Learn Robotics Programming

“Learn Robotics Programming is an accessible and inspiring guide to building real robots with Python. Whether you're a beginner or looking to deepen your skills, Danny Staple makes learning robotics both approachable and exciting. Essential reading for Robot Makers!” - Kevin McAleer, Robot Maker, Advice Factory Ltd.

Build smart, AI-powered robots with Raspberry Pi and Python through hands-on projects, from rovers to intelligent autonomous systems

Free with your book: DRM-free PDF version + access to Packt's next-gen Reader*

Author’s Note

To avoid common copy-paste issues in digital formats, we advise entering code manually or using the official GitHub codebase included with the book.

Key Features

• Boost your Python skills with practical examples to program complex robot behaviors and functionalities
• Build a robotics learning and exploration platform
• Leverage AI neural network models for voice recognition and synthesis, and OpenCV for computer vision

Book Description

Learn Robotics Programming, Third Edition, addresses a common challenge for developers, hobbyists, and newcomers: turning robotics ideas into building and programming real, functional robots. While many resources focus either on theory or isolated components, it can be difficult to bring together hardware, software, and intelligent behavior into a working robotic system.

This book provides a structured, hands-on path to designing and building robots using Raspberry Pi and Python. You’ll start by assembling a mobile robot and setting up its core systems, then progressively add capabilities such as motor control, sensor integration, and remote operation through web interfaces. As you advance, you’ll implement vision and voice features using OpenCV and ML voice models and explore intelligent behaviors, including localisation and sensor fusion, to help your robot navigate and respond to its environment.

By the end of the book, you’ll have built a fully functional robot and developed the skills to design, program, and extend your own robotic systems. Whether you are getting started or already have programming experience, you’ll learn how to combine hardware and software into cohesive solutions and apply practical techniques for creating responsive, intelligent robots.

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What you will learn

• Manage your robots with control panels and view their state with interactive dashboards
• Integrate sensor systems for dynamic robot navigation and interaction
• Learn voice recognition with Piper and Vosk, and build computer vision with OpenCV
• Explore encoder-based localisation with the BNO055 module to enhance your robot's movement accuracy
• Automate installation and updates with scripts to keep your robot up to date effortlessly
• Use practical algorithms to process sensor data to guide robot behavior

Who this book is for

Ideal for Python developers, developers, and robotics enthusiasts who want to build complete Raspberry Pi robots while applying practical software engineering skills. Alongside motors, sensors, and robot hardware, you'll work with Linux, Git, deployment automation, computer vision, AI voice models, and localization techniques. Basic Python programming skills are recommended, and Linux concepts are introduced as needed.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction to Robotics
2. Exploring Robot Building Blocks – Code and Electronics
3. Preparing a Headless Raspberry Pi for a Robot
4. Protecting Robot Code with Git

(N.B. Please use the Read Sample option to see further chapters)

Danny Staple is a British robot builder and programmer. He has been a professional software engineer since 2000, using Python as part of DevOps and automation consultancy. Danny regularly contributes to open-source projects. Danny has been building robots at home since 2004 and has a workshop full of projects, including robots with wheels, cameras, tank tracks, legs, and arms, made from plastic, cardboard, metal, kits, lunchboxes, and modified toys. Danny authored Robotics at Home with Raspberry Pi Pico, published in 2023 by Packt, and wrote magazine articles for The MagPi. He runs the robotics YouTube channel Orionrobots and brings his robots to events like Pi Wars and Arduino Day. Danny has run robotics clubs since 2005, and currently mentors at a robotics track CoderDojo KU, where he shows kids how to program a fleet of MicroPython robots.