michom:
can't I connect to arduino through USB and use a small C program on the netbook to communicate with arduino through the usb connection? also program arduino to feedback the sensor measurements back to the PC? if yes, which parts do you guys suggest? is arduino uno enough by itself?
Might be helpful to specify what OS is on the netbook and what I/O ports the netbook has. A google search for netbook robot should produce a number of similar projects.