The ROVer
Ranch presents
Robot Reading
A Sampler
Fiction Books:
There are LOTS of great science fiction and
fantasy books to read (like Lord of the Rings or Dune or the Wheel of Time
series). Some examples of fiction books about robots are:
- I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
- 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke
- Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Doug Adams
- Gateway by Frederick Pohl
- Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Phillip K. Dick
- Check out the Internet Top 100 SF/Fantasy List
Non-Fiction Books:
Some example books of real life, nuts and
bolts robots.
- Robotics edited by Marvin Minsky
- Mobile Robots: Inspiration to Implementation by Joseph L. Jones and Anita
Flynn
- The Robot Builder's Bonanza: 99 Inexpensive Robotics Projects by Gordon
McComb
- Check out RobotBooks.Com
Short Stories:
There are a gabillion short stories about
robots. Run a quick search on Google using the terms "robot short story". Go to the library,
check it out and read it. A good short story to read is Runaround,
written by Issac Asimov. It contains the "Three Laws of Robotics".
Activity R1: Read a book or story about a robot and then write
a report in your ROVer Ranch journal about what you read. Think about what kind
of robot is in the story, what kind of characteristics it has and the job it
does (or doesn't) perform.