Robots

by Melissa Stewart

National Geographic Children’s Books, 2014

for ages 6–9

HC ISBN 978–1‑42631–345‑5

PB ISBN 978–1‑42631–344‑8

Purchase this book at your local independent bookseller or Amazon.com.

Discover the coolest robots of today and tomorrow in this colorful, photo-packed book. Topics range from factory robots that build cars and robotic geckos that climb walls to robots that vacuum, mow lawns, and serve dinner at restaurants. Written in a clear, lively style, Robots will help kids understand the science and engineering behind the brave new world of technological marvels.

Reviews

“In this leveled-reader introduction to robotics, Stewart describes the purpose and functions of many different types of mechanical robots (as well as a few famous movie characters), emphasizing the ways in which they move, the tasks that they perform, and where research may take the field in the near future. Fascinating photos and engaging text are displayed on brightly colored layouts.” (The Horn Book)

Behind the Book

“I wrote a book about multi-legged robots that move like insects spiders, and scorpions about 10 years ago, but I haven’t thought about the fascinating field of robotics too much since then. So when my editor presented me with this topic, I saw it as a great opportunity to catch up on the research. Let me tell you scientists have come a long way in the last 10 years.

“I spoke with several of the researchers I interviewed for my earlier book and they helped me identify engineers designing other kinds of cool robots. The book includes space robots exploring Mars, factory robots assembling cars, human-like robots that can speak and use body language, and everyday robots that people are already using to vacuum their living rooms and mow their lawns.

“One of my favorite parts of the book describes the FIRST Robotics Competition in which kids use Legos to build bots. At the end of the year, the teams from all over the country get together to test their bots and celebrate their success. I hope my book inspires some kids to take part in the competition.”