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All About Bots

FROM LEFT: COURTESY RAUL LAPEIRA; STEPHEN BLUE FOR TIME FOR KIDS

When you think of robots, you may think of a machine with a human shape. But robotics takes many forms. Did you know the temperature inside your refrigerator is regulated by robotics? When you ride in an airplane, the pilot is assisted by robotics during takeoff and landing. Someday, it may be possible for a robot to drive you to school.

The Maker’s Guide to Building Robots introduces readers to these kinds of robots and many more. The book is also a guide for kids who would like to build a robot of their own. Handy shopping lists help bot-builders collect the necessary supplies. Step-by-step instructions explain how to assemble a robot and write code so it will obey commands.

ANDREU MARSAL (pictured) is one of the book’s authors. Marsal hopes readers will use the book to devise their own robots. “We aim to show situations where a robot is used to solve a problem,” he told TFK. “Would readers be able to identify similar situations in the real world and think of a solution?”