Recycled Robots: 10 Robot Projects

Robots and kids: a perfect combination. From R2-D2 to the Transformers to WALL-E, robots are a source of endless fascination. Now comes an irresistible book and kit that shows how to make ten different robots—that move—out of the most ordinary things from around the house. By delivering an experience that’s so much richer than putting together a model, this book gets to the essence of creativity and imaginative problem-solving and shows how to be an inventor, designer, and engineer all in one.

Created by robot expert Robert Malone, chairman of the Automation Hall of Fame, the plans are ingenious and include a materials list (rounding it up is like a treasure hunt!) plus step-by-step directions illustrated with detailed, full-color photographs. The kit includes all the essential accessories: a battery-operated motor and two windup walkers, plus templates, dowels, beads, wire, mounting squares—and googly eyes.

Transform a leftover action figure into Armorbot. Start with a few paper cups, and presto, Cupbot. Repurpose cardboard boxes and tubes into the endlessly adaptable Boxbot—it even has a rotating head. From the tiny Hopbot—put it on the floor and you’ll see how it got its name—to giant Styrobot, here are ten plans to make a roomful of robotic wonders.

Robert Malone is the author of The Robot Book and Ultimate Robot. He has taught art and design at Parsons and Pratt and is now a professor at the New York School of Interior Design. An authority on robots, he’s made appearances on 60 Minutes, the History Channel, and Good Morning America, and has been interviewed by Barbara Walters. He lives in New York City.