ROBOTICS TECHNICIAN

ASSOCIATIONS

Robotics Industries Association
900 Victors Way
P.O. Box 3724
Ann Arbor, MI 48016
(734) 994-6088
Web site: http://robotics.org/
This association is all-business. Their extensive Web site offers buyers’ guides, educational resources, chats, a career center, and links to everything else.

Robotics International of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (RI/SME)
P.O. Box 930
Dearborn, MI 48121-0930
(313) 271-1500
Web site: http://www.sme.org
This is a professional organization for those who work with industrial robots. The site is full of technical data and tech trends. There is also information on trade shows and education, a bookstore and a video store. The newsletter of the association is Robotics Today.

WEB SITES

ars robotica
http://www.arsrobotica.com
An entire Web site devoted to the robotics industry. Check here for news, editorials, features, and interviews.

Robots.net
http://robots.net/
This site presents the latest information on personal and industrial robotics, although the emphasis is on personal robots. There are chat rooms and news of robot competitions.

Techgeek.com
http://techgeek.com/
A community Web site for robotics professionals and enthusiasts.

BOOKS

Menzel, Peter. Robo Sapiens: Evolution of a New Species. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2000.
This is a popular science account of what's going on in robotics around the world, with dozens of photographs. A great read for “bots” lovers.

Wise, Edwin. Applied Robotics. Indianapolis, IN: Prompt Publications, 1999.
This is a manual for those who would like to build robots. It has information on the mechanics, sensory systems, electronic controls, and software. The accompanying CD-ROM contains source codes and Atmel development tools.

PERIODICALS

Robot Science & Technology
3875 Taylor Road, Suite B
Loomis, CA 95650
(888) 510-7728
e-mail: service@robotmag.com
Web site: http://www.robotmag.com
This magazine prints in-depth reports about robotics in the workplace, at home, at school, and in sports.

Robotics World
Douglas Publications
2807 N. Parham Road, Suite 200
Richmond, VA 23294
(804) 762-9600
e-mail: info@douglaspublications.com
Web site: http://www.roboticsworld.com
This trade journal features how-to articles, news on industry trends, and case studies of robotics applications.

VIDEOS

Robots Alive! Scientific American Frontiers (1997)
Scientific American.
This video, narrated by Alan Alda, was first aired on PBS on the popular Scientific American program. These videos can be ordered from the PBS Web site, www.pbs.org.