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19 of 20 found the following review helpful:
 Good but not great Sep 08, 2003
By Allen Kennedy
"allenkll"
Although the book seems very thorough on the surface, as you begin to build the robot described, obvious flaws come to play, Parts seem to jump at you from nowhere, dimensions seem to be incorrect, and the "debugging" leaves something to be desired. However, it is a good resource for the first time 'bot builder, and can get you thinking in the ways of design, construction and programming. As for the bot itself... As reproduced exactly from the books instructions there are problems structurally, and programatically, that can be overcome with some ingeuity. So, If you are looking for a fool proof step by step to bot building, try Gordon Mccomb's Robot builder Bonanza, however if you are a step or two into the game already, then get this book.
13 of 14 found the following review helpful:
 Great book!! Very detailed information Dec 09, 2002
By Paul Daniels
I've been a big fan of walking robots since seeing them on television all the time and wanted to build one, but, where to start?
*** This book is where it's at!! ***
I'm really impressed with this book. A lot of the other robotics books don't really give you enough information to actually build the robots but this one does - and is very detailed - right down to giving the exact aluminum cutting and drilling dimensions and then actually showing great pictures of what each finished piece looks like. So when I to put the pieces together it actually worked.
It gives all the info for making the circuit boards. I was always apprehensive about making printed circuit boards but they turned out great and made the robot look so professional.
The cool thing about programming the robot is that the author includes all the .HEX files (and you can download them from a website - listed in the book too) needed to program the microcontroller so you don't have to actually compile code if you don't want to. The only thing is that you need a Pic programmer but it was very inexpensive but you can get a pre-programmed chip from the website too. Way cheaper than using a Basic stamp...
The infrared sensor chapter makes building an affordable sensor really easy - I actually used if for a different project too.
The room mapping with the sonar sensor is fascinating because it seems like the robot is really alive the way it knows where to go.
I'm going to add the radio control - haven't yet - but it looks pretty easy to interface to the microcontroller. And then use this technique for a video camera.
The gripper design looks great too - it could also be used for a robot arm if you wanted.
I have to say that for the low price of the book you get much great info!!
Even if you don't build the exact robot in the book, the detailed practical information about interfacing, motion control and sensor monitoring can be used for any project.
This bot is going to be useful for some artificial intelligence software that I intend to write - a perfect platform for experimentation.
The author writes in a style that makes is easy to understand and he has a way of simplifying the hard stuff... and the robot really does seem like it's alive.
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
Love this book! Mar 16, 2003
By Gary Scott
I've been building robots for several years now and this has to be the best book on the subject of building a walking robot! Easy to follow instructions and explanation of the code make this a winner in my book! The Author has a website that allows you to easily download the code and templates for construction. This is a winner!
7 of 8 found the following review helpful:
Fabulous Book!!! Sep 16, 2003
By Frank Kennedy
An excellent book if you want to build a walking robot that really works!! I've been looking for a book like this for years. The details for building the mechanics and electronics are actually very exact and accurate. I had absolutely no problems building two of these robots. This book even gives the printed circuit board design artwork for the microcontroller board circuit and the infrared sensors, which none of the other robotics books do. This book is packed full of great practical knowledge like interfacing a radio remote control system, sonar rangefinding, and an excellent robot gripper - among other things... WELL WORTH THE MONEY. I also bought Amphibionics which is also a great book with plans for four biologically inspired robots - a really cool snake robot, frog, aligator and turtle.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
Great Intro to Microcontrollers! May 16, 2003
This is an excellent way of learning about the PIC microcontroller. I personally learn best by hands on experience. Karl Williams shows you everything about assembling a robot from scratch. Great Job! You can find parts at [website] or build it on your own.
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