Book excerpt: The popular evil genius format provides hobbyists with a fun and inexpensive way to learn Mechatronics (the merger of electronics and mechanics) via 25 complete projects. Projects include: mechanical race car, combat robot, ionic motor, electromagnet, robotic arm, light beam remote control, and more Includes "parts lists" and "tool bin" for each project Covers all the preparation needed to begin building, such as "how to solder," "how to recognize components and diagrams, "how to read a schematic," etc.