This
page contains answers to common questions along with some tips and tricks
that we have found useful and presented here as questions.
- Where can I find the book?
- What makes this book different from the rest?
- Why doesn't the book have project XYZ?
- Who are the authors of the book?
- What is BEAM Robotics?
Hopefully, almost at any major bookstore! Indicators are that Junkbots
will be slated for major distribution, so start at a store nearby. If
that doesn't work, you can order it directly from Solarbotics Ltd (and
other book-related stuff), or from Amazon.com (USA, Int'l), Amazon.ca (in Canada), and Chapters/Indigo (in Canada)
Junkbots approaches building robots with parts that are
truly available from around the house, or in the scrap
heap.
The BEAM aspect is pushed, meaning that there isn't programming or
microprocessors required.
We've gone through considerable effort to document our projects, with
images specifically edited for clear, clean reproduction in the
book.
Why doesn't the book have project XYZ?
We had a large number of projects to pick from, but time and space
constraints resulted with us having to cut some projects out of our
"want" list. Photovores weren't covered specifically because
of the large number of really good quality web-pages already dedicated
to photovores (specifically check out the "FRED", and "Fangovore"
projects). We weren't going to do a project unless if we thought we
could do it either better or with newer ideas than what was already
available on the Internet.
Who are the authors of the book?
Dave Hrynkiw and Mark Tilden, of course!
Dave Hrynkiw (me) is the President of Solarbotics Ltd.,
a company focused on bringing BEAM-style robotics to the world. I've
worked a hard five months to bring this book to the world, and hope that
it makes a suitable addition to a roboticist's bookshelf.
Mark Tilden (him) is the creator of the style of robotics that is
called "BEAM". By using clever electronic techniques, we're
able to build robots simpler, quicker, and generally as (or more)
effective than with traditional techniques. BEAM never has pretended to
be a replacement for microprocessor-based robotics, but when combined
with it, some pretty impressive results can be expected.
Good question! I recommend you visit Solarbotics.com
for an introduction to the technology.
