To get the most out of this book

Before you begin with this book, you need to have programmed a little in a text programming language. I am assuming some familiarity with variables, conditional statements, looping, and functions.

You will need a computer, running macOS, Linux, or Windows, an internet connection, and Wi-Fi.

In terms of manual skills, I assume that you can use a screwdriver, that you can deal with occasional fiddly operations, and that you won't be too scared off by the possibility of soldering things.

Code examples have been tested on Python 3 with Raspbian Buster and Picroft Buster Keaton. The book will show you how to install these when needed. The book will show you how to choose and find robot parts when needed too.

Please read the appropriate chapters with trade-offs and recommendations before buying robot hardware.

If you are using the digital version of this book, we advise you to type the code yourself or access the code via the GitHub repository (link available in the next section). Doing so will help you avoid any potential errors related to the copying and pasting of code.

After reading the book, please come and join the #piwars community on Twitter for lots of robot discussion.