Learn Robotics with Raspberry Pi

Learn Robotics with Raspberry Pi will take you from inexperienced maker to robot builder. You’ll start off building a two-wheeled robot powered by a Raspberry Pi minicomputer and then program it using Python, the world’s most popular programming language. Gradually, you’ll improve your robot by adding increasingly advanced functionality until it can follow lines, avoid obstacles, and even recognize objects of a certain size and colour using computer vision.

Learn how to:

• Control your robot remotely using only a Wii remote
• Teach your robot to use sensors to avoid obstacles
• Program your robot to follow a line autonomously
• Customize your robot with LEDs and speakers to make it light up and play sounds
• See what your robot sees with a Pi Camera

As you work through the book, you’ll learn fundamental electronics skills like how to wire up parts, use resistors and regulators, and determine how much power your robot needs. By the end, you’ll have learned the basics of coding in Python and know enough about working with hardware like LEDs, motors, and sensors to expand your creations beyond simple robots.

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Chapter 1: Getting Up and Running
• Chapter 2: Electronics Basics
• Chapter 3: Building Your Robot
• Chapter 4: Making Your Robot Move
• Chapter 5: Obstacle Avoidance
• Chapter 6: Adding RGB LEDs and Sound
• Chapter 7: Line Following
• Chapter 8: Computer Vision: Follow a Colored Ball
• Appendix A: Next Steps
• Appendix B: Raspberry Pi GPIO Diagram
• Appendix C: Resistor Guide
• Appendix D: How to Solder
• Appendix E: Run Program on Startup

Requirements

You will need a Raspberry Pi and Python 3. The book is compatible with all main Raspberry Pi models (not the Pico). Why not grab a starter kit?

Author Bio

Matt Timmons-Brown runs the world’s most popular Raspberry Pi YouTube channel, “The Raspberry Pi Guy” (www.youtube.com/theraspberrypiguy) with over 6 million views. Originally from Cambridge, UK, Matt is a Computer Science student at the University of Edinburgh and has worked for Amazon Robotics and Huawei. He is a Robotics Research Intern in the School of Informatics, Edinburgh.

Resources

• Download the code and resources from GitHub
• Errata and updates

Video

Check out this preview of the projects in Learn Robotics with Raspberry Pi!

Reviews

Check out author Matt Timmons-Brown's feature in Wired.

Reviewed in iProgrammer, The Midwest Book Review, and ElectronicsWeekly.com.

"This book really is an excellent introduction to Raspberry Pi robotics …[i]t is well-written and very accurate…[and] is stunning to look at…."
- Michael Horne, Raspberry Pi Pod

"Learn Robotics with Raspberry Pi is a great book for a makerspace or school looking to dabble in robotics and electronics but have no idea where to start."
- Les Pounder, Electromaker

"Learn Robotics with Raspberry Pi is a great above-basic level introduction to building a standard robot and learning a bit about the Linux operating system, Python programming, and some basic electronics."
- Greg Laden, Greg Laden's Blog