When it comes to robotics, the future is now! With the ever-increasing demand for robotics applications—from home control systems to animatronic toys to unmanned planet rovers—it’s an exciting time to be a roboticist. Whether you’re a weekend DIYer, a computer science student, or a professional engineer, you'll find this book to be a valuable reference tool. It doesn’t matter if you’re building a line-following robot toy or tasked with designing a mobile system for an extraterrestrial exploratory mission: the more you know about advanced robotics technologies, the better you’ll fare at your workbench. Hanno Sander’s Advanced Control Robotics is intended to help roboticists of various skill levels take their designs to the next level with microcontrollers and the know-how to implement them effectively.Advanced Control Robotics simplifies the theory and best practices of advanced robot technologies. You’re taught basic embedded design theory and presented handy code samples, essential schematics, and valuable design tips (from construction to debugging).You will learn about:Control Robotics: robot actions, servos, and stepper motorsEmbedded Technology: microcontrollers and peripheralsProgramming Languages: machine level (Assembly), low level (C/BASIC/Spin), and human (12Blocks)Control Structures: functions, state machines, multiprocessors, and eventsVisual Debugging: LED/speaker/gauges, PC-based development environments, and test instrumentsOutput: sounds and synthesized speechSensors: compass, encoder, tilt, proximity, artificial markers, and audioControl Loop Algorithms: digital control, PID, and fuzzy logicCommunication Technologies: infrared, sound, and XML-RPC over HTTPProjects: line following with vision and pattern trackingTable of ContentsAbout the author: Hanno Sander earned a degree in Computer Science from Stanford University, where he built one of the first hybrid cars, collaborated on a microsatellite, and studied artificial intelligence. He later founded a startup to develop customized information services and then transitioned to product marketing in Silicon Valley with Oracle, Yahoo, and Verity. Today, Hanno’s company, HannoWare, seeks to make sophisticated technology—robots, programming languages, debugging tools, and oscilloscopes—more accessible. Hanno lives in Christchurch, New Zealand, where he enjoys his growing family and focuses on his passion of improving education with technology.