The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT 2.0 Discovery Book: A Beginner's Guide to Building and Programming Robots |  | Author: Laurens Valk
Publisher: No Starch Press
Category: Book
List Price: $29.95
Buy New: $18.50
as of 7/28/2010 22:43 CDT details
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Seller: restonfriends
Rating:  13 reviews
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1
Pages: 320
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.7
Dimensions (in): 9.9 x 7.9 x 0.9
ISBN: 1593272111
Dewey Decimal Number: 629.892
EAN: 9781593272111
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Product Description
Discover the many features of the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT 2.0 set. The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT 2.0 Discovery Book is the complete, illustrated, beginner's guide to MINDSTORMS that you've been looking for.
The crystal clear instructions in the Discovery Book will show you how to harness the capabilities of the NXT 2.0 set to build and program your own robots. Author and robotics instructor Laurens Valk walks you through the set, showing you how to use its various pieces, and how to use the NXT software to program robots. Interactive tutorials make it easy for you to reach an advanced level of programming as you learn to build robots that move, monitor sensors, and use advanced programming techniques like data wires and variables. You'll build eight increasingly sophisticated robots like the Strider (a six-legged walking creature), the CCC (a climbing vehicle), the Hybrid Brick Sorter (a robot that sorts by color and size), and the Snatcher (an autonomous robotic arm). Numerous building and programming challenges throughout encourage you to think creatively and to apply what you've learned as you develop the skills essential to creating your own robots.
Requirements: One LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT 2.0 set (#8547)
Features- A complete introduction to LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT 2.0
- Building and programming instructions for eight innovative robots
- 50 sample programs and 72 programming challenges (ranging from easy to hard) encourage you to explore newly learned programming techniques
- 15 building challenges expand on the robot designs and help you develop ideas for new robots
Who is this book for?
This is a perfect introduction for those new to building and programming with the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT 2.0 set. The book also includes intriguing robot designs and useful programming tips for more seasoned MINDSTORMS builders.
- (edited by author)
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 13
Take the NXT Step May 28, 2010
Richard P. Murnane (Sydney, Australia)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
I (a hardware/software developer and radio ham for some 30 years) bought LEGO Mindstorms for my now eight-year-old son last Christmas. Being a LEGO nut since he was old enough not to swallow the pieces, he's had great fun with Mindstorms since then.
But after you've built the models detailed in the Mindstorms kit, where do you go next? The Mindstorms online help is pretty good, but tiresome to read on the screen, and not the best medium for a youngster. The Alpha Rex etc. are impressive but it's hard for a child to try to make his own models of a similar complexity on the basis of the models in the Mindstorms kit. There is a huge gap between copying ready-made models and learning to create real robots from scratch, and Laurens Valk's book fills that gap perfectly.
As "the missing manual", this book thoroughly explains the NXT hardware and NXT-G software, in enough technical detail to satisfy a seasoned programmer like me, but without overloading someone who is completely new to the technology. That is no mean feat!
The building instructions are of a similar quality to those provided in the all-too-slim Mindstorms manual, and my son was able to follow them and the programming instructions with only minimal guidance from me (usually because we hadn't yet read the accompanying text! :-)
Now, there are several ways to approach this book. To get started quickly, you or your child genius can simply follow the detailed building and programming instructions to create any of the eight robots detailed in the book. My son had almost no trouble doing this: in fact, he first went after the more complex models like the Strider featured on the cover, followed by the very impressive Chimney Climber. If, like us, you're new to the LEGO Technic and Mindstorms systems, you'll be surprised how they can be made to do such remarkable things.
The program instructions feature a simplified overview - essentially a flow diagram - that lets you follow the basic structure of the program and learn about loops, "if-then-else" blocks, etc. Your young robotics engineer can learn about the how-and-why of the programs, and gradually improvise to deepen his/her understanding of what the NXT controller is "thinking", and then devise clever ways to change it.
Then there are the challenges, or "discoveries" to use Laurens' word: 87 of them in all. Once we have settled down to reading the book together start-to-finish (give us a chance, we've only had this book for a week!), the discoveries will provide many new paths to explore and consolidate our understanding of robotic systems.
I would have expected to pay three times what Amazon is charging for this book, based on similar books aimed at software developers. At under $20, it is excellent value for money and an essential "NXT" step on any robot designer's path of discovery. Buy it!
Are you ready for a journey of discovery? May 10, 2010
Xander Soldaat (Rotterdam, The Netherlands)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
This book is the culmination of more than a year's work and it shows. It's broken up into 4 parts and will guide you through a journey of discovery. On your route to becoming a robotics master you will build no less than 8 different robots and learn about every aspect of NXT-G programming with the help of 50 sample programs. If that's not enough, you can test just how good you've become with any one of the 85 building and programming challenges.
The building and programming instructions are really nice, clear and clean; it's not hard to tell the author has done this before. Learning to program and build with your new NXT 2.0 kit will be so much more fun with this book by your side. It will knock your socks off (don't worry, there's a robot in the book that can help you pick them up again).
The best companion book to NXT 2.0 ! May 22, 2010
Enrique Mordetzki (Montevideo, Uruguay)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
My son (11) and I have just received the book, so this is a "first impressions" review. We went right ahead and built "The Snatcher" which is a beautiful robot and also teaches how to perform two actions with a one motor.
Appearance: browsing through the book I was very pleased by its overall graphic quality, which is probably the best of all the NXT books we own. The graphics are grayscale, nevertheless they are outstanding, both in layout, scale and resolution. No more magnifying glass required to build the models! The resulting building instructions are very similar and follow the same conventions as real Lego building instructions. In fact, if they were published in color, I could not tell the difference from original Lego instructions, as they come in any Lego original set. The programming is explained block-by-block, also taking advantage of the print quality, as do the diagrams and of course the text.
Content: I wished we had this book when we started building NXT robots with my son a couple of years ago. It starts from the very basic and progresses to the more advanced topics. It engages the reader to go beyond the instructions of the models with "discoveries". This is a great learning method.
Conclusion: This book will greatly enhance the experience of any NXT 2.0 buyer. It goes way beyond the models that come "bundled" with the set. It will keep youngsters glued to the set, learning and having fun. I think any prospective NXT 2.0 set purchaser would do very well in purchasing the book together with the set. Or perhaps Lego should bundle the book with the set!
When we build more models of the book, I will review it further.
Excellent introduction. May 17, 2010
4-H SET Leader (Oregon)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I am a 4-H Tech leader and have been involved with Lego Robotics RCX and NXT for some time. The book is a great getting started source or as help to fill in the blanks for the self taught. New and experienced members enjoy the book and want to start building as soon as they see it. The reference chart inside the front cover will save the novice builder many hours searching for the correct part.
This is the book I needed a year ago! May 18, 2010
Claire Horncastle (NZ)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
My eight year old son was invited to go to an FLL demonstration last August, he loved it so I enquired about the nearest team for him to join. It turned out to be me and I ended up coaching not one but two of the 23 teams entered in New Zealand's first ever FLL tournament! I knew absolutely nothing about NXT so had a VERY steep learning curve. The Help on the NXT software is great - if you know what you are looking for. I struggled for 4 months to upskill myself enough to help the kids answer their questions. I must have been partially successful in that one of my teams won the NZ competition and qualified for Atlanta. Atlanta was awesome but only made me realise how little I know and how much more I have got to learn. My team is determined to get to St Louis next year and this marvellous book will help us on the way.
This book doesn't assume you know anything about NXT but also takes you far beyond what my team needed to know to get to Atlanta. It is not just a beginner's guide.
If you are totally new to NXT or self-taught like me then this is the book for you. I got it two days ago and have already read through it once. My 9 year old son is also reading it and keeps saying "Did you know....."
A must have for anyone who is new to NXT or knows a bit and is wanting to move beyond basic programming.
When is the next book coming out Laurens?
Showing reviews 1-5 of 13
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