5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent build instructions

A.C. · 8 February 2025

It's great I'm loving it... I've read through to chapter 6 so far, having built and coded for the base build for basic movement without sensors. I've throughly enjoyed the process. In my opinion the book is very well structured and informative as it guides you through the build... thank you Danny for taking the time to put all this together... John.

5.0 out of 5 stars good book

g. · 2 April 2022

easy to follow, good wxplanation

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent introduction to robotics building and programming

D.S. · 3 April 2021

There is a lot involved in building your own robot: sourcing adequate parts, knowing how to assemble them and then how to get the robot to do things by writing software. Buying a robot kit glosses over these steps as the parts are provided together with assembly instructions and often a software library to make programming simple. Going from building such a kit to your own robot can be quite a shock for this reason.This is why this book is valuable. It covers a lot of ground! The author, Danny Staple, guides us through the process of building a wheeled robot without relying on a kit. Instead, Danny describes the components required and provides some recommendations but allows for variation. Step by step we are shown how to set up a Raspberry Pi and control motors & servos, read inputs from an IMU, and use the Raspberry Pi camera. Everything, hardware and software, is explained from scratch without assuming any prior knowledge and in an easy to read style. Instead of relying on a library of code Danny shows us how to implement everything required a small feature at a time. He also explains the principles behind why he structures the code as he does; so we learn how to extend the software on our own without it becoming a hard-to-maintain mess.This second edition makes some sensible updates. There is a slightly greater emphasis on computer vision and line following is done using image processing instead of a dedicated sensor. The chapter on distance sensors has been replaced by using an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) with a temperature sensor. Instead of controlling the robot via a GamePad the book now describes a simple phone app instead.

5.0 out of 5 stars a very didactic and complete guide to build a small rover robot, from the scratch

S.V. · 14 February 2021

The book covers a lot of the basic topics, with a very educational and hands on approach. It is well structured, and the different subjects are built on each other, nicely linking on each chapter.It does not go too deep in any of the concepts, so it won't make it as a reference book. But to be fair, it covers so many areas that will make impossible to have all the detailed info in one place.It's definitely written for enthusiastic people willing to build their first robot, no matter how much experience you have (or not) in electronics.Although for an electronic geek it might be a bit shallow, it's a great option for going back to the basics and get fun with your children. I passed to my older son, who started reading it, and I am helping him to build his first robot project. It's a great chance for sharing some time and develop their interest in science!

5.0 out of 5 stars It definitely manages to spark that motivation to go build things!

A.C. · 17 May 2021

This is a very good and easy to read book. It has a very hands-on approach to robotics and it's oriented at sparking that creative drive to build and learn by doing.I think this could be greatly enjoyed by young people and would be a good introduction book for those interested in robotics. I got the digital print but I think it's worth having in your shelf! I recommend it.

5.0 out of 5 stars A comprehensive guide to modern Raspberry Pi robotics

R.B. · 5 April 2021

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author.Building a robot is a fun way to practise programming and understand the capabilities of the Raspberry Pi. I started building robots recently to compete in Pi Wars, the non-destructive Raspberry Pi robotics competition. In the process I learned a lot from helpful members of the community including the author of this book, Danny Staple. When I discovered that he had produced a second edition I was extremely keen to read the new content, especially on the topic of Inertial Measurement Units. I've now read both the first and the second editions. The first edition was good, and the second edition is even better.The book describes a project to build a roving robot using a Raspberry Pi, and programmed using Python. The reader is presented with the topics in a logical order, from first principles. Throughout the book, a "step by step" approach is used, giving the reader detailed guidance and explanation for each step.The start of the book introduces the reader to the topic of robotics, and how to use a Raspberry Pi. These early chapters not only make an excellent introduction to the use of the Raspberry Pi for users who are unfamiliar with it but also include some tips I didn't know as an experienced user!The rest of the book is concerned with the process of building a robot around the Raspberry Pi, and writing software to make it work. A wide range of different sensors and robot behaviours are described. Each chapter focuses on a particular type of component to be added, or a new behaviour. At the end of each chapter, I had added something to my robot that it couldn't do before, and watching the robot grow as I followed along was very rewarding.The robot that I had built by the end of the book was beautiful and capable. The robot would probably need a few changes to be competitive in Pi Wars, but the core techniques and components used here translate well to that competition. You would definitely be able to build a competitive Pi Wars robot if you completed the projects in this book.Because of the "follow along" approach, and the detailed step-by-step instructions, the book is necessarily opinionated about what components are used when building the robot. An attempt has been made to describe alternatives (in significantly less detail) but I would strongly recommend starting out with the same parts as the author, to have the best experience. For example, some of the sensors stipulated by the book run at 3.3 volts. There are many 5 volt alternative parts commonly available to buy, but using these requires additional complicated circuitry. I used the 5 volt parts (because I already had them on the shelf) and the complicated circuit, but it would have been much easier if I had just bought the (less common) parts that Danny recommended in the first place!This specific example is a change from the first edition, which described how to connect the 5 volt parts using level shifters in painstaking detail, along with complicated diagrams. This omission may seem like a negative, but I feel that removing this sort of thing has served to streamline the book, and prevent the reader getting distracted (or even discouraged) from the process of simply building and controlling the robot.There are a few of other changes from the first edition which seem to have been made in the same spirit. "Line following" is no longer done with line following sensors, but by using the Raspberry Pi camera and computer vision. Not only does this simplify the construction of the robot, but it allows the book to go into more detail on computer vision topics which are more likely to be of interest to a modern audience. Other more minor changes include updates to many of the diagrams and illustrations to make them more readable.The biggest change from the first edition is the inclusion of two entirely new chapters on the topic of Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs). An IMU is increasingly seen as an essential component of a robot, providing a combination of magnetometer, gyroscope and accelerometer. Following along with the first IMU chapter of this book I was able to get everything working. The use of 'vpython' for visualisation was an inspired choice, allowing the user to see the orientation of the robot (for example) remotely in real time. The second chapter covers a variety of practical ways to use the IMU data, including tips to avoid several pitfalls I had previously experienced first-hand. I would happily have read a third chapter on this, but sadly combining the IMU with motor encoder data is left as an exercise to the reader! Still, I have already got further with an IMU than I had previously thanks to these chapters.A pleasant surprise was the inclusion of related but not strictly "robotics" material, allowing the user to do more interesting things with the robot. For example, one of the early chapters explains the use of the 'git' versioning system to backup code, and later we are introduced to the 'Flask' web server to control the robot via the web. Again, these are likely to be of general interest to Rasperry Pi users.In conclusion, I strongly recommend 'Learning Robotics Programming' not only to anyone interested in building their first Raspberry Pi robot, but also to more experienced hobbyists who are interested in adding one of the technologies described such as computer vision or voice control.The Second Edition is an excellent upgrade from the First Edition, thanks to the streamlined instructions, improved diagrams, and the inclusion of the new material.

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed with the very dark photos

P.S. · 27 March 2025

A bit disappointed. The information provided is good, but the photos and too dark to make out anything.

Great book for beginners

m. · 8 June 2022

Best book I have ever read for beginners to learn hobby robotics. I've read other reviews and have to assume they did not follow the book carefully. Read the book once without touching any hardware. Create a shopping list as you go, and order everything so that the next time you read the book, you will have the materials handy. You can get most from Bolo, but somethings you need to search for. I have followed the book word for word and EVERYTHING is well thought out, well explained, and worked for me. You will run into challenges with the software installs, but you will need to trouble shoot yourself. That is the nature of this type of hobby, and if you aren't into that, you need to choose a new hobby. Using the book I have built the robot and learned all the coding building blocks to do everything I want to do. Now I have to use my imagination and these building blocks to build the software so that the robot does what I want it to do. Very happy with my purchase. (btw, it cost me about $500cad for the parts I needed, and that didn't include all the various tools such as soldering iron) Over all, very happy with this book.

This is the book I didn't know I needed.

J.C. · 10 November 2024

My background is in business systems software. I've always wanted to get involved in writing embedded code and robotics, but things never came together, until now. In past attempts I would try to get started only to discover that the author required skills or hardware I didn't have, or have access to.This book is different.What makes it special:1. The writing is as clear as possible without being over simplified.2. Sophisticated ideas are explained and demonstrated using inexepensive off the shelf hardware.3. All of the Python source code is available for free download.While technically you could build the robot without knowing Python, I strongly suggest you learn python so that you can leverage what you have learned and do more amazing things. Also, the author does explain the Python code as he goes. So don't panic if you have doubts about your Python skills.Will you build the Ultimate Robot with this book? No, of course not. But what you will have is an understanding good enough that you can leverage what you've learned and build something more complex and custom.

Absolut empfehlenswert! Learn Robotics Programming

R.S. · 21 December 2022

Ein wirklich tolles Buch. Von den Grundlagen Raspberry Pi und der Programmierumgebung bis zu komplexen Python-Anwendungsbeispielen . Ein Must-Have für Robot-Maker! Schritt für Schritt wird anschaulich erklärt wie Roboter funktionieren und wie komplexe Abläufe praktisch umgesetzt werden können. Von der Ansteuerung der verschiedenen DC-Motoren über die Einbindung von Sensoren in den Programmablauf bis zur Kamera-Unterstützung und browserbasierten Ansteuerung. Detailreiche Informationen und Erklärungen bzw. Funktionsanalyse zu technischen Abläufen und ihrer praktischen Umsetzung.

Plenty of examples

L.P. · 15 August 2023

Nice book with lots of illustrations and examples to help you build your own robot step by step. It will help me for my vintage radiobot project for sure.

information is good

r. · 23 December 2021

information is excellent , too bad the pictures are black and white and poorly reprinted . otherwise happy with purchase.