Today's hobbyists can purchase robotic platforms with a wide variety of electronic sensors, mechanical actuators, and programmable microcontrollers. This means that constructing a powerful robot is within the capacity of almost everyone, even those with a minimal background in electronics. This availability of hardware is progressively forcing robot enthusiasts to change their focus from building robots to programming robots As this emphasis on software grows, the number of people interested in robotics will increase tremendously. This is analogous to the boom that occurred In the personal computing industry when people no longer had to design and build their own computers.

Programming a robotic arm is very different from programming a mobile robot. This article will examine some fundamental requirements and principles associated with this unique task. Furthermore, it will provide a 3D robot arm simulation that can be programmed just like a real world arm so that you can experiment with the concepts discussed here without the time and expense of a physical arm.

The long-range goal for many robot hobbyists is the development of a humanoid robot, especially a walking humanoid. The good news is there are many humanoid robots available — both as kits and assembled units. The bad news is that most of the walking robots available — especially those with reasonable prices — are not truly suitable for learning about robotic walking algorithms.

If you visit a robot dub or any robotic function for that matter, it is likely that you will meet someone who is interested in humanoid robots. Often, these enthusiasts are not particularly interested in building robots that perform useful tasks. Instead, they wish to build a robot that looks and moves like a real person. They may or may not want to endow their creation with artificial intelligence (Al), but they nearly always want to create the illusion of life.