The VCRBot is a way to use a VCR, a video camera, and an inexpensive exterior light with motion detector to record the camera’s viewpoint onto a VHS tape only when something moves within the motion sensor’s field of “vision”.

In short, the VCRBot behaves similar to a person who would press the record button on the VCR and turn on the exterior light when motion was seen and then press the stop button on the VCR and turn off the exterior light when motion had not been seen for a while.