Androids: Build Your Own Lifelike Robots shows how to use Arduino and low-cost sensors and actuators to create robots with humanistic capabilities—arms that bleed when cut; legs that retract when the robot stubs its foot on a rock; heart and breath sounds that change with effort; and even a robot that shivers when it’s cold.
Co-written by the Editor-in-Chief of SERVO and Nuts & Volts magazines and the Chief Scientist of the US ARMY TATRC Armed Forces Simulation Institute for Medicine, this book leverages the increasing performance-to-price ratio of affordable microcontroller hardware, powerful programming languages, and affordable sensors to create robots with lifelike responses to internal and external stimuli. You’ll learn about cybernetic principals, such as closed feedback loops, that form the basis of human reflexes and bodily functions. This how-to guide to creating robots with physical intelligence is the first step in creating robots that can pass for living, breathing humans!
- A how-to project-based book, with illustrated step-by-step instructions
- Uses popular, affordable components, easily obtained from major parts suppliers
- Programming code compatible with the Arduino platform with supplemental code in C for the Parallax Propeller
- All code downloadable from the companion website
Table of contents
Chapter 1: The Reflex Arc
Chapter 2: Behavior Loops
Chapter 3: Thermal Equilibrium
Chapter 4: Light Response
Chapter 5: All Ears
Chapter 6: If It Bleeds, Can We Kill It
Chapter 7: A Heartbeat Away
Chapter 8: A Breath of Fresh Air
Chapter 9: Integrated Cybernetic System
Appendixes
Appendix A: Program Listing
Appendix B: Resources
Author comments
Bryan Bergeron is author of two dozen books, 500+ magazine articles, holds several patents in the areas of human simulation and embedded systems, and is Editor-in-Chief of SERVO and Nuts & Volts magazines. He has designed and built human simulators for academia, the military, and commercial markets. Bryan is the author of Teardowns: Learn How Electronics Work by Taking Them Apart.
Thomas B. Talbot, Chief Scientist of the US ARMY TATRC Armed Forces Simulation Institute for Medicine, founded the medical simulation research & development program at the US Defense Department. He is the creator of several android systems used for training medics and healthcare professionals. The author of numerous articles and book chapters, Dr. Talbot is currently creating artificial intelligence-driven virtual humans and virtual reality psychotherapy and physical rehabilitation.
