{"product_id":"9781416587323","title":"Gearheads: The Turbulent Rise of Robotic Sports","description":"In the early nineties, a visionary special-effects guru named Marc Thorpe conjured a field of dreams different from any the world had seen before: It would be framed by unbreakable plastic instead of cornstalks; populated not by ghostly ballplayers but by remote-controlled robots, armed to the steely teeth, fighting in a booby-trapped ring. If you built it, they'd come all right.... \u003cbr\u003e In \u003ci\u003eGearheads, Newsweek\u003c\/i\u003e technology correspondent Brad Stone examines the history of robotic sports, from their cultish early years at universities and sci-fi conventions to today's televised extravaganzas -- and the turmoil that threatened the whole enterprise almost from the beginning. \u003cbr\u003e By turns a lively historical narrative, a legal thriller, and an exploration of a cultural and technological phenomenon, \u003ci\u003eGearheads\u003c\/i\u003e is a funny and fascinating look at the sport of the future today.","brand":"Simon \u0026 Schuster","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47138637971696,"sku":"9781416587323","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781416587323_p0.jpg?v=1763726607","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781416587323","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}