ROBOTMAK3RS Blog

Today we have a guest blog by the founders of EV3Lessons.com : "We are members of a FIRST LEGO League (FLL) team and the founders of EV3Lessons.com, a website with LEGO Mindstorms EV3 programming tutorials for users of all levels. We have a complete set of beginner, intermediate and advanced lessons. We have a wide range of lessons from Moving Straight to My Blocks, Proportional Line Followers, Squaring on Lines, Color Line Followers, Calibration, and more. We continue to add and update the collection of lessons on the site. We are also adding resources that a user might need - such as basic robot build designs, worksheets and discussion guides for use in a classroom. Who uses our lessons? The target audience for the lessons is more than FIRST LEGO League Teams. The lessons are used by thousands of robotics teams, schools, boy scouts, and non-profits in 95 countries. We want our tutorials to be available to users around the world regardless of income level and, t...

Making robot programming easier for young children: NXT Physical Programming with colored balls, introduced by a couple of teachers students from the Independent Academy for Free School teaching in Denmark. Incidentally, MCP Mike Brandl had a similar idea some years ago with his Color Programable Car .

The first EV3 Education sets are shipped, and like with the NXT, also now you can update the Firmware. Until the community created their own firmware versions and other update programs becomes available, we have to use the LEGO software with their build-in solution. FIRMWARE UPDATE STEPS: start the Home (retail) or Education software select "new project" from the menu bar then select the "tools" menu and in there "firmware update" have brick connected over USB select a firmware in the available firmware list (by clicking it) press the "download" button after successful progress press "close" button The HELP does refer to a troubleshooting section in the printed User Guide for help on resetting the brick, but when the download fails, (you accidentally unplugged the USB cable) it is possible to reset the Brick as follow (see image). Then follow the steps again to update the firmware. There are 2 versions of firmware: ...

The new education base robot, with a special metal caster ball. The all new small motor based on the PFsmall motor, but with encoder and MINDSTORMS connector. The new battery pack as you can see has different clips on the side (2) so you can not use the old battery pack but it uses the same 10v DC power adapter. the pack is again one module higher, but on the sides you can still add a cross beam. The Education set will come with a different set of sensor than the retail set. with an all new extension set you can build some ultimate cool models, like this Elephant and a spinning factory, also a whole range of Stem models. more information on the LEGO Education MINDSTORMS site and their news site below meet the designer! Thanks Lee.

This is a nice video summarizing the idea behind FIRST. The video features actor Morgan Freeman, FIRST founder Dean Kamen and president Obama.

National Instruments , the Texas-based manufacturer of the official programming environment for the NXT, based on NXT-G, has recently introduced LabVIEW for LEGO® MINDSTORMS . LabVIEW is the the company’s professional LabVIEW graphical system design software and well established in the industry for controlling machines and robots; the new version for LEGO® MINDSTORMS is focused on the educational sector and is thus meant to be used with the Education version of the NXT set: "Developed specifically for secondary school students to use with the LEGO Education robotics platform in classrooms or competitions, LabVIEW for LEGO MINDSTORMS is a teaching tool that helps students visually control and program MINDSTORMS NXT robots, while learning the same software used by scientists and engineers" as the company states. Consequently, the new programming platform well be sold exclusively  through LEGO Education and its authorised resellers.

Someday, the hardware police are going to come and take away my toys, citing me for criminal abuse. Until then, I'll continue to see what an NXT can handle... and what I can learn in the process. On a recent trip to Niagara Falls, I was fascinated again with this huge, impressive natural feature. And thinking about the foolhardy souls that over the years have tried to survive going over the falls in a barrel, I did what was natural for me - thought about the NXT doing it. Of course, getting permission to throw something over Niagara Falls is unlikely to happen... and it's dangerous, and retrieving it would be extremely difficult. But I could certainly do some test runs... so was born the "NXT in a barrel". I used an NXT slid into a 4" PVC pipe segment, sealed tightly at either end with re movable closeout plugs. To keep it from bouncing around inside, I used a hot-wire cutter to shape foam "bulkheads" to support and lock the NXT into place within the tu...

TechnicBricks have found some very interesting pictures of (possibly) upcoming NXT and Power Function parts. Read their full post for more pictures. Given the look of this windmill, it seems to be an expansion pack from LEGO education, but perhaps the parts are useful for your own robots as well.

(Click above cover image to see it enlarged). All building instructions and programs are full-color and high-resolution. The robots are: NXT Sloth --slowly and smoothly slinks across a "branch" of your own choosing. NXT Gorilla --"Knuckle walks" across the floor, just a like a real gorilla. NXT Komodo Dragon --Slithers and "sidewinds" across the floor in snake-like fashion. NXT Polar Bear --Walks on all fours, opens and closes its jaws, and roars NXT "Poison Dart" Frog --Leaps up and forward into the air as it jumps across the room Educational activities in math, literacy and critical thinking are included for teachers, students, FLLers and other groups and individuals. All robots are built with the LEGO MINDSTORMS Education NXT Set (#9797), plus the NXT Education Resource Set (#9648). In the near future, I'll post a list of parts needed for the book. The Amazon link to the book is here .

I've recently had several different people ask me about "flaws" and frustrations with the NXT - things that don't work the way they "should", or don't always work, etc. The canonical example, sure to be trotted out again this year, is the perpetual quest for grail of FLL: driving in a straight line (one aspect of dead reckoning). And I was wondering why I so rarely such frustrations. I think this is a really important point: not just about the NXT, but life in general ( especially with teaching). Real life is messy, unexpected, and constantly surprising - very often, if you expect perfection (in anything ), you can end up frustrated. Especially for folks who are used to everything being pre-prepared, and exactly as advertised, every time. That's not real life. The NXT is in a rather unique spot. Billed and marketed as a toy, it's both far more and far less than that. Far more in that it is, in every sense of the word, real engineering, and...

The wonderful folks over at HiTechnic have released a new offering that will interest electronics beginners, science teachers, and advanced tinkerers with a very cool way to play, learn, and create! HiTechnic's Experimenter's Kit A with the Solderless Phototype Sensor Board will enable you to go far beyond what LEGO has in mind for the NXT. The HiTechnic Experimenter's Kit A is a clean and easy way to integrate the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT with the world of homebrew electronics and circuits while keeping your NXT warranty intact. Crack into the potential of the NXT without cracking the NXT! Control something with the NXT...Have something control the NXT! Prototype the next big 3rd-party sensor! Bend the NXT, some circuits, and your mind! HiTechnic has added The Experimenter's Kit Handbook…a fantastic guide full of detailed step-by-step projects teaching beginner electronics and sensor prototyping on the included Solderless Breadboard. This handbook provides a wonderfu...

I often get asked what is the best way to store LEGO in a classroom environment. Jim's recent post is an excellent solution for the majority of people but may not suit a classroom, which often involves many kits and must be easy to secure / transport around various classrooms. As part of the LEGO engineering mailing list, we asked the question "How do you store your LEGO kits?" and got a wide range of answers from teachers all over the world. I've collected all the different responses and turned it into a pdf that you can download from here - www.domabotics.com If you are a teacher using robots in your classroom, how do you store your LEGO? Edit: Dave Parker has another excellent method: "I use 12 gallon storage tubs with the built-in hinged lids, which are sturdy and stack well on the floor, or in a car/truck. For holding parts, these can hold two of the LEGO Education boxes (e.g. 9797 + 9648), each of which has the two sorting trays. Or for student kit...

NASA have collated a enormous collection of Robotics activities to use in the classroom. Activities are designed for a variety of different age groups and abilities. It looks like it has not been updated for a few years, and the majority of activities are designed for use with the older RCX, but there is no reason you couldn't modify them to suit the NXT. If you're a teacher, have a look through a few (there are 300) and let us know in the comments which one is your favourite. My favourite is "Junkyard Wars: Mechanical Monsters" Date Posted: 12.27.04 http://robotics.nasa.gov/rcc/general.php?ID=1218 -- Damien Kee www.domabotics.com

Just a quick reminder to all you teachers (and anyone else interested) that the deadline for submitting an article for our inaugural eJournal is this weekend. - More details here - If you have done a great project with robotics in your classroom, we would love to hear about it and be able to share it with the wider education community. Submissions can be sent to me - info@domabotics.com -- Damien Kee

I don’t normally blog about something without trying it out first. However, I could not resist this one: At last LEGO has released the WeDo range of products via the LEGO Education channel.  Many of us here at TheNXTStep blog are very passionate about the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT. However, we also work with the community and schools – and well aware of the challenges faced by educators when working with the NXT kits in a classroom type environment. So the WeDo offering has a lot of significance to us. If you are involved with a school that has already invested in MINDSTORMS NXT, the WeDo kits are an excellent addition to leverage that investment even further. I personally think this is a fantastic learning aid for 7 – 15 year old school children – especially given we have three children of our own in this age range. The activity pack (which can also be bought separate) allow children to explore four different themes – Amazing Mechanisms, Wild Animals, Play Soccer, and Adventure Stories... S...

I was lucky enough to have a close up look at the new WeDo robotics platform from LEGO Education. It is essentially a basic introduction to robotic concepts, aimed at younger kids (7-11 years old officially). As such, there are only a few robotic elements included; a motor, motion sensor and tilt sensor. Control is done via the computer and a special USB hub which connects to the various elements. This means that it stays tethered to a computer permanently, but has the upside of not needing batteries. The software is extremely easy to use, and resembles a significantly stripped down version of NXT-G. There are blocks for making the motors move and blocks for interfacing to the sensors. Drag and drop allows you to quickly put together simple programs. There are instructions for 12 different models out of the one kit, but just like all LEGO products, your imagination is the limit. LEGO Education are really pushing it as more than just 'robotics', encouraging kids to ...

Here are some highlights from one of my NXT camps that concluded last week. I had 5th - 8th graders with no prior experience with the NXT. We started off building the Tribot from the NXT Education kit and quickly moved to basic dead reckoning navigation. The students were then required to derive axle rotations from a measured driving distance. ( r = d / wheel circumference ) In addition, they were required to derive axle rotations from an expected vehicle turn angle. We then moved on to other forms of navigation using the light , touch and ultrasonic sensors. By the fourth day, the student were able to develop solutions for the Sumo challenge. On day five, the students documented their work with team web pages including programming and LDD screen shots and downloads. I've listed the team web pages below along with some video taken from the Sumo challenge and practice runs. Enjoy David Team Web Pages [ Desctructo-Bot ] [Dexter] [Kill Bo...

Readers, I've received some emails and calls recently, some in response to discussions started at World Festival two weeks ago and some just out of desperation. Let me summarize the issue here and see if our readers can offer some assistance. While I'm speaking from a USA point-of-view, this discussion certainly has equal concern around the globe. While FLL is growing and the NXT is constantly being integrated into new classrooms, there are probably more schools that do NOT have access to this technology than schools that do. Some of the issues that have been brought up: * There are cost barriers - How can we make certain that every school that wants an NXT kit in the classroom can get one? Apple had (or still has) the "An Apple in every classroom" - how could LEGO and/or LEGO Education (L/LE) do the same? Could corporate entities be given a way to sponsor a school or schools? How about individuals? What is in place if I should decide to donate $250+ to "...

I have put together a series of Units of Work, Lesson Sequences and accompanying Lesson plans for use by Teachers (and Students). There are Junior, Middle and Senior School units, all lasting approximately 6-8 weeks. Some lessons overlap across the 3 levels of schooling – but there are a number of new lessons at each level. The lessons are all based on NXT-G and are designed to follow on from specific activities in Robot Educator. Of particular note is: - “Four Poles Challenge” - one of the most successful resources I have used for introducing Robotics to students and teachers alike. - A learning based approach to Line Following using one and two light sensors (as opposed to the more prescriptive approach in Robot Educator). -A very simple, yet effective “Remote Control” for the EduBot that you can use in the classroom. -Reference to other robotics resources such as PowerPoint ideas, Robot films, excursions and NXT Books. - Whilst the program objectives, understanding goals, essential ...

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