Overview

With its emphasis on building technical skills and having fun, LEGO Mindstorms has become a popular toy for technological tinkerers of all ages. This book-CD package helps you build a variety of exciting robots, and in the process expands your programming knowledge, enhances your problem-solving skills, and boosts your creativity. Creative Projects with LEGO(R) Mindstorms' walks you through the creation of several different kinds of robots: basic mobile robots, kinetic sculptures, robotic animals, data-gathering robots, and robots that can communicate over the Internet. As the book progresses, the robots become increasingly sophisticated and the programming becomes more complex. Specific projects include: *Walking Dog *Line Follower *Animal Feeder *The Painter *Bubble Machine *Flashlight Follower *Smart Acrobot *Giraffe The ultimate goal of this book, however, is not just to help you build the book's model robots, but to transcend the instructions to create robots of your own invention. With that in mind, the author explores the inspiration behind each robot's design, the problem-solving that went into its creation, and further modifications you can incorporate into your own projects. Clear color photos illustrate each step in the design process, and the accompanying CD-ROM features instructions, color movies of robots in action, and code examples in RCX, NQC, ROBOLAB, and Visual Basic for sixteen robots. NQC software and a demonstration version of the ROBOLAB software are also included on the CD. You will thoroughly enjoy building the projects in this book, and you'll learn a great deal about the inspiration, design, and construction of robots. 0201708957B04062001

Full Product Details

Author:   Benjamin Erwin ,  Seymour Papert
Publisher:   Pearson Education (US)
Imprint:   Addison Wesley
Dimensions:   Width: 23.40cm , Height: 2.00cm , Length: 18.80cm
Weight:   0.812kg
ISBN:  

9780201708950

ISBN 10:   0201708957
Pages:   336
Publication Date:   23 April 2001
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Tertiary & Higher Education
Format:   Mixed media product
Publisher's Status:   Out of Print
Availability:   Awaiting stock  

Table of Contents

List of Asides. I. INTRODUCTION. Chapter 1. Introduction. Welcome. The Robotics Invention System Kit. The RCX. Other Kits. Programming. The CD-ROM. What Is a Robot? Organizing the Kit. The Design Process. Come up with an Idea for a Robot. Construct the Mechanics of the Robot. Create a Program for the Robot on a Desktop Computer. Download the Program from the Infrared Transmitter to the Robot and Test It. Modify the Mechanics and Program of the Robot until It Works as Planned. Chapter 2. Getting Started. Batteries, Built-in Programs, and Firmware. Troubleshooting. Saving Battery Life. Getting out of Guided Mode. General Guidelines. Important Web Sites. Chapter 3. Smart Acrobot. Acrobot. The Constructopedia. Building the Acrobot. Testing Which Way the Acrobot Will Go. Programming and Testing. Smart Acrobot. Inspiration. Designing and Building. Programming and Testing. A Different Design. Advanced Design Considerations. Advanced Programming. Further Work. II. AT SCHOOL. Chapter 4. THE GIRAFFE. Inspiration. Investigation: Deciding on a Goal. Invention: Defining the Requirements. Coming up with Alternatives. Designing and Building. Implementation: Testing. Programming. Further Work. Chapter 5. Walking Mechanisms. Dog. Inspiration. Designing and Building. Programming and Testing. Further Work. Puppy. Bug. Designing and Building. Further Work. Chapter 6. FIRST LEGO League. Inspiration. The Contest. Bumper-Car Robot. Line-Follower Robot. The Competition. Advanced Programming. III. AT HOME. Chapter 7. Tickle Me LEGO Robot. Inspiration. Research: Taking It Apart. Designing and Building. Programming and Testing. Further Work. Chapter 8. Animal Feeder by John Galinato and Young Engineers from Build-it-Yourself.com Introduction. Inspiration. Designing and Building. Programming and Testing. Further Work. Chapter 9. CodeMaster by Paul and Julian Kramer. Inspiration. Brainstorming. Designing and Building. Programming and Testing. Further Work. Chapter 10. Painter by Tom and Brendon Kellner. Inspiration. Designing and Building. Programming and Testing. Further Work. IV. AT WORK. Chapter 11. Kinetic Sculptures. Bubble Machine. Inspiration. Designing and Building. Programming and Testing. Further Work. Mathematica. Twisting and Turning. Inspiration. Further Work. Machine with Minifig. Further Work. Chapter 12. Keep On Moving. Inspiration. Designing and Building. Programming and Testing. Further Work. Chapter 13. Flashlight Follower. Inspiration. Designing and Building. Programming and Testing. Further Work. Advanced Programming. Chapter 14. RCX-to-RCX Communication. IR Tag. Inspiration. Designing and Building. Programming and Testing. Further Work. Remote Control. Inspiration. Designing and Building. Programming and Testing. Further Work. @PARTHEAD V. ADVANCED PROGRAMMING. @CHAPTER Chapter 15. Visual Basic. Introduction. Smart Acrobot. Line-Follower Robot. Spirals. Flashlight Follower. Further Work. Chapter 16. ROBOLAB. Introduction. Smart Acrobot. Line-Follower Robot. Spirals. Flashlight Follower. Further Work. Chapter 17. NQC. Introduction. Smart Acrobot. Line-Follower Robot. Spirals. Flashlight Follower. Further Work. Chapter 18. Going the Distance. Inspiration. Designing and Building. Programming and Testing. Advanced Programming. Visual Basic. ROBOLAB. NQC. Further Work. Chapter 19. Elevator. Inspiration. Designing and Building. Programming and Testing. Visual Basic. NQC. Further Work. Chapter 20. Data Logging. Introduction. Refrigerator. Designing and Building. Programming and Testing. Doorway. Designing and Building. Programming and Testing. Motor Speed. Motor Power Level. Further Work. Chapter 21. Advanced Communication. Copycat. Inspiration. Designing and Building. Programming and Testing. Further Work. Infrared Fax Machine. Programming and Testing. Internet Communication. ROBOLAB. Internet Copycat. Further Work. VI. APPENDIXES. Appendix A: Further Work. Train. Intelligent House. Submarine. Inspiration. Designing and Building. Programming and Testing. Appendix B: Musical Notes. Appendix C: Where to Buy. Appendix D: Related Internet Sites. LEGO Curricula and Ideas. ROBOLAB. NQC. Software Developer's Kit. Appendix E: ROBOLAB Commands. Appendix F: Resources and Suggested Readings. For Teachers. Inspirational/All Ages. Elementary School/For Kids. Middle School/Young Adults. High School/College/Adult Hobbyists. Psychology. Videos. Magazine Articles. Papers. Glossary. Index.

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Author Information

Benjamin Erwin is a LEGO(R) Mindstorms professional who was involved in developing ROBOLAB--the innovative LEGO Mindstorms for Schools software used in educational settings. While at Tufts University, he helped develop an engineering curriculum based on LEGO Mindstorms that teaches middle-school students critical thinking skills. He has taught LEGO robotics at more than ten schools and has given workshops to teachers and professionals in numerous cities in the U.S. and China. He currently works for ATG in Cambridge, Massachusetts. 0201708957AB04262002

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