Pt. 1. The art and science of robot building. Welcome to the wonderful world of robotics! ; Anatomy of a robot ; Getting parts -- Pt. 2. Robot construction. Safety first (and always) ; Building robot bodies : the basics ; Mechanical construction techniques ; Working with wood ; Build a motorized wooden platform ; Working with plastic ; Build a motorized plastic platform ; Working with metal ; Build a motorized metal platform ; Assembly techniques ; Rapid prototyping methods ; Drafting bots with computer-aided design ; Constructing high-tech robots from toys ; Building bots from found parts -- Pt. 3. Power, motors, and locomotion. All about batteries ; Robot power systems ; Movig your robot ; Choosing the right motor ; Using DC motors ; Using servo motors ; Mounting motors and wheels ; Robot movement with shape memory alloy -- Pt. 4. Hands-on robotic projects. Build robots with wheels and tracks ; Build robots with legs ; Experimenting with robotic arms ; Experimenting with robotic grippers -- Pt. 5. Robot electronics. Building robot electronics : the basics ; Common electrinic components for robotics ; Using solderless broadboards ; Making circuit boards -- Pt. 6. Computers and electronic control. An overview of robot "brains" ; Understanding microcontrollers ; Programming concepts : the fundamentals -- Pt. 7. Microcontroller brains. Using the arduino ; Using the PICAXE ; Using the BASIC stamp ; Interfacing hardware with your microcontroller or computer ; Remote control systems -- Pt. 8. Sensors, navigation, and feedback. Adding the sense of touch ; Proximity and distance sensing ; Robotic eyes ; Navigating your robot ; Making and listening to sound ; Interacting with your creation ; Danger, Will Robinson! -- Appendix A. RBB online support -- Appendix B. Internet parts sources -- Appendix C. Mechanical reference -- Appendix D. Electronic reference.