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

Build your own computer-controlled servant. Construct your own robot or android to do your bidding! In Robots, Androids and Animatrons: 12 Incredible Projects You Can Build, electronics expert John Iovine serves up easy-to-follow plans and step-by-step instructions for constructing your very own state-of-the-art working robot that will obey your orders, act as your surrogate and even do scores of tough chores. You'll find everything you need to harness the latest robotics technologies--locomotion, sensing and control--to develop a high-tech robot, animatron or android in your own home workshop. This groundbreaking guide makes it easier than you ever imagined to: Design a lifelike robotic hand or arm that performs repetitive tasks; Build a computerized robot that uses both an expert system and a neural network--for some very unexpected behavior; Devise a robotic insect with a "brain"; Create a telepresence robot you can "get inside of" with actual arcade and virtual reality apps; Take advantage of sensing systems--tilt, bump, road and wall, light, speech, recognition, sound--even odors and gases; And much more.