Robots

Adult Books for Teens

NonFiction

Robot Building for Beginners by David Cook
Assists the reader in understanding particular pieces about robot development, preparing them with techniques to learn new discoveries on their own. The author begins with the anatomy of a homemade robot and advice on how to proceed successfully. General sources for tools and parts are provided in a consolidated listing and with specific part references throughout each chapter. Basic safety and numbering systems are also covered.
Building Robots with Lego Mindstorms: the Ultimate Tool for Mindstorms Maniacs!  by Mario Ferrari
Introduces the basics of building robots with Lego bricks and components. The author presents techniques for controlling motors and programming the RCX, suggest ideas for different styles of robots to build, and takes a peek into the world of Mindstorms robotics contests.
Robots, Androids, and Animatrons by John Iovine
Bring a robot to life without programming or assembly language skills. With the complete directions supplied by popular electronics author John Iovine, you can build your first walking, talking, sensing, thinking robot bull. Create 12 working robotic projects, using the fully illustrated instructions provided.
Ultimate Robot by Robert Malone
Ever since the early days of science fiction, robots have held a unique fascination for humankind. Whether it's the mystery of artificial intelligence, or the sheer entertainment value, the remarkable world of automation has enduring appeal. Ultimate Robot brings that world vividly to life, illustrating and describing a gallery of robots that represent key trends in robotic development and highlight their importance in popular culture.
Jin Sato's Lego Mindstorms: the Master's Technique by Jin Sato
This guide offers guidance for using the LEGO MindStorms system to build robots out of LEGO bricks, motors, sensors, and software. Structure, responsiveness, programming, and the use of CAD drawings and assembly diagrams are all emphasized. Step-by-step building instructions are provided for five robots (including MIBO, a robotic dog); diagrams, photographs, and screen captures illustrate each step of the process.
First Robots: Rack 'n' Roll: Behind the Design by Vince Wilczynski
The FIRST Robotics competition (www.usfirst.org) partners school students with engineering and design mentors to explore science, technology, and themselves through robotics. The challenge for each team is to develop a robot capable of outperforming other entries in a game that changes annually. The authors document through photographs, drawings, and text the 2007 FIRST competition: Rack `n' Roll. Thirty profiles of award-winning robots and their developers are presented.

Fiction

I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
Asimov chronicles the development of the robot through a series of interlinked stories: from its primitive origins in the present to its ultimate perfection in the not-so-distant future--a future in which humanity itself may be rendered obsolete.
The Positronic Man by Isaac Asimov and Robert Silverberg
The novel chronicles the quest of the robot Andrew Martin (dubbed NDR-113 at the factory) to achieve the rights, privileges, appearance and ultimately even the weaknesses of being fully human.

Utopia by Lincoln Child
Rising out of the stony canyons of Nevada, Utopia is a world on the cutting edge of technology. A theme park attracting 65,000 visitors each day, its dazzling array of robots and futuristic holograms make it a worldwide sensation. But ominous mishaps are beginning to disrupt the once flawless technology. A friendly robot goes haywire, causing panic, and a popular roller coaster malfunctions, nearly killing a teenaged rider. Dr. Andrew Warne, the brilliant computer engineer who designed much of the park’s robotics, is summoned from the East Coast to get things back on track.
The Automatic Detective by A. Lee Martinez
Even in Empire City, a town where weird science is the hope for tomorrow, it’s hard for a robot to make his way. It’s even harder for a robot named Mack Megaton, a hulking machine designed to bring mankind to its knees. But Mack’s not interested in world domination. He’s just a bot trying to get by, trying to demonstrate that he isn’t just an automated smashing machine, and to earn his citizenship in the process.