New NXT Book by Owen Bishop: First Look

Bishop's book is an impressive tutorial for NXT-G, geared to the intermediate or advanced user.

Bishop covers sensors, variables, loops and switches, with special sections on mathematics (Sines, Cosines, Square Root, Factorials) and the compass sensor. All of the blocks and MyBlocks covered in the book are included on a DVD that comes with the book.

The DVD also includes a list of book illustrations that are cross-referenced with the programs on the disk. For example, illustration "13.14" in the book refers to the "Maze Runner" program found on the disk. This cross-referenced list makes it easy to find a particular program discussed in a particular portion of the book.

Some programs covered by Bishop:

1) "Housefly" Program: A fast-falling shadow on the light sensor (like that of a fly swatter) causes the robot to quickly move, in order to escape the "swat".

2) "Maze Learner" Program: The robot "learns" each section of a maze by having the brick's left button pressed at each juncture of the maze. The robot will then repeat its "learned" route.

3) "Magic" Program: A pointer on the robot will "read the mind" of the robot's operator, by pointing to an illustration which only the operator knows. (The program is a trick, of course, but a clever one).

I haven't yet tested any of the programs in Bishop's book but am eager to do so. The book reminds us that NXT-G is a fairly sophisticated programming language that can challenge even an expert.

Two quibbles with the book:

1) The DVD is never referenced in the book; therefore, the buyer doesn't know the disk's contents until he/she puts it into a computer. A listing of the DVD's contents within the book would have been helpful.

2) The book's cover price: $41US is a lot of money for a 185-page book printed in black-and-white, even if it includes a DVD of programs. Fortunately, Amazon.com sells the book for $27US, which includes free shipping.

Amazon's link to the book is here.

Celebrating 25 Years of MINDSTORMS

In celebration of the 25th Anniversary of MINDSTORMS, we take a trip through history. Please also visit ROBOTMAK3RS Community every week as we highlight different projects all through 2023 in celebration of the anniversary. Some of the early history is based on the content shared by Coder Shah in our MINDSTORMS EV3 Community Group . Some of the text and links may have been edited from his original posts for consistency and clarity. 1984 - Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen watched a TV program called "Talking Turtle," where MIT professor Seymour Papert demonstrated how children could control robot "turtles" using LOGO, a programming language he developed. 1988 - The collaboration between MIT and LEGO resulted in LEGO TC Logo in 1988, which allowed students to control LEGO models using computer commands. The video shows Papert demonstrating TC Logo. 1990 - LEGO TC Logo was hampered since the robots you built had to be tethered to a personal computer. LEGO and MIT...

ROBOTMAK3RS Review: LEGO River Steamboat

I thought the LEGO River Steamboat would be an interesting set for a ROBOTMAK3R review for a few reasons. First, the LEGO designer of the model is Marina Stampoli, a long-time collaborator of the late ROBOTMAK3R Vassilis Chryssanthakopoulo s. From earlier collaborations with Vassilis, I knew Marina was incredibly talented, with an eye for aesthetics and functionality. Her background in architecture is particularly useful for her relatively new position at LEGO. Her other sets include the Magic of Disney (21352), Message Board (41839), and Red London Telephone Box (21347). Second, watching Marina's reveal video and reading her designer interview made this set even more tempting to build. The gearing mechanisms running through the model gave way to many opportunities for automation using LEGO robotics elements. Since ROBOTMAK3RS is all about adding interactivity and automation to LEGO brick, I thought it would be fun to see where and how LEGO robotics could be added to this s...

Ghostbusters R.T.V Remix

Nino Guba is from Torrance, California, USA. He played with LEGO as a kid, but growing up in the Philippines, it wasn’t something he had easy access to. He only got reintroduced to LEGO when he moved to the US and had kids of his own. When his sons were younger, they received LEGO sets as gifts, but as they grew older, the sets got put into storage as their interest faded. Fast forward a few years, he started coming up with his own product ideas and thought about how he could quickly prototype them. That’s when he discovered LEGO MINDSTORMS—and was hooked! He raided his kids’ old collection, got everything organized, and now he's designing and building his own creations, blending his coding skills with LEGO robotics to bring ideas to life. Tell us about your Ghostbusters Remote Trap Vehicle (R.T.V) project. This project is a LEGO Technic adaptation of the Ghostbusters R.T.V.—a ghost trap converted into a remote-controlled vehicle. Its companion build is a prop replica of the Futaba...

ROBOTMAK3RS Blog

Search This Blog