robot books (learn how to build, etc.)

[Admin]

Im looking to expand my robot books page.

Anyone have suggestions on books?

Im not looking for just any book, more specifically ones that you have read and highly recommend. Ive read many, but most are out of date or are just not very useful . . .

Beginner and expert level welcomed.

Amazon is for a list of robot books, SoR is for a list of highly recommended robot books 

Recommend, recommend!

[Dosbomber]

Not really DIRECTLY relating to robotics, but for a beginner's introduction to PICs and programming them, I got a lot out of "PIC Microcontroller Project Book", by John Iovine.  After the very basics of setting up the programmer (Epic), the software, the PIC command set and how to write some code, it goes on to cover sensors and motor control, so it's a pretty easy step from this book to robot building.

[JesseWelling]

This book has been really good for opening my eyes to the upper level theory. It's definatly a survey of a lot of robotic techniques.
   
Introduction to Autonomous Mobile Robots (Intelligent Robotics and Autonomous Agents) by Roland Siegwart and Illah R. Nourbakhsh (Hardcover - April 1, 2004)

[Admin]

Illah Nourbakhsh? hey, he was my prof for mobile robot programming class! ok ill look that book up . . .

[polar bear6]

when i recomend these books i must seem very noob, but they are really good beginner (i mean begginer as dont know what a diode does) books.
Bugbots, Junkbots, and bots on weels.
and
Robot Building for beginners by dave cook

                                                            Beginner'o'Meter:
  6th grade|----l-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|knows that black is ground

plz dont laugh.

[JesseWelling]

every one has to start somewhere.....

[cheaposcientist]

hey that looks about my level ! lol im a really beginner. hey, i loooke d  at " 123 robotics experiments for the evil genius" i though that was cool . 

[megaman935]

DEFINITELY LOOK THIS BOOK UP!
Robot builder's sourcebook- over 2500 sources for robot parts
PLUS! over 250 special mini- articles
-handy tips
-finding the best deals
-product and company reviews
Yes, the name is:
Robot Builders Sourcebook
By Gordon McComb
Yes that's right- the same guy who wrote ROBOT BUILDER'S BONANZA!
Buy Buy Buy today!
-phew
Mega

[Del]

Hi,

Here are some books that I found useful:



For beginners:



"Mobile Robots: Inspiration to Implementation"

This book is outdated, but since it covers general information at the
beginner's level, it is still relevant. You can find used copies of the
first edition (ISBN 1568810113) and the second edition
(ISBN 1568810970) at Amazon.com. (That's how I got my copy).

http://www.amazon.com/Mobile-Robots-Implementation-Joseph-Jones/dp/1568810113

http://www.amazon.com/Mobile-Robots-Implementation-Joseph-Jones/dp/1568810970



"Robotic Explorations: A Hands-On Introduction to Engineering"

This book uses Lego, but it contains mostly general information that is
applicable to any robot. I think that many schools may be using this book.
(I don't own a copy: I just borrowed this from my local library.)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0130895687



"Robotics with the Boe-Bot", and "Applied Robotics with the SumoBot"

These books are free to download from Parallax.
They focus on the Parallax robots, but also cover
plenty of general information that is useful.

http://www.parallax.com/dl/docs/books/edu/Roboticsv2_2.pdf

http://www.parallax.com/dl/docs/prod/sic/AppliedSumo-v1.0.pdf



For intermediate people:



"An Introduction to AI Robotics"

This book covers A.I. for robots at a general level that is easy to understand.
(I also just borrowed this one.)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0262133830



For advanced folks:



"Probabilistic Robotics"

Well, I'm not advanced, so I haven't actually read this one. 
But someone recommended this to me as one of the better
"modern" robot books. It's co-written by the leader of the team
that won the DARPA Grand Challenge.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0262201623

 

[Dr_Worm]

I would like to recommend "Programming in C, Third Edition" By Stephen G. Kochan, It provides a very easy to follow way to learn C and it tests you at the end of each chapter to make sure you weren't skimming or somehow forgot what you read five minutes ago .

Also on a side note this book is more for the Linux/Unix user as it calls for the use of the terminal.

http://www.amazon.com/Programming-C-3rd-Developers-Library/dp/0672326663/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1199050054&sr=8-1

[ed1380]

what about some of what david cook has recommended
http://www.robotroom.com/books.html

[Steve Joblin]

The Robot DNA Series are pretty good...
 - Building Robot Drive Trains
 - Constructing Robot Bases
 - Programming Robot Controllers

[mr roboto]

flesh and machines by rodney a brooks
greay read if you want to learn the history of robotics. will not teach you robotics though
somewhat outdated but still great

[Admin]

flesh and machines by rodney a brooks
greay read if you want to learn the history of robotics. will not teach you robotics though
somewhat outdated but still great

I read that book like ~7 years ago, I wasn't too impressed with it. I felt it was the authors brag book: "I'm awesome and I invented all this stuff, but no one else agreed because they don't know anything. They are wrong, I'm awesome."

He had a few gems of useful knowledge in the book, and it was informative from the sense of what academic robotics engineering was like 15 years ago, but it's definitely not in my top 10 list . . . Some of the ideas in the book got me thinking about various things, and they were good ideas for the time. But me being much more experienced today, many of the robotics programming concepts he proposes I consider simply wrong and oversimplified.

The book came out before he got filthy rich with iRobot . . . so maybe if he comes out with a new 'lessons from running a robotics company' book I'd buy it asap . . .

[Sylvestre]

How To Build A Combat Robot

[mr roboto]

okay
how about a book i just read to tune up my c skills called
C programing for the absolute beginer 2nd edition.
 i would recomend robot builders bonanza but its already on the list.

[herb1]

Check out 'Robot Wireless Control Made Simple with Python and C', sold on Amazon.  Instructions on loading Python, building a control center on the PC, virtual and real robot are detailed.  C and Python source code included. Over 200 illustrations.  Wiring diagrams also included.   Walks through process from a beginner level to the completed remote controlled robot.