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Make: Volume 45: Robot Workshop is a 116-page, English-language, magazine-style issue published in 2015 and edited by Jason Babler. Its projects range from an open-source 3D-printed humanoid to a self-balancing Arduino robot, a tensegrity robot, a jamming gripper and combat-robot design. It remains useful for project ideas and mechanical concepts, but its electronics, software, product reviews and safety guidance are historical—not a current build or buying manual.
At a glance
| Full title | Make: Volume 45: Robot Workshop (also cataloged as Make: Technology on Your Time, Volume 45) |
|---|---|
| Editor | Jason Babler |
| Year | 2015 |
| Length and language | 116 pages; English |
| Format | Paperback, magazine-style volume or “mook”; catalog labels vary |
| ISBN | ISBN-10 1457187116; ISBN-13 9781457187117 |
| Official issue page | Make: Volume 45 — Robot Workshop |
Catalog records identify different publishers, including Maker Media, Inc. and Make Community, LLC, and list differing specific release dates in 2015. For identifying the edition, the ISBN is more dependable than a seller’s format or publisher label. It is a standalone issue, even though some retailers classify it as a book and others as a magazine or periodical.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Make: Volume 45: Robot Workshop | $12.32 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Games Workshop Warhammer 40k: Thousand Sons - Sekhetar Robots | $45.05 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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Learning Resources Design and Drill Robot Workshop XL - 150 Pieces | $99.95 | Buy on Amazon |
What the issue covers
The “Robot Workshop” theme is broader than a single how-to build. It combines robot profiles, project instructions, design experiments, fabrication and workshop skills, and commentary on manufacturing and maker culture. The issue’s robotics centerpiece is InMoov, but it also covers mobile robotics, gripping, tensegrity and combat-bot concepts. Its wider mix makes it a general Make: issue rather than a robotics textbook.
The main robotics projects, and what to expect today
InMoov: a 3D-printed humanoid
The issue presents InMoov as an open-source, life-size humanoid robot designed by French creator Gaël Langevin, with a worldwide maker community and varied applications. The enduring appeal is the ambition and modular, printable approach: it offers a way to think about a complex robot as a collection of fabricated parts and subsystems. The article is historical coverage of the project as it stood in 2015, however. Check current project documentation, part availability, software and compatibility before treating it as a build plan. A large humanoid is also a substantial undertaking in printing time, assembly, wiring and troubleshooting, not a quick first robot.
#1 Best Overall
ArduRoller: self-balancing robot
ArduRoller combines Arduino-based control with self-balancing movement, GPS and autonomous-mission capability. The central engineering challenge is feedback: an inertial sensor measures tilt, and the controller must drive the motors quickly and appropriately to keep the robot upright. Sensor orientation, control tuning, wheel backlash, center of gravity, motor torque and battery voltage can all make the difference between balancing and falling. Board interfaces, libraries and parts may have changed since publication, so expect to adapt rather than copy the original setup unchanged. Test with the wheels raised or a secure support fixture, and keep hands, hair and loose clothing clear of moving parts.
Universal robot gripper: granular jamming
This project uses a flexible container filled with granular material. The container conforms around an object; reducing its internal pressure makes the material stiffen and hold the object. The principle remains an appealing, relatively simple demonstration of adaptable gripping. Results depend on the membrane, fill, vacuum source and object surface. Porous or very heavy objects may be poor candidates, and the vacuum system can be the hardest component to source or adapt. It is not a precision industrial gripper or a universal solution.
Simple tensegrity robot
A tensegrity structure combines rigid members with tensioned elements, creating a compliant form that can move without relying on the conventional rigid joints of a wheeled or articulated robot. This is most valuable as a mechanical experiment: it invites exploration of resilient structures, low-cost prototypes and unconventional locomotion. Readers interested in mechanisms may find the underlying idea useful even if they need to update materials or construction details.
Rank #2
- 2 plastic miniatures for Warhammer 40,000
- Add heavily armed battle automata to your Thousand Sons army
- Blow your enemies apart with hellfyre missile racks and warpflame weapons
- Choose from a pyreflux meltagun for more firepower, or a power claw to dominate in melee
Combat-bot design and concepting
“Round 2 — Fight!” and “Combat Concepting with Cardboard” connect the issue to the return of televised BattleBots in its 2015 context and show design thinking through mock-ups and testing. Treat this as inspiration, not a current competition guide. High-speed weapons, sharp or hot debris, battery fires, remote-control failures and structural breakage create serious hazards. Weight classes, weapon restrictions, battery rules and arena requirements vary by event and change over time. Consult the current organizer rules and safety procedures before building or operating a combat robot.
What else is in the 116 pages?
The official contents include editorial and culture features such as “Reader Input,” “Welcome,” “Made on Earth,” “Innovate in China,” “The New Tech Times” and a Maker Pro Q&A with 3Doodler co-founder Max Bogue. Workshop coverage includes soldering, filing and wire strippers. Other projects span high-speed splash photography, a square light ring, a crochet mermaid lapghan, children’s DIY furniture, digital-privacy projects, a Raspberry Pi home arcade, a tripod flashlight, Lego picture puzzles, a random-number generator, a switched 9V battery clip, an extendable robo arm, volcanic-blast tracking, a clothes-folding board and a faux-enamel trinket maker. The Toolbox section includes tool and maker-technology coverage, books, a LulzBot Mini 3D-printer review and a feature on Tradinno, a giant robot dragon in Germany.
That variety matters when deciding whether the issue suits you: the robotics section is only part of the volume. The LulzBot Mini review and other product references document their period; they should not be read as current recommendations.
Rank #3
- Educational Learning Tool: Teaches children how different objects relate to one another and how those objects can combine to make a larger object
- Motor Skills Development: Develops both fine motor skills, gross motor skills and hand-eye coordination skills through hands-on play
- Complete Tool Set Included: 4 drills, 6 gear socket bits, 6 Phillips bits, and a screwdriver, requires 2 AA batteries (batteries not included)
- Critical Thinking and Problem Solving: Assembly and experimenting with robot parts, children learn to think critically, troubleshoot, and come up with creative solutions
- Age Recommendation: Ages 3 years and up
Is it still useful in 2026?
- Still useful for ideas: Mechanical concepts such as tensegrity and jamming grips, project inspiration, fabrication approaches and a snapshot of mid-2010s maker culture do not expire just because a component does.
- Useful with adaptation: Arduino projects, autonomous features and 3D-printed mechanisms may still teach principles, but verify boards, sensors, motor drivers, libraries, firmware, print materials and sourcing. Treat any original parts list as historical unless checked independently.
- Mostly historical: Product reviews, vendor references, software instructions tied to old versions and claims about what was then new reflect the 2015 landscape. The issue’s original promotional language about “latest developments” is relative to its publication date, not to 2026.
Magazine projects can compress calibration, tolerances, sourcing, firmware setup and troubleshooting. A printed article may introduce a build without providing the depth of a current, maintained tutorial. Separate the principle you want to learn from the exact implementation the issue describes.
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- Good fit: Makers who want a varied project collection, readers interested in open-source humanoids or mechanical experimentation, and collectors or researchers identifying a specific 2015 issue.
- Possible fit with realistic expectations: Beginners who are comfortable checking current documentation, substituting parts and debugging older instructions. The issue is not a complete, modern beginner curriculum.
- Look elsewhere or supplement it: Builders who need current component links, supported software, modern ROS 2 or computer-vision coverage, current competition-compliant plans, or a present-day 3D-printer buying guide. Use current InMoov documentation for a humanoid build, current event rules for combat robotics, and up-to-date platform documentation for advanced development.
Finding a copy and checking the edition
Use ISBN 9781457187117 when searching used-book sellers or library catalogs. This helps distinguish Volume 45 from Make: Volume 39, a separate robotics-themed issue listed in the Make: archive. The official issue page confirms the volume and its contents, but a confirmed current retail price or stock status is not established here. Resale listings and prices change, and a seller’s “book,” “magazine,” or “trade paperback” label alone does not establish that it is a different edition.
If completeness matters, ask the seller to confirm that the copy contains all 116 pages and check its condition. Used copies can have writing, damaged covers or missing inserts or loose supplements. Verify the return policy and whether the listing is for a physical copy or a reproduction before ordering.
Quick Recap
Safety and modernization checks
- Motors and batteries: Use appropriately rated drivers, wiring and power sources; secure the robot during initial motor tests and follow current battery handling and charging guidance.
- Self-balancing tests: A balancing robot can lurch or fall unexpectedly. Use a support or tether while tuning and keep clear of wheels and linkages.
- Vacuum grippers: Select a suitable pump, container and material for the load; do not assume an improvised gripper will safely hold heavy or fragile objects.
- Combat robots: Do not operate weapons outside a suitable controlled environment. Current event rules and safety procedures take precedence over magazine-era designs.
- Printed structural parts: Print material, orientation, layer adhesion and fasteners affect strength. Inspect loaded parts and do not assume a photographed component is safe for a particular force or duty cycle.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
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