(Pearson Education) Ideas for creative projects using LEGO Mindstorms brand building tools for young adults and professionals. Includes a CD-ROM with instructions, color movies, and code examples in RCX code, ROBOLAB, and Visual Basic. Relates robot design to engineering concepts. System requirements: CD-ROM drive, 33Mhz processor, Mac or Windows, 50MB hard disk space. Softcover.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Looks Good but Step-by-Step Diagrams are not Provided:
I have an eight year old that loves Mindstorms and needs the step-by-step instructions that Lego generally provides. Looks great for older kids. Also, its NOT NXT.
This Book is NOT for NXT:
It's a great book. But the Mindstorms microproessor is now NXT -- it has been updated. Until this book is updated, you'd be better off to find a good book which is based on the NXT system.
Projects that require the solution of complex problems:
In the fall semester of 2003, I taught a special topics course in robotics at Mount Mercy College with two students. A Lego Mindstorms kit was purchased and in the first segment of the class, the students built a robot and programmed it to move around the halls. We then moved on and used a more advanced robot in the remainder of the class, because I did not consider the Lego kit to be sophisticated enough. From some of my professional communications, I learned that entire college classes are being taught... more info
Great stuff:
This book is a great introduction to the world of LEGO Mindstorms robots. I've been working with the LEGO Mindstorms kits for about 6 months, and I've often been frustrated by the lack of detail in the manuals for the kits. This book provides quite a bit of the missing information. For instance, it explains that you lose your firmware if you take your batteries out of your RCX for more than a minute or two (I wish that I'd seen that in a manual somewhere!). It provides a broad overview of alternatives to... more info
