Robots, androids and animatrons : 12 incredible projects you can build

Starting with the novice level and progressing to medium-level complexity; author John Iovine leads readers through the construction of 12 state-of-the-art robotics projects, which provides the foundations and experience for building advanced robotic projects. After outlining how to modify base platforms for locomotion, the author provides detailed information on various types of robotic sensors, including tilt, bump, and road and wall detectors. He illustrates how to implement two different types of robotic intelligence-expert and neural. The remainder of the book focuses on specific, hands-on projects, including a functional, life-like android hand created with a soft rubber material and nitinol wire; a robotic "insect" controlled with a single-board computer programmed in BASIC; and a land rover robot with telepresence systems.