Fascinating! I want to get into this type of stuff. But I have no idea where to start, I just have just a CS degree and 3 years experience as a developer.

▲ adolph 3 days ago | parent | next [-]

I recommend a Brachiograph build. It will introduce you to some fundamentals of PWM and inverse kinematics. It is well documented but not cookie-cutter. Using a Raspberry Pi will give you more direct access to running the servos than the microcontroller experience. All the parts are infinitely reusable afterward if you don't want to keep it around.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4Jh1daCl60

https://www.brachiograph.art/

https://github.com/evildmp/BrachioGraph

  Sample Supply List for $80 budget:
  Pi Zero with header $20: https://www.adafruit.com/product/6008
  Power supply $9: https://www.adafruit.com/product/1995
  SD Card $10: https://www.adafruit.com/product/1294
  Three hobby servos $18: https://www.adafruit.com/product/169
  Breadboard wires $5: https://www.adafruit.com/product/153
  Breadboard $5: https://www.adafruit.com/product/64 
  Glue, popsicle sticks, pen and paper $10

▲ taneq 3 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Arduinos and hobby servos. No, neither of them are "industrial grade" and yeah, you'll reach their limits pretty quickly, but building a physical thing that does stuff is (in my experience) a huge motivator.

Or if you're already all over the basics, figure out what kind of stuff you want to build and then try and build it. :)

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Paddywack 3 days ago | parent [-]

Can you recommend where to find beginners projects that “do stuff”.

	▲	taneq 2 days ago \| parent \| next [-]
		https://hackaday.com/ - cool projects and interesting stuff https://news.sparkfun.com/tags/tutorial - tutorials on embedded software, electronics, etc. https://learn.adafruit.com/ - electronics tutorials
	▲	Mars008 2 days ago \| parent \| prev \| next [-]
		To begin with you can get a cheap robotic kit from Amazon, there are many of them, and put it together. That's probably the easiest and fastest way. From here you can read more about servos and controllers, modify its mechanics and software.
	▲	Retr0id 3 days ago \| parent \| prev \| next [-]
		Just like the article, there's a huge amount of hobbyist-accessible projects on youtube, you can click around the recommended videos.
	▲	sitkack 3 days ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		Grab a servo and start playing with it.

▲ ErigmolCt 2 days ago | parent | prev [-]

A solid place to start is building something simple