Build Your Working Robot (1976)
Build Your Own Working Robot - David L. Heiserman (1976)
Written when home robotics was the realm of myth and fantasy, David L. Heiserman's Build Your Own Working Robot demystified the process - showing hobbyists how to assemble a working robot from commonly available electronic parts, logic circuits, and a chassis.
The book describes "Buster", a small wheeled robot controlled by TTL logic, capable of autonomous behaviors such as line-following, obstacle avoidance, and basic recharging routines.
In an era before microprocessors became ubiquitous, Heiserman's work provided one of the earliest accessible guides to building a real, functional robot at home.
Decades later, the book continues to be cited in robotics-history blogs, collector circles, and retro-robotic communities.
Its scan is archived and used by enthusiasts to study early behavior-based robotics.
By making robotics approachable and hands-on, the book helped seed interest in DIY robotics and laid conceptual groundwork that would later echo in behavior-based and adaptive robotics philosophies.
Its influence persists — not in academic papers, but in the hearts and workbenches of generations of hobbyists.
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Further Reading and References
- Now You Can Build A Robot If You Have The Time, Skill; Buster The Self-Charger (Wall Street Journal Interview, Sep 7, 1978 - Partial): Page 1, Page 2, Page 3 (locating archive).
- "House Pets for the New Age" (Rolling Stone article Nov 19, 1976)
- Modern Electronics March 1978 "Robots: report from the man who built his own"
- Cyberneticzoo (a history of early robots) dedicated entry with good write-up of the 1976 book "Build Your Own Working Robot"
- Reddit r/robotics - Community memories of Build Your Own Working Robot
- "Man Machine Clanks Into Step" (Mark Witkowski, Queen Mary College references Buster)
If you'd like to support ongoing preservation of David's work, consider a small donation to Free-Ed.
