Making Simple Robots Exploring Cutting-Edge Robotics with Everyday Stuff.pdf

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Making Simple Robots
Kathy Ceceri
Sebastopol
Preface
I have always loved robots. When I was young, I devoured Isaac
Asimov’s stories, rooted for R2-D2 and C-3PO, and admired the cool
stylishness of the replicants in Blade Runner. But I didn’t try to build my
own robots until I became an educator and a mom.
My son (the computer whiz) got his first Lego Mindstorms Robotics set
when he was 12, and immediately set to work assembling his own
creations. He attended robotics camp and learned to solder, work with
metal, and program microcontrollers.
I watched his progress as a robot builder with envy … but as a writer and
artist more comfortable working with cardboard and duct tape than
software and hardware, I never thought about joining in.
Then two things happened. My family’s homeschool science blog led to
an invitation to join the writing community at the GeekDad site on
Wired.com (and later to help create the GeekMom blog). And I was
asked by an educational publisher called Nomad Press to write a
children’s activity book titled Robotics: Discover the Science and
Technology of the Future (see Figure P-1).
I already knew a little about “real” robots from watching my son and
interviewing robotics experts. And I now knew a bunch of knowledgeable
folks I could call on for suggestions and advice. So I took the assignment,
setting out to describe where robots came from and how they worked
from the inside out. Because the book was aimed at 9-to 12-year-olds—
and especially because I came to the topic with virtually no knowledge of
electronics and mechanics—I wrote the book assuming my audience
knew nothing as well. Starting from square one, I took readers on a tour
of the various systems that go into robot design.
The projects I developed for that book presented a challenge in their own
right. With a target audience of schools and libraries, Nomad set tight
limits on how elaborate (and expensive) the do-it-yourself activities could
be. As much as possible, the projects in Robotics: Discover the Science
and Technology of the Future had to involve only ordinary crafts supplies
and recycled materials. No kits, no soldering—not even a computer!
Figure P-1. My first book of robotics projects was published by Nomad Press in 2012.
Turns out, by finding ways to overcome those limitations, I became an
expert in low-tech/no-tech robotics. And the response has been
encouraging. In my workshops at schools, museums, and libraries, I see
kids who have never taken a gadget apart before or wired up a motor to a
battery become absorbed in designing their own moving robots. When I
display my projects at Maker Faires and Mini Maker Faires, numerous
parents and teachers tell me my projects and explanations speak to them
at their level as well.
It’s obvious to me that there are a whole lot of adults who would like to be
able to do more with technology, robotics, and the Maker Movement
without having to go back to school. It’s easy to understand why: we are
constantly surrounded by new technology that to most of us might as well
be magic. Yet the news is filled with stories on why the public—especially
kids—need to understand more about STEM (Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Math) if we’re to function in the world of the future. We
want to know this stuff for our own satisfaction, and so we can help the
children in our lives understand it too.
Yes, there are some great kits and beginner robot-building books out
there. But I know there are still many adults who have more curiosity than
experience with working with electronics. For many of us, even “basic”
isn’t basic enough.
That’s why I wrote Making Simple Robots for Maker Media. I want to take
those low-tech/no-tech projects that have proved so popular with people
like me and push them just a little bit further. In this book I’ll hold your
hand as you tackle projects you might have shied away from before
because of fear of the time, money, tools, skill level, or safety issues
involved.
And I’m here to tell you, you don’t have to go it alone. There are more
opportunities than ever before for us nontechy types to mingle with
engineers and veteran tinkerers, in the flesh and online. Here in upstate
New York, I’ve been lucky enough to become part of a new local
makerspace, the Tech Valley Center of Gravity in Troy (Figure P-2),
where a host of knowledgeable people volunteer their time helping
people like me get up to speed with the amazing new tools and materials
around us. And don’t forget the many educators, businesspeople, and
hobbyists who generously share their expertise and suggestions on sites
like makezine.com and instructables.com.

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