I Can Be a Robot Engineer

By Anna Claybourne and Katie Kear

Do you have what it takes to be a robot engineer? Yes, of course you do - and this action-packed book will prove it! Learn how to build your own battery, make a marvellous motor, and write a simple programme. You can even try taking a Turing Test, to see whether you can tell the difference between real humans and A.I.! Build up the real-life skills you'll need to become an inventor of awesome automatons. While you're drawing, making, and playing, you'll be learning all kinds of exciting facts and ideas about the world of S.T.E.M - science, technology, engineering, and maths. An awesome book for both boys and girls, aged seven and up.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arcturus Publishing
• Release date: Aug 27, 2020
• ISBN: 9781398800687

Anna Claybourne

Anne was born in Portland, Oregon, and received her BFA from Oregon State University. In addition to her collaboration with Trina Robbins on the Lulu Award-winning GoGirl!, Anne's work includes the Eisner-nominated Dignifying Science and Pigling: A Cinderella Story for Lerner's Graphic Myths and Legends series. She has illustrated and painted covers for children's books and provided interior and cover art for regional and national magazines, including Wired, Portland Review, and Comic Book Artist. Anne's art also appears in the anthology 9-11: Artists Respond and is now in the Library of Congress.

Book preview

The Robots Are Coming!

When you think of a robot, what does it look like? Many people think of a robot as a humanoid (human-shaped) machine that can walk, talk, and think, like the robots in sci-fi movies.

Robots can move, sense things around them, and interact with things or people. Most robots are computer-controlled, and can be programmed to do different tasks.

In fact, there are hundreds of types of robots, some human-like, and some not at all. You’ll find out about them in this book!

Scientists and engineers have been making robot-like machines for centuries. This mechanical writing boy robot dates from the 1770s.

As electronics and computer science have developed, we’ve invented more and more robots to do all kinds of jobs.

AIBO, a robotic toy dog

Humanoid robot

Industrial robot building a car

Robot engineers design, build, test, and fix robots. It’s an exciting, creative job that’s a mixture of being a scientist, computer technician, inventor, and artist.

Project: Is It a Robot?

Get started by testing your robot-spotting skills with this activity.

Can you guess which three of these machines count as robots and which three don’t?

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ANSWER

Types of Robots

You can divide robots into different types depending on how they work or move, or what jobs they do.

When robot engineers start designing a robot, they have to think about how it will move, in order to do tasks and get around.

This robot doesn’t go anywhere, as it’s just an arm for building things in a factory.

If a robot is going to move around on a flat surface, engineers often give it wheels.

Robots with walking legs are harder to design, but they have improved a lot in the 21st century. Some can climb up and down stairs.

There are even swimming and flying robots!

Robot engineers have invented thousands of different robots which can carry out all sorts of different