Robotics

By: John Long, The Great Courses

Narrated by: John Long

Robots. The mere word conjures up a bevy of mind-bending images pulled straight from popular science-fiction tales. But robots aren’t just the stuff of entertainment. They’re real. They’re everywhere around you. And they’re transforming your life in ways you can’t imagine. In short, the future of human civilization depends on collaborative robotics: humans and machines working together.

According to robotics expert and award-winning professor John Long of Vassar College, “Robots are what computers and self-propelled vehicles were to the 20th century: a technological revolution that impacts nearly every aspect of our lives, businesses, and security.” Yet for all their seen (and unseen) prevalence, robotics remains mysterious to most of us. How exactly do robots work? What does it take to build a robot that can, for a period of time, perform tasks and make decisions with little human input? What are the most revolutionary robots at work today? How do we balance the technological benefits of robots with the potential risks they pose to pre-existing ways of life?

To answer these and other questions is to take an in-depth journey into an exciting world; a journey Professor Long and The Great Courses present in the 24 incredible lectures of Robotics. Professor Long demystifies the world of robots and provides a comprehensive introduction to these intelligent machines. Whether you’re looking to grasp the hard science of how robots work or simply curious about the implications of robots for society, consider this course your official passport to an astonishing new world.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2015 The Great Courses (P)2015 The Teaching Company, LLC

Audio only of audiovisual lectures

A large majority of the title was the author talking about videos or other materials that he was showing. Obviously doesn't translate well for an audiobook, but I did still enjoy it. The ability to build mental images of electronics is a must for others who wish to enjoy without the visual aspect.

Not meant for audiobook IMO

would have beem better if I saw the visual lecture for the demonstrations given in this series

needs the visuals

seems like a great overview of robotics, but he shows so much to the video audience that it doesn't work well with Audible

Highly Visual Lectures

The content and presentation seemed solid - however this lecture series is HIGHLY visual. It is very frustrating to have a highly visual lecture series presented in audio format as there is a lot lost in translation and is frustrating as the listener.

Great professor, fix the PDF

The lectures have a visual component and the PDF does not make up for the lack of video. Fix the accompanying PDF and it will do the excellent professor justice. The video demonstrations sound interesting and it is a pity I cannot view them.

Not an audio book

This is the audio from a video course. The professor is demonstrating robots and robot parts. I wouldn’t recommend this title.

Garbage.

The recording is an introduction to robotics. Robotics is so main stream that introduction material is useless. Don’t waste your monthly credit on the Audio of a video recorded lecture.

Audio only doesn't cut it.

The video form of this course would be 4/5 stars. Audio only, not so much. Much of the lectures involve demonstrations with robots he has in the classroom. You can still follow along, but without the video, its much more boring. The PDF guide does not provide nearly enough pictures to make up for this shortfall

Cannot see anything he is doing

Does not make sense to listen. The service is waste of subscription money. Don’t buy.

Not worth it without video.

This course requires the videos to be worthwhile. There is just not enough to justify listening only.