Thursday 11 January 2018

Home Robotics: Maker-Inspired Projects by Daniel Knox Book Review (8+)

Home Robotics: Maker-Inspired Projects For Building Your Own Robots is written by Daniel Knox and will be released on 18th January. Recommended for younger readers and scientists aged 8+, I actually passed this on to my 20 year old Uni Student Engineer, as it's not only interesting to children. He can help his little brothers make something next Summer...


There are 13 different project robots that you can build at home, split into 3 difficulties - Basic Bots for beginners, Simple Robots for those with a little bit of confidence and understanding and Smart Makes, for when your child is ready to take over the world...


Although you will need some equipment to make your robots, it's all easy to find stuff that you should have around the home or that can buy online quite cheaply, for pennies in some cases. The robots are all designed to be accessible to as many readers as possible and casings/chassis are made from whatever your child has to hand - meccano, LEGO, card or other construction materials.

Robot projects start with very basic robots that jump and vibrate to move, and progress to motion-activated catapults and robots that can be programmed or can even write. Instructions and components are clearly laid out and it's very easy to follow - once your child has begun to remember what everything is. There is some technical language, but it's easy to decipher and teaches everyone the correct terminology.


 At 160 pages this is a great book for younger scientists who are ready to try something a bit more tricky. It may appeal more to children who already have an interest in robotics and science, and it supports and expands on many of the topics and themes they'll cover in technology, science and computing. I feel it's a great launch platform for any child who is excited about using electricity or coding to do interesting things, but doesn't know where to start.

The projects are all worthwhile and have an end result you can show to people proudly. They are clearly inspired by people who actually make robots themselves, rather than a collection of projects that just sound interesting. Your child might need a bit of help, but I think no parent will be too reluctant to join in and work together.

Home Robotics: Maker-Inspired Projects For Building Your Own Robots is written by Daniel Knox, published by Aurum Press (QuartoKnows) and will be released on 18th January. Available to pre-order now rrp £14.99 from all good book shops instore and online, including Amazon.
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I have an amazing 6 copies of Home Robotics to give away to my readers. I have a Twitter giveaway which you can find HERE (ends Midnight Sunday 21st January) and I am also giving away 3 copies here on the blog (ends midnight Sunday 11th Feb). UK entrants only, full terms and conditions at the bottom of the Gleam form.

For help with Gleam or to see my other UK giveaways, please go to my giveaways page..,

Home Robotics: Maker-Inspired Projects For Building Your Own Robots Giveaway (3 winners)

We were sent our copy of Home Robotics for review. Amazon links are affiliates, which costs you nothing extra, but may one day make me a millionaire. Or at least pay for some chips...

85 comments:

  1. This looks awesome. My boys would love this. What a great price too and if you can get the items to make simply, I think this would be fab. My middle boy's birthday this month too x

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    1. I had a quick Google before I posted and there are tons of electrical suppliers online selling the parts, and some of them the postage is the main cost, so try and buy from one supplier, but yep, they're easy to get hold of! :)

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  2. 12 drummers drumming were delivered on the 12th day of christmas, this would drive me insane I would like 12 giant bars of chocolate to be delivered to me on 12th night

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  3. I would love 12 books - I would love the latest crime reads - that would keep me busy the whole year x

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  4. I would calle it Walle and it would take care of all the ironing!

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  5. I hate trying to get the cat hairs out of the stair carpet and also washing the skirting boards. A robot to do those would be great.

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  6. Irony Mae - my nightmare chore ironing !

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  7. Basil Bog Brush - he would clean the toilet!

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  8. It will for ironing and I will call my robot Ella

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  9. It would have to be to do the ironing and I'd name it Pressston :-)

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  10. I would make a robot that could clean toilets and bathrooms as I hate doing that and I would call it MAGIC of it could do that lol!!

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  11. A washer upper called ERIC

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  12. I would like an Ironing robot. That seems to be a never ending chore. And if I had one (bought or invented) i would call it 'Miracle'.

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  13. I would like a robot that delivers cups of coffee and snacks to my husband. I would just call it The Waitress.

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  14. Would have to a cook and would call it Cookie

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  15. Just starting to evolve from basic lego in last few months, he would really find this helpful.

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  16. A lunchbox packer upper called "Saviour"

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  17. what a cool book. it looks awesome :)

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  18. A kitty litter changing robot - its the worst!

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  19. hoovthor and it would take care of all my hoovering and mopping needs

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  20. I would like a hoover to do the hoovering for me. I would call it Hoover

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  21. I would love a robot to do the ironing, I'd call him ironman

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  22. My robot would be called lou lou and would be able to clean the loo

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  23. If you could build a robot to take care of one of your repetitive chores, what would it be and what would you call it? KneesBend would be my dishwasher loader and unloader

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  24. Margaret Clarkson
    Ironing - because I hate it and it would be good to have a robot do it instead.

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  25. This looks like great fun it would cleaning the oven and i would call it Scrubs

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  26. A robot that could clean the toilet after my kids have been in there. I would call it 'overhaul'

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  27. I would build a garden robot for doing the weeding in the garden and call him weedle bot

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  28. I would get it to clean the toilet as i hate that job and call it the poo-tinator lol x

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  29. Cleaning the bathroom and toilet. I would call it bath-bot.

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  30. I would also have one to clean the toilet and call it poo-man-choo.

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  31. I'd want one to follow my husband & pick up after him! I'd call it the Crappicker.

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  32. I'd love a robot to clean windows - I'd call him CThru x

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  33. I’d love robot to iron clothes

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  34. Probably Iron the clothes or do the cleaning :)

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  35. Tucking my son back into bed when he repeatedly gets up a night.

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  36. The washing up-he'd be called Sudso

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  37. My Robot would help with the cleaning and i would call her Hilda !

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  38. Our robot would empty the dishwasher and put everything away.

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  39. Molly the maid and she would go round changing all the sheets in our B&B

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  40. Wow! Brilliant prize. We would love this.

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  41. I would build a toilet cleaner called Nopoo Lou - a great STEM activity!!

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  42. I would call him BOB and he would be my washing up fairy!!

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  43. I think I'd like to make a robot to pre-warm & defrost my car. It would be an Auto de-froster.

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  44. I would have a robot named Steam who could take care of the cleaning!

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  45. I'd call him Sweetheart - he'd be doing the ironing , the washing up, the cleaning etc.

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  46. The foot saver, searches out and picks up all Lego pieces!

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  47. A robot that could do all the washing and ironing and i'd call him Blitz.

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  48. I'd love a robot that would somehow tidy the kids rooms and sort their clothes out, they'd have to name it, as soon as technology is involved its all theirs!

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  49. I hate clearing the garden of dog poo! I'd call it Gabriel because I'd view it as an angel

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  50. Michelle Ferguson7 February 2018 at 19:06

    I would like one to do the washing up as find it so boring

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  51. A robot to clean the oven and I would call it Angel

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  52. I would love a robot called Dustin Buffman that does all my dusting.

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  53. My robot would pair socks and I would call it Pairpal

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  54. I would like my robot to make kids concentrate on homework and studying

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  55. I would call him Bumble, and he would do all of the ironing!

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  56. mine would fold the washing and it would be called Harry

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  57. It would be able to do all the ironing, and I'd call it Myridius,

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  58. I would have a dishbot who would load and unload my dishwasher 👦

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  59. To hang out the washing and i would call it zip line drier. This is because i am disabled and i find this very hard to do.

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  60. a bot to do the hovering, i would call it sucky bot

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  61. id call him babe and he would clean the bathroom

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  62. I would have Ironizer to do the ironing.

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  63. I would have a bot to hang out the washing and sort out the socks. It would be called SOW - Sort Out Washing (Im pretty sure thats why my husband calls me that name hahahaha)

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  64. A robot to cook my dinner, i'd call it Rob-ot Cook.

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  65. something that could clean the cat litter trays would be amazing

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  66. I'd love a robot to sort out the clean washing into piles for each person including matching socks and then use a locating device to find the missing socks. To be called "sort and locate"

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  67. Definitely the ironing as it's never ending and he would be called ironot

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  68. Plate wash bot - to do the washing up my most hated job!

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  69. i'd call mine peggy it could peg the washing out then fetch i in when dry and fold it

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  70. I would love a robot that mowed the lawn, I would call it Robbie

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  71. A robot to do the dusting and cleaning up mucky hand prints on walls and doors. I'd name it Messatonic lol

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  72. Ironing - call it The Steam Machine

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  73. I’d have Cinderella the house cleaning robot I think, she’d make life so much easier x

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  74. Cleaning the bathroom and called Combot

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  75. I would love a robot that mopped all the floors and I'd call it... Wendy

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  76. I’d have a robot to do the washing up & I’d call it bubblebot!

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  77. Mine would be able to do the hoovering and I'd call it Hornby

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