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    Bots! Robotics Engineering: with Hands-On Makerspace Activities
    Bots! Robotics Engineering: with Hands-On Makerspace Activities
    Bots! Robotics Engineering: with Hands-On Makerspace Activities
    Ebook248 pages2 hours

    Bots! Robotics Engineering: with Hands-On Makerspace Activities

    By Kathy Ceceri and Lena Chandhok

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    About this ebook

    Praise for a previous edition of Robotics

    Featured title School Library Journal "Focus on Robo Reads"
    “Robot types and features from the past, present, and near future are introduced in this wide-ranging overview. Twenty hands-on activities relate directly to the concepts introduced in the narrative. A ‘WobbleBot' project for example, demonstrates robot movements in a simple, doable form. Cartoon illustrations support the narrative and the clear instructions.”

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherNomad Press
    Release dateOct 8, 2019
    ISBN9781619308282
    Bots! Robotics Engineering: with Hands-On Makerspace Activities
    Author

    Kathy Ceceri

    Kathy Ceceri is the author of activity books for kids and families, including Robotics: Discover the Science and Technology of the Future. She helped create the Geek-Mom blog and the book Geek Mom: Projects, Tips, and Adventures for Moms and Their 21st-Century Families and contributed more than a dozen projects to the Geek Dad series of books. Formerly the Homeschooling Expert at About.com, Kathy presents robots and STEAM programs at schools, museums, libraries, and Maker Faires around the country. She lives with her family in Upstate New York.

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      Book preview

      Bots! Robotics Engineering - Kathy Ceceri

      More engineering titles in the Build It Yourself series.

      Check out more titles at www.nomadpress.net

      Nomad Press

      A division of Nomad Communications

      10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

      Copyright © 2019 by Nomad Press. All rights reserved.

      No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review or for limited educational use. The trademark Nomad Press and the Nomad Press logo are trademarks of Nomad Communications, Inc.

      Educational Consultant, Marla Conn

      Questions regarding the ordering of this book should be addressed to

      Nomad Press

      2456 Christian St., White River Junction, VT 05001

      www.nomadpress.net

      Printed in the United States.

      CONTENTS

      Timeline

      Introduction

         The World of Robotics

      Chapter 1

         The Development of Robotics

      Chapter 2

         Robotic Shapes and Jobs

      Chapter 3

         Actuators: Making Robots Move

      Chapter 4

         How Robots Do Things

      Chapter 5

         Sensors: What Is Going On?

      Chapter 6

         Controllers: How Robots Think

      Chapter 7

         AI and the Future of Robotics

      Glossary • Metric Conversions •

      Resources • Essential Questions • Index

      Interested in Primary Sources? Look for this icon.

      Use a smartphone or tablet app to scan the QR code and explore more! Photos are also primary sources because a photograph takes a picture at the moment something happens. You can find a list of URLs on the Resources page. If the QR code doesn’t work, try searching the internet with the Keyword Prompts to find other helpful sources.

      robotics

      TIMELINE

      Introduction

      THE WORLD OF

      ROBOTICS

      Welcome to the amazing world of robots! Remember the robots from Star Wars, WALL-E, and Big Hero 6? Not that long ago, robots were found only in books and movies. Today, real robots are everywhere!

      Robots do many different jobs. Industrial robots assemble huge cars and tiny computer chips. Household robots vacuum floors and mow lawns. Security robots patrol malls and supermarkets. And self-driving robotic cars carry people and packages around town.

      Sometimes, robots do dangerous jobs. Firefighting robots equipped with water cannons can go inside burning buildings too hot for humans. Bomb disposal robots protect police and military personnel as well as civilians. We send robots to explore the depths of the ocean and the expanse of space.

      ESSENTIAL QUESTION

      What task would you ask a robot to do?

      WORDS TO KNOW

      robot: a machine that is able to sense, think, and act on its own.

      STEM: an acronym that stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. STEAM is STEM plus art.

      technology: the tools, methods, and systems used to solve a problem or do work.

      engineering: the use of science, math, and creativity to design and build things.

      robotics: the science of designing, building, controlling, and operating robots.

      But robots don’t just do risky, delicate, or boring work for us. Robot toys play with us, follow our commands, and respond to our moods. Robot pets keep people company in nursing homes. Musical robots accompany popular musicians.

      Robotics is the science of designing, building, controlling, and OPERATING ROBOTS.

      This robot, named Pepper, helps in stores, offices, homes, and schools.

      Credit: Tokumeigakarinoaoshima (CC BY 1.0)

      Creating a robot requires knowledge in STEM—Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. It takes experts in many different areas to create robots. They include scientists who study plants and animals and the way people think and behave, as well as inventors, builders, designers, and artists. In fact, some people prefer the term STEAM—with an added A for art.

      Robotics is also a popular hobby. Kids and adults enjoy making their own robots from kits or from parts they find themselves. Lots of interesting robot designs have been built by robotics fans working in their own homes or with other people in robotics clubs.

      Students at a robotics competition

      Robots may be machines, but for many people, the goal is to build robots that act as though they’re alive. Maybe one day, we’ll have robots that seem almost as human as we are!

      The word ROBOTICS was first used by science fiction writer Isaac Asimov (1920–1992) in the 1941 book I, ROBOT. The title inspired the name of the company iROBOT, maker of the Roomba ROBOTIC VACUUM CLEANER.

      WHAT IS A ROBOT, EXACTLY?

      Before you start working on your own robot models, let’s learn what makes a robot a robot. If you look in the dictionary, you’ll find robot defined as a machine that looks and acts like a human being. That description might work for movie robots, but in real life, robots take many forms. Household robotic vacuums look like giant hockey pucks. In a factory, a robot can be just an arm. There are robots in the shape of cars, insects, or even entire houses!

      WORDS TO KNOW

      roboticist: a scientist who works with robots.

      sense-think-act cycle: a decision-making process used by robots.

      sensor: in robotics, a device to detect what’s going on outside the machine.

      controller: a switch, computer, or microcontroller that can react to what the sensor detects.

      effector: a device that lets a robot affect things in the outside world, such as a gripper, tool, laser beam, or display panel.

      drive system: wheels, legs, or other parts that make a robot move.

      capacitor: an electrical component, such as a battery, that stores an electrical charge and releases it all at once when needed.

      smart material: a material that can be used to build robots that react to their surroundings through their bodies.

      soft robot: a robot with a flexible or changeable body that helps it respond to its surroundings.

      To most roboticists, a robot is a machine that can go through the sense-think-act cycle.

      •Sense: to take in information about what is going on around it.

      •Think: to use that information to select the next step to take.

      •Act: to do something that affects the outside world.

      To complete the sense-think-act cycle, a robot needs to have at least three kinds of parts. A sensor detects what’s going on, a controller reacts to what the sensor detects, and an effector can take action. A robot can have many other parts, such as a drive system that makes a robot move around and a body to hold the parts together. You’ll learn more about the parts of a robot later and get to make some of your own!

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