Reading Anatomy of a Robot is like having a robot on the operating room table. Crack open the pages, and you’ll be able to dissect a robot from head to toe—or from project management and design to motors and power systems.

Discover how robots articulate movements, how they see and hear, what gives them their power, and, at times, their gentleness. Delve into the robot’s “brains,” and learn how experienced robot designers use control systems to make their machines think.

Much more than an enumeration of parts, Anatomy of a Robot exposes the life and human creativity behind today’s robot. Always entertaining, this exceptional book takes you deep inside the theory and craft, philosophy and science of robotics. Coverage ranges from control systems and computer hardware to “nuts and bolts” topics such as actuators and mechanics, with plenty of humor and mathematical equations to help with the anatomy lesson.

A must for robot professionals and serious robot hobbyists, and a treat for science lovers and teachers, Anatomy of a Robot is a journey inside one of today’s most exciting and fast-moving disciplines

Contents

Introduction
    Acknowledgments
   Chapter 1: A Brief History of Walking Machines
    Computer Control
    Summary
   Chapter 2: Walking Gaits
    Stability
    Adaptability (Tripod Gait, Wave Gait, Degrees of Freedom per Leg)
    Summary
   Chapter 3: Tools, Test Equipment, and Materials
    Test Equipment
    Construction Materials
    Summary