Book Description
Probabilistic robotics is a new and growing area in robotics, concerned with perception and control in the face of uncertainty. Building on the field of mathematical statistics, probabilistic robotics endows robots with a new level of robustness in real-world situations.

This book introduces the reader to a wealth of techniques and algorithms in the field. All algorithms are based on a single overarching mathematical foundation. Each chapter provides example implementations in pseudo code, detailed mathematical derivations, discussions from a practitioner's perspective, and extensive lists of exercises and class projects. The book's Web site, http://www.probabilistic-robotics.org, has additional material.

The book is relevant for anyone involved in robotic software development and scientific research. It will also be of interest to applied statisticians and engineers dealing with real-world sensor data. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Excellent resource for implementing SLAM
This is by far the best resource that I have found for collating a large number of internally consistent SLAM algorithms into a single volume.The book carefully leads the reader through the requirements of SLAM presenting one algorithm at a time, building upon the algorithms presented previously.This approach lends itself very well to develop-while-you-read.If you care to do so, I recommend reading it through once in its entirety and then starting over for the develop-while-you-read approach.The once through does a good job of presenting the big picture and giving you the opportunity to decide which primary SLAM path you prefer; Kalman and particle filtering are the two main approaches discussed.I'm currently implementing FastSLAM with particle filtering and have not run into any large hurdles using this book to lead the way.

The only major challenge that I've encountered is that it assumes a very good understanding of probability distributions.A good college statistics book makes a good companion for this read.

I also read Thrun's FastSLAM monograph.There's very little new information in that monograph which Probabilisitc Robotics doesn't already cover.After reading PR, Google becomes your best resource for finding the latest algorithms and code samples.Because even with the descriptive pseudo code algorithms, a perfect follow-up to this book would be "Probabilistic Robotics Implemented" with lots of code samples.

Useful book
i think this book is very helpful for beginner of probabilistic robotics.
it has a lot of example and pictures :) for our understanding.
easy to learning.
If i met the chance to buy another book about probabilistic robotics, i am sure purchase this book.

have a nice day~~

Robot Navigation
Uncertainty is an important issue facing intelligent systems.
Thrun, Burgard, and Fox have made important contributions to
this area of research.Probabilistic Robotics is a more narrowly focused text than the title might suggest.At 650 pages perhaps it could not be broader and yet do justice to the topics the authors want to cover.Perhaps the title should have been Probabilistic Robot Navigation.My other criticism would be the lack of executables

Superb
The authors took 6 years to write this book. And it shows. This is a mindblowing tour through the algorithms used at the cutting edge of Robotics.

What is good

1. Every algorithm has descriptive text, mathematical derivations AND pseudo code. More importantly it all meshes into a cohesive whole.

2. The progression of chapters is excellent, starting with basic algorithms and proceeding to more advanced/refined algorithms.

3.There is a consistent practical focus with algorithms being explained in the context of solving real world problems in robotics.

4. The exercises are few in number , but are *perfect* to illuminate each chapter's ideas and encourage the reader to start thinking on his own.

5. There is a comprehensive errata page on the book's website.

6. Last but not least, the tone of the writing is very engaging. The reader is not talked down to. It is almost as if the authors were in your study carefully guiding you through an intellectual wonderland.

The bad.
Hmmm i can't think of anything. It is great book. I just wish the authors would write MORE books like this :-)



About the only caveat is that a reader should have *some* degree of mathematical insight before attempting this book. The authors do cover elementary probability theory etc in the initial chapters, and they do a good job given the space constraints. Butin my opinion if you have absolutely no experience in probability theory or calculus, you should probably learn from other books and then tackle this one. This is, after all, a graduate level text.

an impressive research-level text
The book presents what is currently the frontier of probabilistic research in robotics. This is explained as a means of a robot coping with inadequate information from its perceptive inputs. The intent is to embed more robust control logic within the robot. Rather than having human programmers try to code for every contingency.

There are many algorithms in the text. Each is explicitly defined in pseudocode. But just as significantly, each is accompanied by extensive textual explanations and derivations. These are rounded out by the chapters having exercises that extend the ideas developed in each chapter.

Many ideas from statistics are applied here, from Markov processes to Monte Carlo samplings to Bayesian inferences. ... Read more

Product Description
Get the practical reference to programming robotic applications by using the Microsoft Robotics Studio. Ideal for programmers familiar with Windows® based development using Microsoft Visual Studio® and the Microsoft .NET Framework, this guide expertly illustrates how to use the Robotics Studio. You ll discover how to use the services provided in the Robotics Studio to handle navigation and remote control, speech, video, and intelligent behavior in a robotic device. It includes coverage of the included Visual Programming Language, plus code examples in Microsoft Visual C#®.

Key Book Benefits:

Delivers practical guidance about how services relate to programming robots

Provides references to simulations, navigation and remote control, speech and video, and much more

Features sample code in Visual Programming Language and Visual C# ... Read more

Book Description

Learning robotics by yourself isn't easy, but it helps when the encouragement comes from an expert who's spent years in the field. Not only does Author David Cook assist you in understanding the component parts of robot development, but he also presents valuable techniques that prepare you to achieve new discoveries on your own.

Customer Reviews (42)

book is great
this book will seriously tell you how to build a robot they should submit this to building robots and replace the other one because it is really easy to understand what he is saying in this book. he even goes into depth on like the most obvious details. i am a slow reader have a small vocabulary and this book was just great.
although sometimes i did have to reread.

Excellent book
This is an excellent book for a beginner. I'm a software engineer, didn't have any knowledge about robotics prior to this book, and yesterday I finished building my first robot - Kobi (Jacob, which is a rather biblical name but in hebrew also literally means 'will follow'... as it follows lines of course). Took me about 1-1.5 months to read, gather parts and build.

I live in Israel and didn't want to order all the parts from the web (wanted to get it fast), so I bought what I found in the stores, improvised a little bit (just a bit) and built Kobi.

The book takes you through the electronics, including all the parts and tools to use, and the body building (quite a simple body - adjusting a container). Well written, amusing, very readable, lots of pictures to show the reader how things are supposed to be.

This is my first robotics book. I chose it after reading the excellent reviews on it in Amazon, now I'm adding mine. This book greatly enhanced my knowledge (and practice) in robotics, and I already ordered some more robotics books to learn more.

Beginning Electronics
This is an excellent book. It shows you with detailed pictures and explanations exactly how to use electonic components. Very easy to read and understand. I use it as much my son.

Excellent Book, Highly Recommended
This is an author who has the beginner in mind. Everything is well explained, no guess work. Pictures and diagrams everywhere. Extremely useful especially if you have low experience in hand work like if you're just out of college. I learns alot about tools, materials, and construction tips that I did not even hear about before. It's not only useful for getting started in robotics but also in electronics. I have an engineering education so I don't know if the author's claim of the information being self contained and no background necessary is right, but in any case, you will get a hell lots of information.

Just what I was looking for!
I'm just starting into robotics and have no knowlwdge of electronics. I was thus looking for a beginners book needed to get started. I found that this book "Robot Building for Beginners" to be the best book to start with, even better than the "Robot Building for Dummies". Having got a good start with "Robot Building for Beginners" I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series for more advanced topics. ... Read more

Book Description
Here's the FIRST book to offer step-by-step guidelines that walk the reader through the entire process a building a CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machine from start to finish.Using inexpensive, off-the-shelf parts, readers can build CNC machines with true industrial shop applications such as machining, routing, and cutting--at a fraction of what it would cost to purchase one.

* Great for anyone who wants to automate a task in their home shop or small business
* Easy-to-use Windows-based software controls the robotic automation
* Builders can scale and customize the machine to suit their own industrial needs
* Numerous tips, tricks, and pictorials walk the reader through every step--design, construction, and completion ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

Good book
Seeing the not so great reviews of this book I almost did not buy the book.
You will definitely need to find your own way through this project but this book is really informative. The author surely knows what he is talking about and its a fun read.

Ridiculously bad book
Hard to give justice in words alone to exactly how bad this book is. A full review requires much gesturing, cursing and the throwing of objects.
You can find much more useful information online.
Books this bad are criminal acts of fraud.

Go to HobbyCNC dot com instead.Much better plans
There are too many major flaws in this book.He builds his machine with a Nu-Arc camera positioner.How is anyone else supposed to find this exact model?Probably the worst part are the IC logic and driver chips.You will not be able to put this together unless you are already an experienced electronic technician.

He shows you a schematic with some seemingly 80's era integrated circuits.(Judging by the xerox-looking images and misspelled words).These chips are hopelessly out of date.Modern chips have built in protective diodes, so you won't have to search all of creation for the ones his plans require.The way to go is to by a driver kit for $20 from Electronickits.com.(You'll need 3 of these).

Some things he did made me wonder why:
1)Why have so many little jumper points on the boards for options that are unlikely to be used?I bought wire connectors for these unneccessarily.He didn't list mini-jumpers in the parts list.Only after very carefully studying the pictures, can you see what he is doing.
2)On page 4 he says he was impressed by how nice the Pac-Sci stepper motor people were to him when they were selling him his motors.On page 14 he says that he's not using Pac-Sci motors!Why?What happened?We paid some bones for this book and we want to learn from his experience.There just isn't enough explaining in this book.

On the good side is that this book will teach you how easy it is to make your own circuit boards:Laser paper and an iron.You have to experiment a little, but it is very satisfying to know that you will be able to make your own boards if the need arises.I found that removing the paper while it is still hot will deposit enough "resist".No need to soak in water.The chemicals aren't really that nasty (even Radio Shack sells them).Just use warm water instead of a burner and wait longer than you otherwise might.BTW if you already own this book take a look at the lower picture on page 102.I had to wonder why is he using a different resist pattern than the one he wants us to use.He should be consistent between his photos and what we're supposed to do.


I think that Dave Rigotti's book is much much better.He will personally give you advice through his Yahoo site.And, it's "cozy".By that I mean there aren't 5000 things on the site to get everything confused.His is more focused.

I'd give this book a 1, but I did learn how to make my own PCB's and he also recommends a decent CAD CAM software (KCam).

Disappointed - Many details left out.
I was very disappointed that many important details were left out.Anyone who does a little research on the internet and has seen a CNC router knows the basics of what makes up a machine.What the book promised were the details of how to build your own.The details and parts lists were left out.Those are the critical items.Your money would be much better spent buying a good set of plans from the internet.There are many bulletin boards and web sites that have good information.Research them.

Not the Best
This book is NOT what was promised.The parts list is very lacking..you must be very familliar with electronics just to be able to order the parts..specifications would have been nice.Labeling and numbering the circuit boards would have saved tons of time.I did get a set of boards built that will run the stepper motors..I believe most of the information is correct but very hard to understand and follow..a few more wiring diagrams or more complete schematics would have been a great improvement.I could write a book on how to use this book and I have not started the gantry yet.It would have been nice to have more advice on motor selection and what it takes to drive what..too much left to guesswork. ... Read more

Book Description

This book presents a unique combination of mobile robots and embedded systems, from introductory to intermediate level. It is structured in three parts, dealing with embedded systems (hardware and software design, actuators, sensors, PID control, multitasking), mobile robot design (driving, balancing, walking, and flying robots), and mobile robot applications (mapping, robot soccer, genetic algorithms, neural networks, behavior-based systems, and simulation). The book is written as a text for courses in computer science, computer engineering, IT, electronic engineering, and mechatronics, as well as a guide for robot hobbyists and researchers.

Customer Reviews (3)

A treasure chest of ideas
This book is a real treasure chest of ideas for an amateur robot builder. It does not show solutions in enough detail to copy them, but it points you in the right direction.

For me some of the most interesting topics covered were:
- Motorola M68332 based general purpose robot controller board,
- Introduction to different robot competitions,
- Simplified image processing solutions,
- Walking robots and evolutionary programs to control the gait,
- Examples of real life robots.

Comments to Embedded Robotics
Hi, so far the book is a little dissapointeing, because is to much centered to a commercial hardware (EyeCon) that is somewhat hard to adquiere to a group that has a very low budget for that kind of projects... but is important to have a reference. That is why it deserve a 3. But also supply a very important source of information for sensors and actuators design. That is why i gave an average of 4 stars.

Best regards, and thanks for all the effort you made for me enjoying this book.

the best book for student
After I have read the book contents, I think it is a great book fo me. From this book, I can get many new knowledge, including many field. I want this book to guide my student to take part in
robot contest. ... Read more

Book Description
The Robotics Primer offers a broadly accessible introduction to robotics for students at pre-university and university levels, robot hobbyists, and anyone interested in this burgeoning field. The text takes the reader from the most basic concepts (including perception and movement) to the most novel and sophisticated applications and topics (humanoids, shape-shifting robots, space robotics), with an emphasis on what it takes to create autonomous intelligent robot behavior. The core concepts of robotics are carried through from fundamental definitions to more complex explanations, all presented in an engaging, conversational style that will appeal to readers of different backgrounds.

The Robotics Primer covers such topics as the definition of robotics, the history of robotics ("Where do Robots Come From?"), robot components, locomotion, manipulation, sensors, control, control architectures, representation, behavior ("Making Your Robot Behave"), navigation, group robotics, learning, and the future of robotics (and its ethical implications). To encourage further engagement, experimentation, and course and lesson design, The Robotics Primer is accompanied by a free robot programming exercise workbook.

The Robotics Primer is unique as a principled, pedagogical treatment of the topic that is accessible to a broad audience; the only prerequisites are curiosity and attention. It can be used effectively in an educational setting or more informally for self-instruction. The Robotics Primer is a springboard for readers of all backgrounds--including students taking robotics as an elective outside the major, graduate students preparing to specialize in robotics, and K-12 teachers who bring robotics into their classrooms. ... Read more

Book Description
Now in its third edition, Introduction to Robotics by John J. Craig provides readers with real-world practicality with underlying theory presented. With one half of the material from traditional mechanical engineering material, one fourth control theoretical material, and one fourth computer science, the book covers rigid-body transformations, forward and inverse positional kinematics, velocities and Jacobians of linkages, dynamics, linear control, non-linear control, force control methodologies, mechanical design aspects and programming of robots. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Good introduction but poor on kinematics
The first 3 chapters begin very well giving the reader decent examples with how to derive frame assignments and forward kinematic matrices. Starting with chapter 4, the book begins to descend into a nightmare of ambiguity and frustration. Typos begin cropping up every where. The author then begins to take short cuts with deriving particular formulas with no clear explanation how those formulas are derived. One example is when the author begins to explain how to solve for an inverse kinematics problem and says to use the law of cosines, but then writes a formula that is not the law of cosines with no clarification how he came to that point. Homework problems are also given, but do not reflect the few examples given within the chapter leaving the reader in a very difficult position and in most cases unable to solve the problem. I would highly recommend getting a book other than this one. If it is required for a class, make sure the teacher has sufficient supplemental material that will augment the many failings this text has.

Robotics Instructor - Oklahoma
I teach a introductory course in robotics that is targeted for the senior/graduate level student in Electrical/Mechanical Engineering /Computer Science. The goal is to understand the kinematics, dynamics and ultimately the control of robotic manipulators. Unequivocally, this is one of the best books in introductory robotics! This book is not for the robotic tinkerer or the amateur, but for the engineer who is desirous of obtaining a sound understanding of the principles involved.

In the past four years that I have taught this subject, the student feedback has been consistent: The mechanical engineers think the controls part is too tough and the electrical engineers feel that the mechanics portion is too dense! This is the beauty of Mechatronics! One can only appreciate the material if he/she has a good understanding of both the mechanical aspects as well as the electrical aspects of the robot.
In the class that I teach, the students work on a group based term project where they implement the concepts on an actual manipulator. The students very quickly realise that "hobby"-ist approach to robotics will not work and the concepts of kinematics and dynamics are vital to the proper control of robots.

All in all, this book is an absolute "must read" for anyone serious about robotics, especially those desirous of pursuing graduate study in robotics or related areas.

The worst textbook I've ever had.
I had this book for an Intro to Robotics class I took. And I must say, this is by far the worst textbook I've ever read. It is dense, confusing, and hard to read. There are typos everywhere. When it is laying out problems and equations, it likes to skip a few steps and assume you can follow along. To sum it up, this book is useless.

Seriously, if you are going to take a course and this book is required, don't take the course. If the prof was any good they wouldn't pick this book.

Book poorly written 3rd edition
Many of the example problems take short cuts while trying to explain the material through practical problems.When reading the book one is forced to constantly, turn the pages backward for previous references in order to understand the short cuts.The book is in need of some serious editing.Nevertheless, not all engineering books get better with editing.Spotts, machine design, for example in the 6th edition is a Great Book! In the 8th edition, it is useless.This book has the potential to be a good textbook. However, in this form it is just about 3 pounds of paper and cardboard with a fancy cover.Not the worst textbook ever, but it made the list.

Typo ridden clunker...
The textbook attempts to cover basic kinematics, forward and backward chaining through the Euclidean approach to describe DH conventions, torque, and so forth.The first three chapters would lead one to expect an excellent textbook, and then the textbook descends into a nightmare.

The notation is cobbled together from so many different disciplines, we had to make study sheets to figure out what was said.There is no summary of formula or notation.Once there are a dozen notations in play, the typos begin.In chapter six alone, we counted over a dozen formulas with the wrong symbols or missing terms.

Even with these flaws, the book fails to deliver.The first half of the book has a theme:using transforms on DH conventions to derive position, accelleration, force and torque.Chapter seven covers a number of trajectory planning algorithms.The rest of the book adopts new notation and slowly explores control methods, stretching out simple solutions over many chapters.At the end, the reader still has no idea how to evaluate between the various control methods presented, aside from learning that more modeling is better.No alternatives are presented to the author's single thread, and the book misses concepts such as variable gains, force field collision avoidence, calibration, and Keynes notation.

There is a good topic in here screaming to get out.If you delve past the first four chapters, you will be screaming to get out. ... Read more

Book Description

* Teaches the concepts of behavior-based programming through text, programming examples, and a unique online simulator robot

* Explains how to design new behaviors by manipulating old ones and adjusting programming

* Does not assume reader familiarity with robotics or programming languages

* Includes a section on designing your own behavior-based system from scratch ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Essential Reading for Mobile Robot Builders
I have read dozens of robotics books over the years and most of them suck. They were either too academic or too basic. This book is excellent and was a refreshing change.

Written by one of the designers of iRobots Roomba, this book is indeed a practical guide to robotics. It is easy to read and full of practical advice that one would only get if they spent the last 20 something years working with robots. For example, the author repeatedly warns you to expect the unexpected.

Even though this book incudes access to a simulator tool, the author constantly reminds you of what could occur in the real world. This book is for anyone attempting to build a single-purpose mobile robot (whether as a commercial developer or a hobbyist). Rather than focusing on a specific language or platform, the author uses pseudocode to explain concepts. The pseudocode should save you hours of frustration. At the very least, the authors good sense of humor makes reading the book quite enjoyable.

where has the website gone?
This is a nice little book. It introduces some important concepts in an overall very readable text. Of course the book doesn't offer much technical detail or any real code but sometimes it comes close. If you already have any experience in programming you can easily get the point in the example pseudo codes and adapt them for your own use.
There is a major problem about this book though. The online robot simulation program was available from the link given inside the book but this website is not active anymore so you can not practice the ideas using the "bsim" program.

Great book on principles...
The book aims squarely at teaching the concepts of behavior based robotic programming without being simplistic or being overly technical. A good example is PID controllers -- the ID stand for integral and differential. He doesn't dive down into the mathematics of it but does point out that those two stages of the controller a not separately tunable.

The book doesn't present a lot of pseudo code nor does it focus on an type of microprocessor or language.

It gives very good conceptual descriptions of how to create architectures that allow multiple sensors and actuators to act together to produce meaningful and emergent behavior while pointing out pitfalls and problems that may crop up. The book is chock full of block diagrams showing the setups being discussed.

Easy read and a good introduction
The book is easy to read and a good introducion to behavior based programming. I always like it when the author uses some humor to turn a book that could have been a boring "must read" into an entertaining experience.

Accessible guide to behavior-based robotics
Behavior-based robotics is quite simply the design of robots where there are no internal "models" of the environment. Instead, the robot's action is state-machine driven via inputs gleaned from the robot's sensors. This book gives very practical advice on building and programming such a robot. Some mathematics is involved, so the reader who knows trigonometry, algebra, and the basics of computer programming would be best prepared to make good use of this book.
Chapter 1 uses the author's Java-based simulator, BSim, to observe the behavior of a working simulated robot. This chapter tries to answer the big picture questions : What exactly is a robot and what are its essential components?
Chapter 2 reviews the concept of the feedback control system in a very accessible fashion. The author uses examples from BSim to demonstrate how good control systems can go bad.
Chapter 3 shows how to build primitive behaviors, introduces the concept of triggers, and discusses ballistic versus servo behaviors.
Chapter 4 deals with arbiters, which is the software construct that all behavior-based systems must have to manage conflict between behaviors.
Chapter 5 begins instruction on writing complete behavior-based programs using everything learned up to this point. Included are techniques for homing, avoidance, and wall-following.
Chapter 6 discusses the task of decomposing a problem into the design of a robot. This chapter specifically discusses the design of "SodaBot", a robot which moves empty soda cans to recycling bins.
Chapter 7 takes a software-centered look at various common sensors, how they function, and the ways that sensor output can be misleading.
Chapter 8 rounds out the book with a case study of a behavior-based robot implementation. The example is a simple one, but it incorporates all software elements needed by any behavior-based robot. The author uses his own "RoCK", which is short for "Robot Conversion Kit", which is a self-contained electronics and sensor package based on Atmel's AVR AT90S8535 microcontroller. The author does an excellent job of discussing the code that must be written to make the robot perform as described.
Chapter 9 is the author's speculation on the features and forms of future robots.
The appendices have useful information on the mathematics of differential drive, the author's simulator "BSim", and some frequently used functions and their pseudocode. Each chapter contains exercises that are design-oriented and therefore have open-ended solutions. Thus there are no solutions given in the book or at its website.
Although this book does an excellent job of covering all of the aspects of programming a behavior-based robot, the reader might benefit from the other major text on the subject, "Behavior-Based Robotics (Intelligent Robotics and Autonomous Agents)" by Ronald Arkin. That book is much more academic and less practical than this one, and it is also rather expensive. Thus, it might be best if you can get it used or from a library. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in behavior-based robots and in the practical details of creating and programming them. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

too many mistakes
I agree with some of the other reviews. There is some helpful information in
this book but it's nothing which can't be found elsewhere.
It might be worth reading but I suggest skipping the
examples since they contain too many errors, and aren't
spaced or documented well enough for easy understanding and debugging.

Not too helpful, kind of boring.
I was really excited when I read the table of contents of this book, as I thought it was going to talk about everything I wanted to know.It turned out that it was really boring.I gave it a good try, and forced myself to push through chapter after chapter.I read, but skipped many of the experiments, because they were set up to fail, to show you how something Couldn't be done. For example, one "experiment" on the construction of a robot's frame, was glueing pipe cleaners as joints between 2 tubes of cardboard.It went on to build a whole cardboard tube man, just to show it wouldn't stand up.Needless to say, I'm glad I didn't spend my day constructing that, as I would not have learned much about robotics.I couldn't tell if this was for kids, because it got somewhat complicated.I did buy it in a University bookstore though.

The hardest part of the whole thing, was buying all the parts.Some of them are listed in a way that nobody else lists them, and decoding them took a while.It also, unfortunately, like many robotics books, asks you to spend quite a bit of money on parts.This book pretty much just got so boring, that I began to question if it would actually explain the things that it claimed it would.I ended up giving up on it, and it set me back a bit on my robot experiments, just because I was so bored by it.It also set me back a bit of money for parts.

If you are looking for something to explain things in a fun, understandable, and productive way, look elsewhere.

Didn't get a PCB Board
It's hard to give an objective review, as I didn't get the PCB Board with this book. I emailed McGraw-Hill, going to see why it didn't have one.If I can't get any help there, I'm going to contact Amazon about this....

Update:I got a response back from McGraw-Hill, these are no longer going to come packed with a PCB board.They said something about a CDRom, but I didn't get one with my book. This is really uncool, as most of the experiments are predicated on having that PCB.So, I would urge anyone who was really considering this to perform the experiments to pass it up.I would not recommend this book to anyone!

A mixed bag
The book doesn't as much explain how to build a robot as it explains robots by their building blocks; electronics, microcontrollers, sensors, motors etc.

This is both the book's greatest strength and its greatest weakness; if you take the time and effort to go through each example, you will gain a solid understanding of electronics; understanding you need to have in order to design and build (as opposed to assemble one from a kit) a robot.

The drawback is that it is time-consuming to go through all the experiments, and it is not always obvious why a given experiment is relevant to robotics.Also, unless you already have drawers full of electronics components and tools, it's going to be quite expensive to buy everything you need -- about $150.

Unfortunately, the author didn't provide a good parts list for the book, so unless you buy a kit with all the components (see link that another reviewer provided), you'll probably need to order parts from several sources.

It is not clear what audience the author is writing for; one chapter may be very basic and simple, while the next is very advanced.

Finally, the book would have benefited from a more thorough proof-reading before going to press; there are some annoying typos and errors in circuit schematics.

Misleading title
This author has the ability to obscure even the simplest concepts.Perhaps it is intentional, sort of a puzzle book where you have to work so much more (and spend so much more) to get anything done. Calling this book 123 robotics experiments is misleading at best. More than half of the book deals with textbook homework of the dullest kind and generally assumes that the user understands terms or concepts that have not been previously introduced and which only a seasoned engineer would know what they mean.
You will learn, enjoy and save a lot more if you get the BASIC Stamp Discovery Kit which is not only a superb introduction to practical robotics but it also includes all you need to succeed. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Detailed and inspirational - worth the read!
Karl does a good job of leading you through the basic concepts of humaniod robotics in this well written, well annotated and very descriptive text on the subject. His detailed plans are easy to follow and his programs are well written and well explained throughout. He provides specific recommendations for parts as well as vendors and spends time explaining his choices. If you're interested in learning not only how to write useful PIC applications for robotics but also how to build robotics that implement those applications, then this is the book for you. This is a must have for your library of robotics books!

An amazing book for robotic beginners.
The most interesting part of this book is on its pratical topics. A lots of briliant ideas can be learned from this book, especially for those who would like to build up their first robotic project from scratch.

Things that need to be improved are on the materials used for the projects in this book. Less heavy duty tools required would be nice. The discussions should be more focussing on robotic sensors and control parts.

Great Collection!!!

Laredo TX Samuel Diaz
I already did all the projects in the book it great its one of the best robot books I have ever readed it tells you everything you need to now about robotics.

Robot Start to Finish
First off I'd like to say that this is a great book if you want to learn how to build a robot from start to finish.I personally waited till I was done building the robotic arm to write this review.The book was easy to read, and understand, and took me through the process with ease.It lists everything you need, and even tells you where some parts can be ordered, although I wishit could of listed more specs, and suppliers.I'm not sure if I would recommend this book to the clueless begginer because there were a couple of technical erros I found, but worked through. One of the errors was in the PCB artwork which caused an LED not to light in the test program.The book also says you can build it for under $300.I think I spent about $500.That's not including the pic programmer, software, Visual Basic, and tools. Which even though most of that isn't needed, you wouldn't really be learning much if you didn't have it.If you at least have the tools,I would say that with the software, and everything else that you should have for the project, it would cost in the neighborhood of $1,300. On the plus side you'll be able to build your next project for under $300 once you have the proper materials.Nobody said it would be cheap, so make sure you're serious. I'm already designing my own project with the knowledge I gained from building the arm.

The most greatest book I ever read!!!
This book is amazing and it keeps you filled with excitement as you build the robots. I built the humanoid biped walker and it is one of the most exciting projects to me. I really haven't built the robot arm or head, but this book is even good enough to read without building the projects. I recommened this book to beginners and advanced robot hobbyist!!! ... Read more

Book Description
Wrox's Professional Microsoft Robotics Studio is one of the first guides to Microsoft's new platform for visualizing and programming robotics applications. Written by the founding architect of the product, Professional Microsoft Robotics Studio is heavy on examples making this a hands-on guide that will get readers building robotics applications quickly using 3 case-study robots: an indoor security robot, winning Magellan competitor and a chess-playing robotic arm.
Topics include:
* Common Concurrency Runtime
* Sending and Receiving Messages
* Building and Accessing Services
* Using a browser and the Internet as the UI for a robot
* Using supported hardware and integrating new hardware
* Simulating the real world for robotic interactions
* Extending the simulation environment
* Deploying to hardware
* Using the Visual Programming Language
and more.
Source code and online support at Wrox.com. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (3)

Real programming power for the NXT
If you are interested in programming your NXT beyond what NXT-G can do (the environment that comes with the retail kit) this is the book for you. You don't have to change out the firmware as you do for other text based programming languages, so you can continue to use NXT-G. In fact both types of programs can reside on the NXT at the same time.

There is a great chapter giving details on the Bricx integrated development environment and all the tools that come with it. It is very complete.

The versa bot that is detailed in the book is a great platform to add to and make your own modifications to. I have already made several of my own modules for it and wrote programs to take advantage of them with NXC.
There are several other bots to be built in the book that I have yet to get built, as I am still adding to the versa bot, but I definitely will though. The etch a sketch one looks really cool and I am sure programming it will teach me a lot.

Thanks should go out to John Hansen (the author) for all the contributions he has made, and continues to make to the Mindstorms Robotic community. The Mindstorms is a great platform to aid the young in learning and teaching the old to stay young.

Getting More from this Powerful Robot Kit
Summary: An excellent'next step' for getting the most from this powerful computer system

Mindstorms NXT is robot building tool from Lego. The centrepiece is a large "brick" containing a 32-bitARM7 computer - the kind of computer you might find in a PDA or a Smartphone. The kit includes a graphical programming environment capable of quite complex programs as well as being accessible to beginners and youngsters. The kit also includes motors and sensors, wheels, gears, and a whole lot of technic-style Lego to hold them together.

John Hansen's book takes all of these components and organises them in a coherent and easily understandable fashion. He describes how to use the various components and explains the sensors (that range from a simple contact switch to a sophisticated ultrasonic distance sensor). However, the real strength of the book is in its approach to programming of the system.

Power Programming describes how to maximise the capability of the kit by programming it using a conventional, textual programming language that is close to standard C. This is both more natural to anyone who already has a smattering of programming knowledge and, ultimately, capable of more complex and much faster programs for the NXT. Best of all, the system that Hansen describes is a free, open-source toolkit usable on Mac, PC and Linux; just download it from the WWW and you're ready to roll.

NXC (Not eXactly C) and the complementary assembler, NBC (NeXT Byte Code) are explained in a clear and authoritative way (Hansen is the author of the compilers too) before the book explores the rest of the system. Each item is introduced in the context of a real robot (you can build these from the step by step instructions) but in a style that explains how it actually works; so the reader is left understanding how to apply each item in their own programs. Later chapters dig deeply into advanced programming of the sensors and communication between several robots without ever becoming inaccessible. And, lest I have made it all sound too dry and worthy, there are detours to examine such things as playing Space Invaders on the NXT and producing a Bedroom security system and remote controlled car.

This is a well-written, clearly presented and very well produced book from an acknowledged expert. It's not for young children but anyone with a little programming knowledge and an interest in computers and robots will find it entirely indispensable. Just beware that, while the tools it describes are free, it could well convince non-owners that they need to buy a NXT!

Empowering resource for NXT fans
While the official NXT-G programming language included in the LEGO Mindstorms NXT set works well for many people, what if you want to increase your programming potential or simply prefer a text-based language rather than a graphical one? John C. Hansen's book provides the answer to both of these questions by teaching you how to program the NXT in NeXT Byte Codes (NBC) and Not eXactly C (NXC).

The book begins with an introduction to some basic programming concepts and then shows you how to set up NBC/NXC. Since these unofficial languages are based on the standard firmware, you don't have to download custom firmware to your microcomputer, making setup a breeze. Chapters 2 through 4 discuss the NXT hardware, NXT firmware, and basic construction concepts, respectively. If you're new to the NXT set, you'll find these chapters helpful.

Chapter 5 covers the BricxCC IDE, which supports NBC, NXC, and a number of other languages. This is definitely one of my favorite chapters. BricxCC is an incredibly powerful but user-friendly program, and this chapter shows how to effectively use and customize BricxCC. Perhaps the most interesting chapter in the book is Chapter 6, which discusses free NXT utilities that perform miscellaneous functions.

The real power programming begins in Chapters 7 and 8, which cover NXC and NBC. If, like me, you've programmed the RCX microcomputer in Not Quite C (NQC), you'll be glad to see that Hansen created NXC with a lot of the same features and same "feel." Naturally, these chapters are most easily understood if you have a background in C or programming in general, but such knowledge is not required. The book assumes you are a beginner and explains fundamental programming concepts. If you need more information about a basic concept that the book doesn't discuss in great detail (for example, using arrays), you could easily consult an online resource.

Chapters 9 through 16 teach you how to build a basic robot (Versa), program basic and advanced NXT outputs, program basic and advanced NXT inputs, create an intruder alert robot, explore "games that people play" on the NXT, and control an NXT robot remotely. It is through these chapters that you get practical experience in using NBC/NXC.

In conclusion, if you're looking for an effective and user-friendly text-based programming language for the NXT, then this book is for you. NBC, NXC, and the BricxCC IDE are outstanding resources, and this book teaches not only the basics but also quite advanced concepts (which will be of interest to expert users out there). Bear in mind, however, that this isn't primarily a book of building instructions. Its purpose is to teach you how to effectively program robots--and it accomplishes that purpose very well.
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Book Description
Robot motion planning has become a major focus of robotics. Research findings can be applied not only to robotics but to planning routes on circuit boards, directing digital actors in computer graphics, robot-assisted surgery and medicine, and in novel areas such as drug design and protein folding. This text reflects the great advances that have taken place in the last ten years, including sensor-based planning, probabalistic planning, localization and mapping, and motion planning for dynamic and nonholonomic systems. Its presentation makes the mathematical underpinnings of robot motion accessible to students of computer science and engineering, rleating low-level implementation details to high-level algorithmic concepts. ... Read more

Book Description

Theory of Applied Robotics: Kinematics, Dynamics, and Control is appropriate for courses in robotics that emphasize kinematics, dynamics, and control.

Book Description
Robotics is becoming an increasingly popular field for hobbyists and professionals alike.The cost of the mechanics and electronics required to build a robot are low enough that almost anybody can afford it.The hardware that used to require government funding or a large university is now available to the average person.At the same time, programming is becoming a more common skill.This book combines the most sophisticated parts of robotics and programming to fill a real gap in available information.Most robotics books today use microcontrollers as the “brains” of the robots.This approach is fine for smaller, less expensive projects, but has serious limitations.When attempting to build a robot with sophisticated movements, navigation abilities, vision, and picture-capturing abilities, it is better to use a single board computer (SBC) such as Linux as the controller. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Good beginner's book
There's not a lot of detailed technical information but the book does a good job of listing a range of ideas and sources for building Linux robots. As an expert-level Linux Administrator, a decent C and Python programmer who is familiar with Java and as a budding roboticist, I found the book very useful.

Sadly the cover art is the best part!
It is fare to say Mr. Newman is very competent programming and using Linux. The one star rating has more to do with content and publishing rather than a knock on Mr. Newman. It was obvious he was under time constraints and that this was his first book. He spends more time talking about features that are not working yet or that he wants to implement, than the process to build the robot in his book. The majority of the book is short descriptions without depth. The title and the table of contents are very unreflective of the text contained in the book. The book has 155 pages of "content" and 120 pages of Appendix. The code in the 119 pages of Appendix A while well written could have been included on a CD and much more detail added to the book. It reads, looks and is a rush job. It is clear Mr. Newman has skills and a firm grasp of Robotics and Linux. It is also very clear that this TAB book is a bust. I returned the book. If you are looking for an in-depth Linux and Robotics book then you are much better off with Open-Source Robotics and Process Control Cookbook: Designing and Building Robust, Dependable Real-time Systems
By Lewin Edwards. I bought this at the same time I bought Mr. Newman's book. I also own Lewin Edwards first book.
Embedded System Design on a Shoestring
I consider both of Lewin Edwards works mentioned above as must have books.

How a robot should be built.
I have this book and it has more than enough information to build a very capable robot that makes most of those that you can buy a toy.
Using free (as in free beer) software from the internet you can make a robot that can be anything that you want with just a little thought. The information is supplied in sections starting from some basic knowedge you can create a robot a piece at a time. The information covers movement - internal networking between indivual control modules to internet networking of the robot, to having the robot figure out where in the world or house it is and how does it get to where it needs to be.All the source code for the software is in the book and available from the authors site.It is a great starting place for a very potent robot.

Lots of Robotics, Not so much on Linux
Building Robots has become a fascination to a lot of people, including Mr. Newman, the author of this book. His robots are a long ways from C3PO. He basically build a robot mounted on wheels that has an awful lot of electronics. But then again he is including a lot of features in his design.

There are lot of ways to implement the controller. In this case he uses a small size but standard PC motherboard. On this board he runs a Linux operating system. In spite of the title, this is not really a book on how to use Linux to control robots. He just happens to use Linux for his robot because it is cheaper than Windows.

Most of the programming information he gives is the form of Java progrms that will handle the various devices (such as vision) that he wants built into his robots. In fact, much of the book, too much in fact, is given over to code. The code is available on line, reprinting it here in the book is pretty boring reading.

The book is a good introduction on how to design and build a robot using standard components. Here's how you can get started.

Not a how-to book on "Linux Robotics".
I've been looking forward to Mr. Newman's book since his postings earlier last year on a robotics forum. I find the subject of incorporating a mini-itx computer with the Linux operating system into robots fascinating and I want to do the same. From this book, I understand he has working robots using this configuration. I'm sure I could learn a lot from Mr. Newman on this subject. I wish this book had provided insight into the pitfalls, tricks and details that a Microsoft Windows user could benefit from to accomplish his same results with Linux. I feel this book falls too short on the Linux content as implied by the book's current title. This would otherwise be a good book if it were renamed.

I found the mention of Linux related topics on approximately 25 out of 155 pages in this book. This is excluding the 119 pages of Java source code in Appendix A.

Chapter 1. Mentions Linux on 9 of 25 pages where the author describes in general terms that he is using Gentoo Linux and describes generalized reasons why you might want to use Linux.

Chapter 2. I didn't find any mention of Linux.

Chapter 3. Mentioned Linux on 3 of 15 pages. The author describes in general terms that a Linux motherboard can be a master node on the network. He discusses using USB devices with Linux.

Chapter 4. Mentioned Linux on 3 of 16 pages. He revealed that Linux is not a real-time operating system. Motherboards using the FTDI chipset seem to better support Linux. The author stated that he had to write a USB driver for Linux but gave no detailed information.

Chapter 5. I didn't find any mention of Linux.

Chapter 6. Mentioned Linux on 3 of 10 pages. In this chapter he describes where he found text to speech source code.

Chapter 7. Mentioned Linux on 1 of 15 pages. He mentions that some high-level open source vision systems are easier to work with under Linux than others. Another general comment was about video drivers for Linux.

Chapter 8. I didn't find any mention of Linux.

Chapter 9. Mentions Linux on 2 of 8 pages. He describes Joone as a nice Neural Network Interface that works under Windows and Linux. He admits that he runs his on a Windows laptop but it could run on Linux.

Chapter 10. Mentions Linux on 5 of 17 pages. The author's wireless Linksys network card is not part of the Linux kernel but is supported in Gentoo. This chapter makes other general comments regarding Linux, WiFi, and NFS.

I don't fault the author for this book; other materials in this book are of value to some readers. It makes a good introductory book for someone interested in learning about robotics topics. I respect Mr. Newman for his contributions to the robotics forums.

I do however fault Tab Books for the title and promotional material surrounding this book. I'll be wary of their books in the future. Perhaps a more appropriate title would be "My Robot Uses Linux" or "Java Robotics". This is not a how-to book on creating your own "Linux Robotics" projects.

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Book Description
A Mathematical Introduction to Robotic Manipulation presents a mathematical formulation of the kinematics, dynamics, and control of robot manipulators. It uses an elegant set of mathematical tools that emphasizes the geometry of robot motion and allows a large class of robotic manipulation problems to be analyzed within a unified framework.The foundation of the book is a derivation of robot kinematics using the product of the exponentials formula. The authors explore the kinematics of open-chain manipulators and multifingered robot hands, present an analysis of the dynamics and control of robot systems, discuss the specification and control of internal forces and internal motions, and address the implications of the nonholonomic nature of rolling contact are addressed, as well.The wealth of information, numerous examples, and exercises make A Mathematical Introduction to Robotic Manipulation valuable as both a reference for robotics researchers and a text for students in advanced robotics courses. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Not bad as a reference
This books deals with all kinds of manipulators. It has a good amount of math but looks not enough and not easy to understand (I did not go into the math details). I think this book would be a good reference in your library where it has a good amount of advanced information about manipulators.

a branch of applied maths
For decades, physics and engineering undergraduates have used texts on classical mechanics that often contained what some students might consider to be abstruse ideas, with little everyday usage. But this book on robotics is a worthy rejoinder. It can be regarded as an advanced text in classical mechanics.

It shows how mathematical treatments of rigid and non-rigid body rotations and displacements are necessary to correctly model robot manipulators. Plus how holonomic constraints can be used to determine system behaviour. Engineering students also get exposure to the use of Lagrange's equation in robotics. Typically nowadays, Lagrange's equation is taught in pure physics courses, with engineering undergrads having little need for it.

One implication is that some students might need to upgrade their maths background before turning to this book. (Maybe you should have paid more attention in some classes!) ... Read more

Book Description
The purpose of this book is to reach out to teachers, parents, coaches, and students who may be hoping to, or just investigating the possibility of, how to get started with robotics. At the same time, we hope to leverage the efforts of those who have been hard at work and "play" in this massive movement for many years, applaud their efforts, and provide them with documentation, support, and additional resources to reach further into the possibilities they can help create for all of us in bringing the power and potential of learning through robotics to more students, to the classroom and beyond. Not only does this book provide resources and firsthand insight into this exciting field, but it also provides one-of-a-kind perspectives of curricular applications of robotics for student learning. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Robotics
For anyone involved with or interested in robotics education, this is a must read.Excellent explanation of not only the innumerable connections to ed theory, but to the very practical experience of learning that all robotics students will enjoy... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

engineering manual
After 12 years of running an engineering club, I finally found a helpful book. I work with students from 6th to 12th grades. My 8th and 9th graders have no problem following this book. As a matter of fact I can't keep it on my desk. It is frequently either checked out or on the floor with the "builder". Yes, it is a freshman college book but my kids seem to have no problems reading it. My students participate in BEST, FIRST and Botball.

Taking the next step
This book presents an introduction to various aspects of robot building and planning.It is written as an undergraduate textbook, and contains numerous exercises throughout the text.The book assumes that students and other readers will have access to Handyboards and LEGO Technic equipment, as well as a desktop PC and hobbyist-level soldering equipment.The book walks the reader through analyzing a Handyboard, how to use it, how to build custom sensors and motors, and how to write programs in assembly language.All of this information would be very useful to first-year engineering students as it would help them put theory from many of their other classes into practice.Nevertheless, most of the tasks and programs described in the book could actually be built with a standard LEGO RCX brick.On the other hand, a person who masters the material in this book would be able to take advantage of the extra sensors and motors that the Handyboard supports and build far more sophisticated robots than would be possible with LEGO Mindstorms equipment.Anyone who builds robots using LEGO equipment, whether with a Handyboard or an RCX, will find information in this book about Braitenberg vehicles, LEGO design, control theory, and robotics contests quite useful.The introduction to Assembly language in Appendix A is also presented in an easily accessible style.

Thinking about learning how to build a robot?
I found this to be an excellent introduction to how to build a fully functional, autonomous robot.This book covers everything you need to build robots using LEGO Technics (think LEGO blocks plus gears, motors, etc.) and a Handyboard, a robot brain developed to get the hard digital electronics out of the way so you can concentrate on putting together a good design with motors and sensors and software intelligence.

As someone looking for how to break into robotics without first getting bachelors in Electrical Engineering or Mechanical Engineering, this book was for me.I got the basics of the two topics covered and was able to dive right into the interesting "what can I do with my robot" scenarios.

This book also goes into some detail on inexpensive sensor components out in the electronics market and how to use them in robots.I found this to be a great source of ideas and instructions even when not creating robots using the Handyboard brain.

For those looking to dabble, be aware that this is a book best used in conjunction with real, live robot parts. (...)

A good introduction to robotics
The basic content of this book is excellent. It provides a readily accessible introduction to the principles of engineering. This book could easily be used as the text for a first year course in a unified engineering curriculum including Computer Science. The one flaw with this book is that it