engineering

Robot Magazine

Robot Magazine is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Robot Magazine rather than just read about it. In short: Robot Magazine was an American bi-monthly robotics publication produced by the Maplegate Media Group. History and profile Robot Magazine was conceived, designed, originally staffed and run for several years by then editor-in-chief, Tom Atwood.

Key takeaways

Robot Magazine belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Robot Magazine to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Robot Magazine from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Robot Magazine was an American bi-monthly robotics publication produced by the Maplegate Media Group.

History and profile Robot Magazine was conceived, designed, originally staffed and run for several years by then editor-in-chief, Tom Atwood. Launched in late 2005, the first cover featured the Mythbusters. Atwood called Jamie Hyneman at M5 Industries in San Francisco, and the two coordinated production of the first Robot cover as well as Hyneman's first story. The magazine was started as a quarterly publication and the first issue appeared in November 2005. In January 2012 Greg Vogel became the editor-in-chief of Robot Magazine which was based in Danbury, Connecticut. In 2017 Maplegate Media has closed its doors and is out of business. Robot Magazine no longer exists. Topics covered commonly included: how hobbyists can build and program robots from kits or from scratch, results of robot competitions and conventions, and how educators in colleges and high schools are incorporating the building and programming of robots into their teaching of science, engineering, and math.

Columns and departments Robot Magazine had a number of recurring columns that deal with various areas of robotics:

UPDATE NAME THAT BOT!, a contest which challenges the reader to identify a prominent real-world or fictional robot. ROBOT FEED, the letters section. LERN, Leading Edge Robotics News. Combat Zone, a column that deals specifically with combat robotics and competitions. SNAPSHOT, a notable robot photograph. BOT SHOP REPORT, a home workshop report. PLUG & PLAY, product news. FUTURE BYTES, new developments in the lab.

See also Make (magazine) – American DIY magazine (2005-)

References

External links Official website

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Robot Magazine

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Robot Magazine claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Robot Magazine before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Robot Magazine ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Robot Magazine

In research: Robot Magazine appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Robot Magazine in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Robot Magazine is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Bimonthly magazines published in the United States, Defunct magazines published in Connecticut, Defunct science and technology magazines published in the United States, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Robot Magazine outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Robot Magazine in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Robot Magazine means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Robot Magazine out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Robot Magazine in simple terms?

Robot Magazine was an American bi-monthly robotics publication produced by the Maplegate Media Group. History and profile Robot Magazine was conceived, designed, originally staffed and run for several years by then editor-in-chief, Tom Atwood.

Why does Robot Magazine matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Robot Magazine?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Robot Magazine.