Watching an episode of Mythbusters got me thinking... I need to broaden my knowledge. I saw the bug bomb one and they had a series of 4 ignition sources hooked up to a switch box. They had a pilot light, stove lighter, faulty wiring, and something else that I can't recall all hooked up to a box with switches turning them on and off.

I don't know what to call that kind of technology, but I want to learn it. Does anyone know of any books or online resources where I can learn stuff like that? An example would be using servos and the switches that I said above, or anything that you would find in a functioning robot. Please help! There will be a virtual cookie for a prize :)