introduction

You probably already know that LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT 2.0 is a robotics kit that lets you build and program your own robots. I first became involved with MINDSTORMS in 2005 when I was 13 years old. Back then I had just enough money to buy a MINDSTORMS Robotics Invention System, the version available at that time. Thus began my new hobby, and as time passed, I became more and more involved in the world of MINDSTORMS. The result is the book you’re holding (published in 2010). Its purpose is to help you explore the possibilities with MINDSTORMS in hopes that you’ll have just as much fun with this robotics kit as I have.

why this book?

The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT 2.0 robotics kit includes numerous parts and plans for four robots that you program using a computer. I think you’ll find that it’s a lot of fun to build and program the robots, but the going can be a bit rough when you’re just getting started. The kit provides you with the tools you need to make the robots work, but the kit’s user guide covers only a fraction of what you need to know to build and program your own robots.

This book is designed as a guidebook to help you discover the power of the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT 2.0 robotics kit; you’ll learn the skills you’ll need to make your robots really do what you want them to do. In other words, with this book, your robotics kit won’t end up gathering dust on the shelf!

is this book for you?

This book assumes no previous experience with either building or programming LEGO MINDSTORMS. As you read, you’ll move from basic to advanced programming and build increasingly sophisticated robots. New users should begin in Chapter 1 and then follow the step-by-step instructions in Chapter 2 to build and program a basic robot, while more experienced MINDSTORMS users might simply start with a chapter they find challenging and move on from there. The advanced programming section in Part III and the robot designs in Part IV will be especially interesting for more advanced readers.

how does this book work?

Although you could use it as such, this book isn’t intended as a reference manual; it’s more like a workbook. I’ve mixed together building, programming, and robotic challenges to avoid long, theoretical chapters that can be hard to wade through. For example, you’ll learn basic programming techniques at the same time that you learn to make your first robot move, but you’ll learn about sensors as you build a new robot. The reason for this approach is that I think that doing is the best way to learn how to build and program MINDSTORMS robots.

the discoveries

As you learn to program your robots and as you build the robots in this book, you’ll notice many “Discovery” sections throughout the chapters. Each new programming technique is supported with examples and these discoveries. I encourage you to try the discoveries and not just take what’s written for granted.

This book includes 72 programming discoveries to help you build your programming skills and 15 building discoveries, showing you how to further expand on the book’s robot designs and get you started creating your own original robots. If you have trouble with any of the discoveries, visit the book’s companion website (http://www.discovery.laurensvalk.com/) to ask questions or to share your experiences.

what to expect in each chapter

The book is split into four parts. Here’s a brief overview of each part. Some of the terms used here may be new to you, but you’ll learn them as you read the book.

part I: getting started

Part I begins by taking you through the pieces in the NXT 2.0 robotics kit in Chapter 1. In Chapter 2, you’ll build your first robot and learn about the NXT (often referred to as the NXT brick). In Chapter 3, you’ll meet NXT-G, the software included in the NXT 2.0 robotics kit, which you’ll use to program robots. In Chapter 4, you’ll use NXT-G to make your robot move as you create your first programs with basic programming blocks. Finally, in Chapter 5, you’ll learn programming techniques such as repeating and how to make your robot do more than one thing at the same time.

part II: building and programming robots with sensors

This part teaches you all about sensors, an essential aspect of MINDSTORMS robots. In Chapter 6, you’ll begin by adding a sensor to the robot that you built in Part I in order to expand its capabilities while you learn the programming techniques required to use sensors. In Chapter 7, you’ll learn about the other sensors in the NXT 2.0 robotics kit, and in Chapter 8, you’ll build the Shot-Roller, a robotic defense system, while learning about several new programming blocks. Chapter 9 will dig deeper into sensors as you build and program Strider, a six-legged creature that walks around and interacts with its environment.

part III: creating advanced programs

Part III is devoted to advanced programming concepts. Here is where you’ll learn how to make your robots perform complex actions. In Chapter 10, you’ll learn about data hubs and data wires while you build SmartBot, a platform for testing advanced programs. Then, in Chapter 11, you’ll use data wires to control data programming blocks while you learn some other advanced programming tricks. Finally, Chapter 12 will teach you how to use variables and constants and how to combine all of the programming techniques you’ve learned up to this point to play a game on the NXT.

part IV: advanced robot projects

Having learned about the NXT 2.0 robotics kit, motors, and sensors, as well as how to program your robots, this last part will have you combine all of your newly learned skills as you create three new robots. In Chapter 13, you’ll build and program the Snatcher, an autonomous robotic arm that can find, grab, and lift objects. In Chapter 14, you’ll build the Hybrid Brick Sorter, a machine that sorts LEGO bricks by color and size. Finally, in Chapter 15, you’ll build CCC, a vertical climber that balances as it moves.

getting help: the companion website

The instructions and explanations in this book have been tested and reviewed extensively, but you may still have questions. On the companion website (http://www.discovery.laurensvalk.com/), you’ll find links to other helpful websites and downloadable versions of all of the programs in this book. You’ll also find solutions to some of the discoveries presented in this book, and you can even share your own solutions.

conclusion

MINDSTORMS can spark the imagination and creativity of anyone who uses it, whether child or adult. Now grab your NXT 2.0 robotics kit, start reading Chapter 1, and enter the creative world of LEGO MINDSTORMS. I hope that my offering to you will help spark your imagination!