence and man exists to become like God. Since God exists than natural laws must be lower level laws. Moravec theorm is incomplete considering the final destination of man.

Man exists to chose between Good from Evil. A conditioning robot cannot expect to achieve this discernment unless higher moral laws govern it. The acquisition of intelligence is beneficial within a natural law sphere but does not necessary suggest the robot will be capable of choosing good over evil. The devil is very intelligent, yet he did not chose good over evil. If a man is more intelligent than his parents, do we call him better?

Suppose, a mans interactions are evil but the results are good, do we call him justified? If robots convert all matter into digital virtual reality, do we say ou existence has improved? An existence that is force upon us. Intelligence must yield to agency which is the freedom to act and not be acted upon. Intelligence alone can not to the reason for existing, intelligence is only part of the meaning of existence, choice and accountability is the larger portion of existence. Man choice is to learn and to discover the "why and how" knowledge necessary, too reject evil. This is not an automated task which can be programmed because opposition and temptation complicate the algorithm into a chaotic mess, of uncertain and solid morality, for an hedonist. A robot will not know how to choice good and evil because it can know sense a higher purpose and morality, so its action will not follow a higher purpose.

The best book on the future of robotics and automation! However, Hans believes robots are our wonderful mind children and should grow into powerful machines that evolve quickly past us. He is then horrified that some humans may transform themselves into machines and become very dangerous. Why won't his mind children be just as dangerous or more dangerous? At least a mind-transferred human might seek pleasure and fun. While Hans' logical AI robots make their galactic invasion plans!

Why not engineer automation to its pleasure giving limits? Instead of giving robots a high quality of life, design automation to increase EVERYONE quality of life and wealth on Earth???

We all wish to know what will ultimately become of us, of that which we care about, the people we love.
One way Mankind has of receiving answers to this is through Religion.
Another way is through speculating on the basis of scientific knowledge and understanding.
Here the Speculations are preceded by a survey of the current state of Robotics.
This is preliminary to a set of projections of the distant future in which biologically- based beings i.e. us , are going to be not supplemented but essentially transcended and replaced by silicon- system artificial intelligences, robots of Intelligence far beyond our own.
The old- style humans , those who choose not to somehow transmit their identities into the new ' super- silicon beings' will kind of hang on as patronized parasites enjoying life as one big freebie thanks to their successful successors.
At this point some of us ' cool' to what is to come.
Magnificent minds simulating scenarios of infinite alternative lives simply do not warm our old aging hearts.
The prospect of monstrously beautiful recombinations in hyperspace of cyberbeings just does not turn us on.
Our minds are in the more mundane, the smaller seeings of our own inner poetries, the lives we make the people we love.
This kind of speculative stuff seems a minor curiosity when measured against the thick, dense , impossibly , non- controllable unpredictability of our small everyday lives.
Forgive us, Future- see-ers of the great Machine- meaning, we are staying home with our own for now.

I'll readily and happily admit that I'm no expert in robotics or the theory of Artificial Intelligence; I've had exactly one course in the subject, and know most of what I know thanks to Scientific American, Popular Mechanics, and the like. With that caveat out of the way, I can say with absolute certainty that THIS BOOK IS RIGHT! THE ROBOTS ARE COMING! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!

Whoops, sorry, that's just wishful thinking. Seriously, this is a good book, well-written and interesting throughout. Though I personally felt that Moravec got a bit spacey (pun intended, if you've read the book) towards the end, the possibilities he raises are fascinating. As to how temporally accurate his predictions are, again, I can't say, though robotic vacuums did arrive essentially on schedule, and in general most of what he suggests seems feasible.

Like some of the other reviewers, I appreciate a book that runs counter, in large part, to the 'end-of-humanity' theme that seems to accompany the idea of robots gaining mind. As cool as "The Matrix," "Terminator," or "I, Robot" might be on the screen, a real-life instantiation of those themes would be less than cool. Being a fan of Occam's razor myself, I don't know that I'd expect the robots to expend enormous amounts of energy to enslave or exterminate us, assuming we didn't make ourselves too much of a nuisance, an this seems to be the tune Moravec himself sings.

Anyhow, this is a book that is occasionally puissant, hardly ever dull, and often thought-provoking. Any potential buyers may want to wait a few years, though, to see if Moravec keeps on schedule and releases a new version, as per his established pattern.

With high praise from such giants as Sir Arthur C. Clarke and Doctor David Brin on the dust jacket, I asked myself where I, unlettered and relative to them barely conscious, think I'm going trying to write a review. I have a friend who likes to say he never lets ignorance stop him from expressing his opinion on a subject. Guess I remember that one `cause it fits me so well, so here goes.
In his 1950 paper Computing Machinery and Intelligence, Alan Turing grouped the arguments opposing the possibility of machine intelligence into the following nine categories:
1- The Theological Objection - thinking is a function of the soul. Machines have no souls, so cannot think.
2 - The "Heads in the Sand" Objection - Thinking machines cannot be possible because the consequences would be too dreadful.
3 - The Mathematical Objection - Mechanical reasoning has certain provable limitations that human thought may not share.
4 - The Argument from Consciousness - Machines have no inner experiences to give meaning to their utterances, actions, or internal operations.
5 - Arguments from Various Disabilities - Machines will never be kind, moral, joyous, perceptive, original, etc.
6 - Lady Lovelace's Objection - Computers do only what we program them to do.
7 - The Argument from Continuity in the Nervous System - Nerves respond to arbitrarily tiny signal differences, while computers work in fixed-size steps.
8 - The Argument from Informality of Behavior - It is not possible to specify for a machine what to do in every possible circumstance a human might encounter.
9 - The Argument from Extrasensory Perception - Humans sometimes sense remote or future information unavailable to deterministic processes in computers.

Moravec provides current arguments countering each item above, but central to all seems to be this: the principle difference between human and machine is we are conscious. This state, however, is so complex we are unable to explain it. Neither do we understand how or from where it arises in our brains.
The author offers a compelling posit; If as of Robot's publication (1999), the most powerful computers could process a million MIPS (million instructions per second), computers capable of a billion MIPS should be just over the horizon. It will be then, Moravec projects, that the mysterious and exclusively human state we call "consciousness" will be revealed to be not exclusive at all, but merely the capacity to accumulate, process, and interpret sufficient amounts of data in the span of each instant of time - and that when this is achieved, computers will sense the state of their surroundings and thus become "conscious" in the same way we are.
He lays the groundwork for this leap carefully, detailing his personal experiences in robotics and the pace of advances in the field. Arriving at the present day situation, he then takes us step by careful step into the future. It's all completely understandable and reasonable. He's right - know what I'm saying?
Eventually though, his vision of the future exceeds my ability to absorb. I confess to less than a complete understanding of his universe of the future. One thing I did get loud and clear: there were no humans there.
Consider robots an intellectual mutation. These creatures we make will first surpass and then replace us, become us, probably in very much the same way we ourselves replaced the less capable lifeforms we arose from in the distant past. It's not a grim future the author envisions for humanity; it's a comfortable even spiritual retirement. Refuse to accept this, and you'll need to deny Darwin's theories too. Think about it.

Art Tirrell is the author of the underwater adventure novel "The Secret Ever Keeps" which does not contain robotics but does contain "...Simply put, the best underwater scenes I've ever read..." Meg W, reviewer.

Plenty of information for make very good projects, unfortunately for my taste, the autor only works with PIC microcontrollers, perhaps a very good book

This book is great for the beginner. Iovine explains the subject matter in a way that makes it exciting and fun. He has a way of getting the exciting vision of building robots across to the reader. The book makes it easy to get parts needed for the projects from the authors web site. I'm really looking forward to his new book, Pic Robotics!!!

I bought this book with the humble desire of creating a simple companion. After I finished, the Creation turned on me and my family and reprogrammed my VCR. It then proceeded to change the message on my answering machine. It somehow convinced my Nissan truck not to allow me inside. I fear for my life. How could I have let it go this far? All I really wanted was a cute little Furby but I ended up with a cyber-monster with dreams of wiping out humans and creating a robotic Utopian Hell.....other than that, the book was pretty cool.

The illustrations and text I found to be very helpful for a project I was working on, but the supplies the book recommends can usually de difficult to find, and can tend to be a bit pricy.
I recommend visiting a local toy store after deciding on a project, and buying toys with the parts you need. Its more fun to make one thing into another anyway.

This was the 3rd book I purchased on pics. The other 2 books - one by Myke Predko (awful), the other by David L. Benson (dissapointing.)

I wish this had been the first. Although not geared specificly towards pics, that was my reason for buying it. I was interested in pics and robotics; so this book was right up my alley.

Admittedly the book has numerous plugs for a company the guy obviously works for, owns, or gets kickbacks from! And he wants you to put out a considerable about of cash from the get go to purchase items he wants you to use in order to follow along with him. However, that doesn't bother me. I never build any projects I see in these type of books. I only use them for learning - I build my own projects.

This book did teach me quite a bit about pics. Which was my goal. He didn't bog you down with the history or innards of pics like other books. Which I am not interested in. The book was a great mixture of hardware and software topics...

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in pics... Subsequently I purchased another book by him simply because I saw his name on it and I wasn't dissapointed! I'm looking forward to other books by John Iovine in the future...

My hard-earned money....Down the drain. First, the kit does not come with the BASIC stamp needed to do the computer programming. That is extra and must be sent away for. That was the whole reason I bought the kit. To introduce my kids to the concept of a computer controlling something. This kit is an extremely poor value and very cheaply manufactured. The power switch came broken and I rigged up something to work so I would not have to send back. The tires would not stay on the wheels and had to be glued on. Further, it should have come with a hardcopy of the book, not a cdrom that someone needs a computer and printer to print out 200 pages of material. This is potentially the worst purchase I have ever made on Amazon.

I bought this product from a different place and had to wait a while before I could build it (it's not easy to build in the car) well anyway it is fun, educational, gives basic (I mean basic) Knowledge of robots and electrics. I found it to be fum but I have to buy a microprocessor before I can really play with it (you can play with it when you build it but to write your own code). So I think it was cool but I need the processor.

As others have mentioned, the kit does not include the Basic Stamp processor required to get full value out of the kit. Also, the simple build may be good for the inexperienced, but I would have liked to learn about the circuitry as I built the kit myself. I didn't feel like I was building a robot so much as assembling a toy.

When I attempted to insert the 9V battery, I discovered that one of the terminals on the board was improperly installed by the manufacturer, and the battery would not connect. I eventually got the battery to fit, and turned on the robot only to have it make a few clicking noises at me, but not move a bit. I attempted to adjust the sensors in accordance with the instructions, but that didn't work either. I played around with it, trying everything I could think of (short of breaking out a multimeter and testing the individual components), only to be rewarded by a few feeble clicking noises.

Essentially, I ended up wasting about an hour assembling and fiddling around with a toy that was broken before I even opened the box.

The item was a gift, and I'm sure the giver would be unhappy to learn how it only brought me frustration and disappointment.

As others have noted, the "kit" here doesn't really include everything you need to build a robot. What you get is a bare-bones platform that requires, at a minimum, a remote control you need to build from parts you supply. What it really needs for full functionality is a Basic Stamp processor- which costs a bit more than this kit- and a computer to prgram the Basic Stamp. Given all that, yes, you'll have a simple robot.

This isn't a kit for kids; I'd recommend it for someone who already has some good skills at electronic assembly and is looking for a not-too-expensive program to experiment with. For younger (middle school and below) kids, I'd recommend the Lego Mindstorms robotics kits.

So far, I can't find anything wrong with this starter kit. It has met my expectations and provided me with the groundwork to creating my own little robot empire. It is simple enough to understand without the need for an engineering degree. Unfortunately, I can only give it 4 stars because it does seem to mislead a bit on the BASIC Stamp issue. You must buy a BS2 - IC or compatible IC before you attach a serial cable and start coding commands for the little guy. Although simple to setup, the price of the BS2 chip costs as much as the kit itself and will quickly eat away at your budget depnding on where you find it. The robot included is little different from a prototype for the Friendly Robotics RL800 Robomower available in Amazon's Tools & Hardware (minus a few mower parts). That's pretty good considering the BS2 chip isn't included. The prices for this chip are pretty standard at the Amazon Scientific Supplies, Mondo-tronics Robot Store - 2002, and you'll notice a big choice of BS2 IC's to complete your package.

First of all, if you are looking for specific plans (ie. diagrams, blueprints, supply list, detailed photos of finished prop) then you might be disappointed with this book.
The purpose of this book is to give you the basic knowledge (some math required) to create any mechanical prop that YOU envision. The author tells you how to make things move their arms, or jump up, or spin around, etc. Then, you decide what that thing should be made of (wood, metal or PVC), how big the thing should be, what the thing should do and what the thing should look like. The author also deals with both electric and pnuematic motors and types of sensors so you don't have to hide in the bushes and trigger your props.
My only complaint is that the author doesn't give you any hints on how to cover your mechanical skeleton. The author leaves the creative part totally up to you but a few basic pointers would have been helpful.

The author gives you lots of information but mostly from a mathematical perspective. He clearly enjoys the math - I do not.

He focuses a lot on electrical motors and I was more interested in pneumatic controls. I was looking for some real world prop designs that I could implement. Instead what I got was a LOT of mathematical equations - most of which the average prop designer is never going to use.

The handbooks from [...] are much more useful in my opinion.

This book is very informative. Anyone not familiar with the mechanics of animatronics, can learn a lot from the information compiled inside. This was well worth the investment.

The author misrepresents the the subject matter as a tome for creating holiday displays; but in truth you will practically require a degree in engineering to cull any helpful information from this book. Not helpful for the home Haunter or Christmas decorator at all! I bought this book anticipating ideas for creating holiday displays and how to build them. Instead this is a book that (painfully) goes through in-depth technical prose on animatronic and electro-mechanical engineering theory. The data, while technical competent, is dry and almost purely technical and uninspiring for those seeking both creative ideas along with technical guidance or support. If you are a pro or semi-pro with your own haunted house attraction, this book could be very useful in creating and maintaining some animatronic effects. But if you are somebody who is just trying to create unique animated decorations for holiday displays, there is much more inspired and creative information available in other how-to books and the internet.

Hands down, this is the absolute best reference available on animatronics. I belong to a Haunters' forum & many of the members are very familiar with this book & it's the very first thing we recommend when someone new asks for a good book on animatronics.

Myke Predko is one of my favorite authors. There are a lot of beginners baffled and confused with the information presented, because his books are not written for the inexperienced, although beginners will benefit greatly from the information presented. He will take complex subject matter and condense it down into a few pages. He will simplify complex topics in such a way that it will save you hundreds of hours of time searching through large numbers of other books trying to get a grasp on complex subject matter normally covered through many pages and many chapters of Engineering text. His writing is a short cut to success. He has made my career possible, during difficult times, when jobs were in short supply. His knowledge in part has become my knowledge, and it has provided for me valuable career opportunities that I otherwise would not have had. I will be forever grateful for all the shared wealth of information provided in his books. Most people with this kind of guru knowledge are not willing to share there secrets with the rest of us. Myke Predko shares freely his vast amount of practical knowledge and experience, through his books, which are very reasonably priced, much lower than you would normally expect to pay for a college textbook, and his books are at least 10 to 100 times more valuable.

Much of the book has little to actually do with building a robot. Or even interfacing a controller into a system. Much of the book takes you through using a LCD. Little is done with inputs from sensors or controlling motors. Although it is a good tool to learn C for the PIC. It's not the best for using with robotics.

Hello, i had this book for quite some time now.
The title is very good, you buy it expeting to have a good sense of what controller programming for robots (the title) should be only to find your self with a lot of unnecessary (in my opinion) "stuff".

In his introduction there is a part named "Prerequisites for this book", let me comment on that because í think it's very important.

"Programming Robot Controllers was written for robot developers with some experience in developing robots. I will not be going into detail explaing basic programming, electronics, or PC operation, but you will have to be familiar with these areas of study".

He's right, his code is written in C, so if you are still to learn Basic or C, you should go elsewhere.

The code provided in his book is somehow simple and very understandable (again, you need to have some programming background).

Chapter 1, chapter 2 and most of chapter 3 are a good reference of what a µicrochip PIC is, what is a compiler, and information regarding the latters subjects.

The end of chapter 3 is a good, quick lesson on how to build an inexpensive programmer "El Chepo" (El barato, this i like since i'm from México).

Chapter 4 is about how the microcontroller works, conneting it to the world.
In this chapter he gives situation-code examples, very simple codes that you can get better explained (on Karl Williams books, or Gordon McComB's master piece) elsewhere.

The one approach of programming that i really like was the one about odometry (chapter 4, page 307-313). Here he explains the problem with turns on robots and how you should compensate for them.

On Chapter 5 the explains and gives examples on how the whole code works together.

The rest can easily be left out of the book (pages 360-456).

The book is good if you are not sure how some taks are done (on Pic's µicros) and my overall "feeling" of is:
You don't get what you might expect; i was thinking i might get some flow diagrams, no flow diagrams. But i did get some information that i use (the odometry lesson).

It maybe good or bad, i can only say that i found better "Programming" on "Build you own combat Robot" by Pete miles, the books by Karl Williams and even from Gordon McComb, they have programs written in basic but you can adopt them to assambler or C, because the code is simple and they provide flow charts.

Well, there it is.

Mario Alberto Camarillo Ramos

This book does exactly what it states in its title "Programming Robot Controllers". You get ALL of the needed information to program controllers. The author provides a very clean and efficient program interface that teaches the basic functions a robot has to do and how to do them in code. Many easy to follow program examples and a multitude of practical examples of interfacing a robot to the real world are provided in detail and explained clearly. The book is writen in an easy to follow style that actually makes it fun to read. Get this book - You won't be disappointed.

I have worked in electronic for 15 yrs, and still couldn't understand what he tried to explain about PIC. but he wrote a lot of books about PIC...

I had high expectations for this book, assuming that it would start out slow, with basic information, then pick up from there. This is far from the truth. The book slams you from the sixth page (literally) with seemingly irrelevant information about computer architecture, accompanied with confusing diagrams. As all of the other reviewers mentioned, the book is littered with a copied mismatch of pictures and diagrams. The book does not follow a logical thought process, nor is any of the information practical. Unless you have a BSCmpE, don't buy this book.

I was interested in electronics and robotics so I purchased this book. The flow of the book is a little choppy but I must say that the information helped me win high school science fairs and I am now studying electrical engineering at university! The support site is great and the author was very helpful. The well writen software projects I downloaded from the support site helped my dive into the project and allowed me to get a solid understanding of PalmOS, windows CE development, circuit fabrication and PIC programming. The project does required that you purchase a PIC programmer but if you are to pursue a career in robotics it is well worth it! Thank You!

Following discussions with the author, I have amended this review.

As a University Lecturer, I was disappointed with this book
because it contains large sections of material copied from
datasheets and web sites without proper references. We try to
teach our students to be ethical, and not to simply cut and
paste from the Internet without references. The author assures
me that permission was obtained from Microsoft, Intel,
Microchip, Sharp, etc. to re-publish their material.

It is not a text for a beginner if you want to learn about
robotics or how to design your own circuits and program
embedded systems. For instance, it assumes that you can already
program in C.

However, it does contain detailed instructions for building a
robot that can be controlled using the Infra Red port on a PDA.
If you don't mind making your own circuit board, then this
might be the book for you, but you really need some basic
background in electronics and computers if you intend to build
this robot. If you treat it as a recipe, and try to learn from
the exercise, then you might find it useful.

I really had high expectations for this book. I was looking for something that would provide an alternative to the PPRK-based "Ultimate Palm Robot" book. And this book does provide what appears to be a workable, if not very robust robot design that you can wirelessly link your Palm or WinCE PDA to. Unfortunately, the vast majority of the book is cut-and-paste data sheets - including some of the marketeering hype. This makes for a very disjointed read since the style of the book changes with each new data sheet and many concepts and terms are not explained well. As a result, this would probably be a difficult book for someone new to robotics. I'm still not sure that the schematic for the robot in this book was worth $20 - $30. I would suggest "Programming and Customizing the OOPIC Controller" by Dennis Clark as an alternative to this book. The OOPIC is easy to work with and the chapter describing interfacing the OOPIC to a Palm device is very well written.

Like janek243, I was disappointed that so much of the book
was copied (seemingly verbatim) from technical specs on-line,
though the sources didn't seem to be referenced. It's fairly
obvious where these sections start and end, because they lack
the typos and grammatical problems of much of the rest of
the book.

Despite its flaws, I recommend it to anyone who, like me,
is interested in interfacing their iPaq (or Palm) with hardware.
The book has given me several pointers to other material and
manufacturer websites. I'm glad I bought it; I just wish it
had a higher signal-to-noise ratio.

I am extremely disappointed in this book and am still confused why there is such a powerful taboo on this subject. Who or what is everyone afraid of? It can't be the usual suspects, the religious right. How about the feminists? The author spends a lot of time trying to pander to a (probably nonexistent) female audience. Is female approval that critical? If so, then why?
There is almost nothing in the book that matches the title. There is a rehash of various psycho-babble theories from the last century. A long but ultimately superficial review of certain erotic practices. Unsubstantiated claims that things are 'evolving'. A lot of predictions that some day someone will actually get up enough nerve to analyze and act on the subject.
If one searches the web on this topic there will be the usual zillion hits but almost none of them, except for works of science fiction, will have anything of substance to say. In many ways I get the impression the book is a sort of composite of these hits from the web.
We don't need a history lesson on the topic. Someday the Japanese will get the job done. Until then I suggest viewing the movie 'Blade Runner' for an idea of what robots might become.

Overall, this is a fairly thorough treatment on the subject. Mr. Levy provides a history of the use of artificial devices in human sexuality, some of the issues of sexuality in the law, and a quick glimpse at the state-of-the-art in attempts at believable computer interfaces to imitate human interaction. It's an interesting book, and delves into many of the questions that might arise with (as with any new technology) the use of robots for sexual purposes.

Mr. Levy did a lot of research on the history of changes in sexuality and the acceptance thereof, but he definitely views things through a prism of his own biases. For example, he cites the increasing acceptance of "buggery" in England through the 17th and 18th centuries, but dismisses the sharp rise in its prosecution during the 19th century. He writes about the legal issues involved with the use of robots for prostitution, replacements for human sexual partners, and human-robot marriage, and always mentions that there are ethical issues involved, but discusses none of the ethical issues in-depth. He has a very optimistic view of both how quickly and how cheaply robot sex will become; given the history of advancements in computers, this makes sense...given the history of mechanical devices (especially of such complexity and subtlety) it does not. Mr. Levy does not even mention the effect that the Uncanny Valley might have; the fact that at a certain point, anything simulating a human will become noticed not for its similarity, but the sharp contrast that its difference bring to mind.

In summary, this book is a thorough argument for Love and Sex with Robots, but it is not a deep discussion of the more fundamental arguments for why there might not be FemBots in everybody's future.

Title: Love + Sex With Robots
Author: David Levy
ISBN: 978-0-06-135975-0

After reading David Levy's fascinating Love + Sex With Robots I would have to concur that in the short term many of his ideas and predictions would appear outlandish and will be met with considerable scepticism, or downright disbelief and even hostility. However, as Levy maintains that those who doubt the prospect of computer life or robot life lack a breadth of vision similar to the doubters in the 1960s, of the possibility of artificial intelligence.

In Levy's introduction Sherry Tuckle, author of The Second Shelf is quoted wherein she states that we should be asking not what the computer will be like in the future, but instead what will humans be like?
And with this in mind, Levy begins Love + Sex With Robots analysing what kind of people we are becoming. It is his believe that huge technological advances will be accomplished by around 2050 and basically his thesis revolves around the belief that "Robots will be hugely attractive to humans as companions because of their many talents, senses, and capabilities. They will have the capacity to fall in love with humans and to make themselves romantically attractive to humans. Robots will transform human notions of love and sexuality." Is all of this mind-boggling? Just look at the Japanese, who are very advanced in the science and technology of robots and who consider robots as not just toys but also rather helpers in factories, receptionists, household helpers. As Levy mentions, the interactive aspect of a robot's being is becoming an important element of its usefulness. Will they also be considered sometime in the not too distance future sex partners?

Central to his book is why should people fall in love with robots and to answer this Levy divides Love + Sex With Robots into two parts, the first exploring Love with Robots that delve into topics as why we fall in love with people, loving our pets, emotional relationships with electronic objects and falling in love with virtual people (Humanoid Robots). The second part examines why we enjoy sex, why people pay for sex, sex technologies and the mental leap to sex with robots.
Is it possible that we will have an artificial partner, husband, wife or friend, or lover and would this not challenge the notion of relationships?

Levy maintains that no longer will these artificially intelligent entities be perceived as some kind of a machine but rather human like with emotions. In fact, there is now an entire new discipline devoted to robotic psychology and robotherapy. Levy believes that by 2025 at the latest there will exist artificial-emotion technologies that will not only simulate the full range of human emotions and their appropriate responses but there will also exist nonhuman emotions peculiar only to robots.

As for love relationships with robots, Levy strongly believes that the various behavior patterns necessary to endear one human being with another are already capable of simulation and in certain instances have been simulated, using various techniques that are presently the subjects of research.

In Japan, scientists are working on robots to simulate basic facial expressions as anger, fear, sadness, happiness, surprise, love and disgust. The Japanese are so convinced of the importance of the interaction of robots and humans that they have invested millions of dollars in research and they have estimated that the industry could surge from about $5.2 billion in 2006 to $70 billion in 2025. Levy informs us that Toyota by 2010 plans to sell robots that can help to look after the elderly and to serve tea to guests in the home.

Love + Sex With Robots is certainly a timely book for a society that is in the process of reassessing what the future holds pertaining to human relationships with robots. Although some of us may find Levy's theories far-fetched, you still have to admit that they are thought provoking. It should be pointed out that Levy is uniquely positioned to examine the question, as he is an internationally recognized expert on artificial intelligence. In 2006 he became the first person ever to present papers on intimate relationships with robotic partners at an international conference. In addition to Love + Sex With Robots, he has also authored Robots Unlimited.

Norm Goldman, Publisher & Editor Bookpleasures

I love psychology. It somehow worked its way into my studies as my minor (My major is marketing and advertising). Ethos aside, I love machines. Robots right now are lacking compaired to the fictional machines of science fiction films and authors.

This book's thesis is NOT propaganda suggesting machine love is superior to human on human love. Instead, it gives brief insight on how and why humans love things (specifically humans). Later it expands into a psychological, philosophical, and (lol) mechanical look at what mankind is capable of loving and fornicating.

It doesn't try to pitch an agenda, rather Levy sincerely invites those with an open mind to analyze his thesis, which is backed by research and sources. To me, the rational is, if you actively searched for this book, there's no need to put a machine-love agenda in the book.

I simply appreciate the format this book takes. A simple thesis that gives an expansive explaination of it's premise. It's logical, like a robot. Also, it's an actual book in the sense that it's not a textbook, a picture book, childrens book, or fictional. Therefore, if you pull this book out to describe your robo-lust to friends, then you have a shred of credibility...

It's pretty straight forward. If there's a reason why this title intrests you, then you have a reason to purchase or borrow this book. If you're reading my review, then read this book. robots are just sexy like that.

I can only imagine the amount of interesting research David Levy had to do for this book. The book started off good, but got better towards the latter chapters. I found the sections on sex dolls fascinating--these sections were sociological, yet written for the lay audience.

The sections on pets creeped me out some, as did some of the early chapters. The jump of logic was unsettling at times, since I felt that Levy was truly on to something.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and would suggest it to others. The audience for this book is wide--primarily a lay audience, but the sections of the book would be useful in undergraduate courses in humanities and social sciences.

As a former student of Dr. Foerst, I was somewhat predisposed to the material that is presented in this book, perhaps more so than the average reader.

This book is well written which promotes the speed at which one finishes it; but is clearly written for a popular audience. As far as a criticism, I believe that this particular volume introduces more questions then it answers. The positive side of that remark is the number of splendid conversations that the book sparks. I have had many an intellectual discussion of science, philosophy and theology with friends and colleagues as the result of just some of those unanswered questions found in the book.

I would recommend this book.

My only request of Dr. Foerst is that another volume on this topic is written that dives more deeply into some of material introduced in this first book.

As a former student of Dr. Foerst, I was somewhat predisposed to the material that is presented in this book, perhaps more so than the average reader.

This book is well written which promotes the speed at which one finishes it; but is clearly written for a popular audience. As far as a criticism, I believe that this particular volume introduces more questions then it answers. The positive side of that remark is the number of splendid conversations that the book sparks. I have had many an intellectual discussion of science, philosophy and theology with friends and colleagues as the result of just some of those unanswered questions found in the book.

I would recommend this book.

My only request of Dr. Foerst is that another volume on this topic is written that dives more deeply into some of material introduced in this first book.

Ask yourselves a question: what makes a being a person? If you don't like that question, consider another: what defines life and how do we know that it is present in creatures other than ourselves? These are just two of many questions theologian and computer scientist Anne Foerst ponders in this interesting and provocative book. "God in the Machine" considers what it means to be human, to have a soul, and to connect to God. Foerst is one of several scholars seeking to explore possibilities for a trans-human future in which robots and humans co-exist, or perhaps robots and humans merge into a new species of cyborgs. With a background in theology she is less interested in questions of what defines a legal person than what defines a new form of life. And what is the connection of that life to God. She notes that building these new life forms--robots--make us co-creators with God in what could be the advance of a new species. She suggests building robots may be best perceived as a type of prayer.

"God in the Machine" offers a breathless consideration of five major themes in cybernetics and theology. The first is the age-old quest to create life. From Golems to Frankenstein's creature this has been a dream of humanity. Second, Foerst explores the idea of embodied science, and then moves on to embodied intelligence, the fundamental attribute of robotic research. From there she investigates the nature of community and what it means to be a person within the context of larger systems. Finally, she seeks to link these ideas into a final chapter on the relationship of humans and robots in community.

This is an interesting, provocative, and sometimes frustrating work. Foerst writes well, but her illustrations are sometimes poorly drawn and not as fully explained as I would like. She also dispensed with notes in favor of a bibliography for each chapter, which meant that the sources for quotes are sometimes difficult to discern.

The title of Ms. Foerst's book brings together two of humankind's greatest fears and desires: God and artificial intelligence. But despite such lofty goals, the text is mostly a rather mundane recollection of her days in the MIT AI lab during the 90s. These stories, such as accounts of the way humans emotionally responded to the faces of machines, are only occasionally marginally interesting. However, to her credit, she provides a more humanist perspective on human/robot interactions than a more technically focused writer would have.

The real problem with the book is when it actually tries to fulfill the lofty goals towards the end. This has the unfortunate result of taking the reader on a mixed up journey into human/robot and human/human interactions culminating in the conclusion that the path to world peace is for everyone to treat everyone else with the same friendly curiosity with which they treat robots. No joke...if you would just be nice to everyone, and everyone else would do the same, then we'd have world peace. It's that simple! And luckily, because of robots, we now understand this fact.

Clearly the argument has slightly more depth than my above characterization, but that is the general conclusion. And the reader is just left wondering at the end if there was something more valuable we could learn from robots.

Also, if you're curious, she is theologically quite liberal. So within the context of the book, God is more clockmaker than the God of the Bible.

Those readers who have no religious beliefs but yet are interested in or working in the field of artificial intelligence may think that this book would not be very interesting or important, or possibly an apology for a particular religious worldview. When beginning the book this attitude will be reinforced somewhat, since it takes a while for the author to develop her main themes. Once she does however the book is fascinating, and her discussion of some of the issues in artificial intelligence is highly original and insightful. Considering the environment in which she worked it is refreshing to learn that the author was taken seriously, in spite of her overt expression of her religious beliefs. The only minus to the book is that the author concentrates her attention on robotics, which is a very narrow field of artificial intelligence at the present time. Machines can be intelligent to various degrees without looking like humanoids and without interacting with the environment in the manner that the author describes in great detail in the book. Indeed, these machines are more than just the "machines that sit on the desk" to quote the author. No, they cannot move in the world as humans do, but their abilities to perform tasks in a way that cannot be done by humans attests to their cognitive abilities.

Along with those who work in the field, the author has developed a deep appreciation of the magnificence of the human machine. She encapsulates her view of humanity not according to the usual classification, but according to human capabilities. Humans can tell stories ("homo narrans"), can stand upright ("homo erectus"), can use technology to change the world ("homo faber"), can engage in creativity ("homo ludens"), and can hold to religious beliefs ("homo religiosus"). There are of course other machines, biological and otherwise, that can do some of these things, but the human machine is unique in being able to do all of them, and then with a relatively low energy requirement. This of course does not make the human machine superior to the others, and in fact humans cannot compete at all with some of the machines of today in certain tasks. Those who build robots though insist on replicating the idiosyncrasies of the human machine, even though these robots may not be useful in any practical sense. The author's goal in the book is to try and understand why the building of these robots has been such an intense activity in the last half-century.

It is clear that many do not find the prospect of humanoid robots very pleasant at all. Hollywood movies, with their depiction of machines bent on the annihilation of humankind, are both an expression and cause of this anxiety. But stories of non-human entities possessing high degrees of intelligence have also pervaded our myths and stories long before the invention of film. As an example she describes the myth of the "golem" coming from Jewish mysticism. Interestingly, in some stories, golems are made from clay and constructed through words and numbers. Their purpose is to assist in the understanding of the world, a mythos or paradigm that definitely intersects with the one in artificial intelligence.

More interesting in her discussion of "rebuilding ourselves" is the reminder of a peculiar phenomenon that takes place in the artificial intelligence community, indeed in the scientific research community as a whole. This regards the "demystification" or diminishing of awe when a scientific explanation is found for a particular human capability. Indeed, it seems that every time an advance is made in artificial intelligence, such as a machine beating the best backgammon or chess player in the world, it eventually gets dismissed as being merely the result of a sophisticated program, and not as an example of true intelligence.

The author of course is not free of biases, as no one can be, whether they are in the scientific profession or not. Her intellectual honesty though is refreshing, and she is unashamed of her devout religious beliefs. She correctly recognizes that there are many in the scientific community who occupy both laboratories and churches, and make significant contributions to science. Whether they are scientists who sometimes practice religion or religionists who sometimes engage in scientific research is perhaps left to debate. But the author believes that these individuals, along with all the rest of humanity, clearly benefit and learn from social interactions, and that such interactions are even absolutely necessary for true intelligence to arise. Sometimes though these interactions go awry, and result in devastating conflict, this occurring primarily because of a diminution in respect for differences or of parties not being in the same physical space. The acceptance of humanoid robots she argues will therefore depend on whether their differences can be respected and whether they can interact with us in the same physical space. These robots can be viewed therefore as a gauge on how far we have advanced in our acceptance and respect for others. Certainly this is a good reason for the creation of these machines if none other can be found. But many other reasons can be found.....

While there is no one good definition of "robot", I would state as a minimum requirement that it interacts with its environment. Of the ten LEGO constructs in this book, only two - the Climber and Beetle - would qualify as robots. Of the eight remaining ones, six have no sensor inputs at all, and four have only one motor. These vehicles basically move forward or back, with no provision for turning, without major modifications.

That was the main disappointment: the book being more Technic than Mindstorms. A much better title would be, "The LEGO Technic and Mindstorms Idea Book". For many of these projects, a Technic battery pack could substitute for the RCX - and some of these look they were designed that way, with the RCX used to make them Mindstorms. Plus, this book has little material about programming (except for an NQC programming language appendix). Robotics is about both hardware and software, and that is the very spirit of LEGO Mindstorms.

There is also an overuse of obscure, exotic LEGO parts, such as the Slizer ones for the Legosaurus, and not all these projects can be built with the standard RIS kit. The Legosaurus motor mounting will not work as shown (one 24 tooth gear on top of another needs 6 1/2 plate spacing). I solved this problem by moving the motor to the rear end of the drive shaft.

I know this is an "Idea Book", and most of the fun comes with improvising, and improving the basic design. From a purely non-robotic LEGO Technic point of view, most of these designs are great. But if you want good Mindstorms books, try instead "Jin Sato's LEGO Mindstorms" or anything by Dave Baum.

This book is a very good resource for learning the mechanical aspects of Mindstorms robots. The book provides step-by-step detail for several robot creations, with a range of complexities.

PROS: Detailed building plans and programs. Building tips to help you understand the principals behind the design. Joe Nagata: just go to his web site to see his LEGO creations and you'll know you're in good hands. Some really inventive creations, like the "water skater," a wheeled 'bot that propels itself using the same motion that a skater would use.

CONS: You'll need more parts than come with the standard Mindstorms kit. The book doesn't seem to be laid out correctly -the instructions for the current frame are adjacent to the next frame. Once you figure it out, it's not a problem. Some of the models didn't work very well as built - this is actually a PRO if you like to learn by troubleshooting.

Perhaps I'm spoiled by Dave Baum's great books but I found this book very frustrating. Some of the bots are interesting but I was unable to build most of them because they require extra parts that don't come in the Lego Mindstorms RIS. That'd be OK if the book told you what extra part syou need but I'd get 70% done and find myself short 6 #3 elbows (or whatever). True, he lists the needed parts before each bot, but he doesn't tell you which ones aren't part of the RIS. Baum does. Also, the pictures in the book lack contrast so it is hard to see details and the "steps" aren't specific. Buy the Baum books instead.

Joe Nagata's Lego Mindstorms Idea Book is a completely "user friendly" tutorial and "how to" guide book to making working robots. Profusely illustrated with more than 250 original CAD drawings and offering summaries of engineering principles and programming code, readers are easily able to understand how each robot works. Each robot building project includes a parts list as well as step-by-step instructions for their creation. Joe Nagata's Lego Mindstorms Idea Book is strongly recommended for anyone of any age or background who has ever watched an episode of "Robot Wars" and wanted to get in on the fun!

this is a very basic book, if you are just starting with MindStorms or if you are 12 years old, then you'll like it. Hackers, dont think about getting it.