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Summary: Wonderful book!
Review: As an "absolute beginner", I was looking for the right book to get me started. Absolute Beginner's is that book. After reading it from cover to cover, I can't wait to start building my first bot. I won't say much more because it's all in the other reviews but I just had to give it my own little endorsement, for whatever it's worth.
Great work!
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Summary: Missing Parts
Review: Cute book. If you want learn about the history of robots and to learn how to make only 3 of them then this is the book for you. The part list should be revised to include all parts used and recommended. You should read the projects carefully unless you want to spend time travelling back and forth to your local electronics store. Although the projects start with a parts list, the author tends to add parts to a project in the middle of the text.
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Summary: Best tech writer out there!
Review: Gareth Branwyn could make even the most simple tech stuff interesting...oh, wait, he just did! Not many tech books tell stories, this one does. So for readers who suffer from M.E.G.O (my eyes glaze over) when reading how-to's, this book is an absolute gift. Funny, informative and practical (no having to get Morton-Thiokol on the phone for spare parts) it's a great little book. Want more from this guy, especially on the tech history side.
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Summary: Darn tasty!
Review: Gareth Branwyn is da bomb! I've been reading his stuff for close to 1.5 decades and, I gotta tell ya, it just keeps getting better. Speaking as a professional tech writer, I'm damn jealous. He's clear, clean, explains the gnarly and brings the funny. I recommend Absolute Beginner's Guide to Building Robots without a single hesitation.
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Summary: Great projects for a beginner
Review: I have been fascinated with robots ever since I was a little kid. When I was young, I would go to the library and check out books about robots. Most of these books talked about movie robots and then told about the many different kinds of robots that could be purchased commerically at the time. I loved to read through those books and imagine what it would be like to have my own robot. Years later, I have gotten the robotics bug again and I have been interested in building my own simple robot. I bought this book and I loved the history section. It told about the history of actual robotics and how various roboticists have influenced each other's work. It also talks about different approaches to tackling different problems. After covering the theory and history of robotics, the book tells you exactly what tools you need and what you need to get started with building 3 simple robots. He even has sections on the electronic components and how to solder. This book is really written for beginners! Each project helps you build a different kind of robot that with increasing complexity. The instructions seem very clear and the illustrations are very good too. The best thing about this book is the fact that there is a very active web forum where people can discuss their progress on the projects and the author has been very eager to help people that have questions.
Some other comments here have complained that the book's projects are not original or that there are missing parts. The author never claimed the projects to be original. He gives credit to the original designers and has made variations that make the projects more foolproof for beginners. He has built them all multiple times and provides original instructions that are very clear and easy to follow. He also has the active website (very unusual for a robot book in my experience) where you can ask questions and he can clarify anything that you have trouble with.
I highly recommend this book for anyone that wants to learn about the history of robotics to date or that wants to get started building their own robot.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Book
Review: I have read this book, and thought it was definitely well done. It explained the tools, supplies, and the knowledge you will need to be a competent robot builder. At the end of a book is a detailed list of books, magazines and web sites for where you can go from this book. The book was great, although the only thing I didn't like was that the three projects were hard to follow. I didn't quite understand all of the actions I needed to take, and these chapters lost me pretty quicky. Still, the book is great to get you going, and has an excellent amount of resources at the end, and I like the author a lot and hope to read another of his books later.
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Summary: Totally awsome
Review: I knew nothing about robots, except that they where cool. I searched and read loads of web pages about building robots, but did not understand a bit of it. It was always way to advanced for a beginner. The book really does helps someone who does not know anything about robots to acctually learn about building your own, without haveing a college degree.
Again, the book is totally awsome.
Thanks,
David
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Summary: This book does exactly what it promises!
Review: I suppose I've always been fascinated with robots, but the idea of creating one myself never dawned on me. It always seemed so inaccessible, such a difficult field to get into. By chance, I stumbled upon this book. I am soooo grateful that I did - it's changed my life. Gareth Branwyn does an excellent job of leading the reader into this intimidating science, and lays a really good foundation for the three robots outlined in the book, and further exploration. You don't start building the first bot until you're halfway thru the thing, which is beautiful - it really helps you understand what's going on in the world of robotics today, what can and can't be done now, and what lies just beyond the horizon. This is not a definitive text, nor does it claim to be. It will get your feet wet, get a little experience under your belt, and point you in the right direction as you progress beyond the scope of the book. It is written as non-technically and straightforward as possible. With just a little adult guidance, I think even middle school children could grasp the concepts and execute the projects. Yet it is rich enough for curious adults, as well. In the space of a few months, I went from being completely ignorant of all things robotic to creating this - http://www.knifewieldingrobots.com/thevault/staysonchair_lores.mov Buy this book now!
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Summary: Solid content and fun from start to finish!
Review: Literally anyone can grab a copy of this book, start reading and not only begin construction of sophisticated little robots in no time, but also be on their way to a solid understanding of electonics- all with no prior knowledge or experience! And if you thought that was enough, Gareth Branwyn has managed to achieve all of this with a gentle, familiar and genuinely humerous style that has you honestly convinced that you are having too much fun to possibly be learning. So, if you have ever thought it would be cool to construct your very own little droid army, but always thought that it was reserved for scientists and other white-coat wearing brainiacs, then buy this book, because that's what I used to think and I was wrong!
The Absolute Beginner's Guide to Building Robots is a book which will have even very the least geeky-natured of us hungry for more.
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Summary: True to the phrase "absolute beginner's"
Review: Many people have an interest in robotics, but have a difficult time getting started. Even the simplest of robotics projects requires a wide range of basic skills, from how to solder connections to programming microprocessors. This book lives up to the title, in that it starts at the very beginning and steps you through how to build three simple robots.
In the first section, called robots.edu, a history of robots, some of the major players and some of the simple capabilities are described. The second section begins with a list of the tools and skills needed to build robots. As basic as you can go, this gives explicit details about how to start. Three simple robot projects are described in complete detail in the third section. All start with a list and photo of the parts needed to build the robot and a step-by-step building procedure to follow. The parts are easy to obtain and cheap, but if you are not the type to shop around, there is a link to a company called Solarbotics, where you can purchase a complete kit.
True to the meaning of the phrase, "absolute beginner", this book is a great place to start if you have the desire to build robots, but lack the skills and knowledge.
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