Synopses & Reviews
If you're serious about having fun with LEGO robotics, you've come to the right place. The team behind The NXT STEP blog - the authoritative online source for MINDSTORMS NXT information and advice - has packaged its considerable skills and experience in this book. Inside, you'll find some of the team's best ideas for creating cool and sophisticated models, including instructions for eight robots you can build yourself.
Follow along with the MINDSTORMS NXT experts as they explain the fundamentals of programming and design, accompanied by CAD-style drawings and an abundance of screenshots that make it easy for you to master the MINDSTORMS NXT system. You'll get an overview of the NXT parts (beams, sensors, axles, gears, and so on) and clear instructions for combining them to build and program working robots.
The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Idea Book delves into the complexities of the NXT programming language (NXT-G) and offers tips for designing and programming robots, using Bluetooth, creating an NXT remote control, troubleshooting, and much more.
Here are just a few of the robots you'll learn to build in The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Idea Book:
RaSPy, a robot that plays Rock, Scissors, Paper3D PhotoBot, a robot that will help you take photographs that can be converted into 3D imagesSlot Machine, complete with flashing lights and a leverScanBot, a robot that scans black-and-white pictures and displays the images on the NXT's LCDBeach Buggy Chair, a roving, rambling robotCraneBot, a crane-like grabbing robotLEGO fans of all ages will find this book to be an ideal jumping off point for doing more with MINDSTORMS NXT. The only ingredient you need to add is your imagination!
Synopsis
This books chapters on programming and design, CAD-style drawings, and abundance of screenshots make it easy for the reader to master the Lego Mindstorms NXT kit and to build the nine example robots.
About the Author
Martijn Boogaarts was one of the initial organizers of LEGO WORLD. He has built several large demonstration models, including the Road-Plate-Laying-Machine, a working car factory (27 RCXs), and a Pinball machine.
Jonathan Daudelin has been competing in FLL since age 13. In 2007, his team won the First Place Robot Performance and First Place Innovative Robot awards at the World Festival after their robot achieved perfect scores in all three rounds. He is a contributor to The NXT Step blog and a co-author of "The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Idea Book" (No Starch) and "The NXT Robotics Competition Workbook" (self-published).James Floyd Kelly is a freelance writer living in Atlanta, Georgia, with degrees in English and Industrial Engineering. A long-time Lego Mindstorms developer, he is editor-in-chief of the world's most popular Lego blog, thenxtstep.com, which continues to draw an estimated 30,000+ readers monthly, and is a regular contributor to the Lego Mindstorm development team. James Kelly has written on topics including robotics, building custom computers and free software. His most recent book, Don't Spend a Dime: The Path to Low-Cost Computing, is the first book on free software to be published in four years. When not writing, he and his wife enjoy watching their little boy discover all kinds of new and exciting things about the world.
James Floyd Kelly is a member of the Mindstorms Developers Program and has access to the beta software and hardware. He maintains a blog dedicated to NXT.
He was accepted as a member of the beta team for testing of the new Mindstorms NXT. He created the #1 Mindstorms NXT blog in January 2006, and it continues to draw an estimated 30,000+ readers monthly for news, updates, and information on NXT. Readers and fans of NXT know his name and that he is actively involved in promoting NXT as well as teaching kids and adults how to design, build, and program robots using the new kit.-->
Fay Rhodes is co-author of The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Idea Book (No Starch), a 2007 member of LEGO's MINDSTORMS Community Partners (MCP), and the only female contributor to the NXT Step Blog.
Fay Rhodes is co-author of The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Idea Book (No Starch), a 2007 member of LEGO's MINDSTORMS Community Partners (MCP), and the only female contributor to the NXT Step Blog.Matthias Scholz is a member of the LEGO Mindstorms Community Partners Program. His NXT-related Web site is extremely popular. He is also a frequent contributor to the well-known NXT blog, The NXT STEP. He majored in Mathematics at the University of Bayreuth and has held various positions in German IT enterprises.