Welcome to the world of tomorrow! We may not have moving sidewalks yet, but did you know that there is an international olympics held every year...just for robots?! That's right, it's almost time for RoboGames 2011, coming to San Mateo County Event Center on April 15-17. From their website: RoboGames is the olympics of robots - we invite the best minds from around the world to compete in over 50 different events: combat robots, fire-fighters, LEGO bots, hockey bots, walking humanoids, soccer bots, sumo bots, and even androids that do kung-fu.

Sounds like a fun way to enjoy science and innovation with the whole family! It'll be an exciting precursor to the all-out blast that is the annual Maker Faire, which will be coming soon to the San Mateo Event Center, May 21-22. If you are a young person with a budding interest in robotics or an adult who just loves to tinker, check out the many items we have to offer for beginner to advanced robotics, including these:

Robot Building for Beginners by David Cook

You can start reading this eBook right now on your computer to explore the basics of robot building before you head out into the garage.

How Robots Work by Tony Hyland

This is a nice little book to share with younger children, with easy-to-follow facts and pictures about robots of the past, present, and future.

Robots, Androids, and Animatrons : 12 Incredible Projects You Can Build by John Iovine.

 This may be an older book, but the fundamentals taught in these projects are great for kids, teens, or adults seeking to build their very own robot with exciting (and moving!) results. 

Essential Robots Collection (DVD)

This fascinating 4-part documentary that aired on the Discovery Channel explores various recent technological advances in the world of robotics.

With so many robots increasingly among us, perhaps we should also start reading up on all of those science fiction stories about robots...