Robot hobbyists, come aboard. Lego has come up with the next generation Lego Mindstorm, NXT. The real easy way of forming, programming, and manipulating your very own robotic Lego creation. Dont be intimidated. You need not be a true blue robotics expert to enjoy the Lego Mindstorm NXT. Amateurs and professionals, kids and adults alike would definitely enjoy the collection spontaneously.
The same concept in Lego building is followed. You need to have the usual Lego building blocks that come with the kit. The kit includes about 519 parts that you piece together. You can either follow the instructions on the guide that comes with it or add your creativity and construct your own robot creation The Lego Mindstorm NXT guide contains easy to follow guides and pictures. You can deviate from the design as you wish. Since its easy to follow, kids will find it simple and enjoyable to do. Big kids would look forward to the programming part of the Lego Mindstorm.
The Lego Mindstorms robotic ability to execute commands is because of the NXT main data controller named the "intelligent brick". There it contains the firmware, the memory and the program needed for it to work. This is the big yellow Lego brick that youd construct the robot on. Youll build around this piece. The heart of the new system is the NXT brick, an autonomous 32-bit LEGO microprocessor that can be programmed using a PC, or for the first time in the retail offering, a Mac. After building their robots, users create a program within easy-to-use yet feature-rich software, powered by LabVIEW from National Instruments.
The addition of sensors to the Lego Mindstorm NXT give user's creations a whole new level of awareness. Ultrasonic sensors allow robots to "see", sound sensors enable robots to react to sound commands including sound pattern and tone recognition. Improved light and touch sensors allow your robot to see colors and feel or touch objects.
When it comes to programming, this will be the fun part. Programming gurus would definitely have a kick out of it. Novices will find it simple and easy. Theres a series of commands that you can select, drag and drop into your set of commands. Click a button and watch your creation perform the task.
You can select a series of preset commands in there. This means that no programming knowledge is required whatsoever. Codes are already in there, ready for you to select and activate. Good for newbies. The robot can go different directions, reverse, or roll over. Theres also an option to create your own chain of program codes which professionals will find appealing. The robot can do plain or complicated tasks depending on the user.
This program will then be beamed from the computer via Bluetooth or the included USB 2.0 cable to your Lego Mindstorm NXT robot. Then just sit back and watch your Lego Mindstorm NXT robot execute your commands. The Lego Mindstorm is simply not just a toy. It is actually used by universities teaching robotics. The simple robotic logic and design will be good for students to understand the basics of robotics. Lego Mindstorm NXT will enhance your creativity, skills, and technical background. Highly recommended to hobbyists out there. Its very technical yet simple. Right on for anyones taste. |
