Where did Lego Mindstorms Start?
Lego Mindstorms Robotics basically started back in 1994 when a programmable brick was created by the MIT Media Lab.It contained building instructions as well as the parts to build a fun,fully functional robot.
Lego Mindstorms Project as an Educational Tool
Not only are Lego Mindstorms kits sold to consumers, but it is sold as an educational tool to schools as well. This was brought about by a partnership between MIT as well as Lego. This educational robotics kit is called Lego Mindstorms for schools. It uses programming software called ROBOLAB GUI.
A big benefit of the software that is used in the educational as well as normal series is that it can be replaced by third party programming languages such as Java that are used by most professionals in the industry. The only difference between the “Challenge Set” – which is the educational series and the “Inventor Set”, is that the educational series have more gearing options as well as an additional light sensor.
Currently we are in the third version of Lego Mindstorms.The first version were called the Robotics Invention System which contained one light sensor as well as two touch sensors and motors.
Lego Mindstorms NXT
The next version that was released in late July 2006 was the Lego Mindstorms NXT.The kit shipped in two versions namely the education base set as well as the retail version of the kit.NXT -G programming software was used which could use unofficial languages such as NXJ,leJOS,NBC as well as RobotC.
The NXT version featured a touch, distance as well as sound sensor and light sensor as well as 3 servo motors.
NXT 2.0
The NXT 2.0 was the last version released in August 2009, and a major upgrade was that it featured a color sensor.
Similar to the NXT it featured distance, light and sound sensors as well as 2 touch sensors. It also has support for 4 additional sensors. The NXT 2.0 set contains 619 pieces, and can be used to build many different kinds of embedded systems which use computer-controlled electromechanical parts. Industrial robots as well as elevator controllers are examples of real life systems that can be modeled with Lego Mindstorms.
The NXT Brick
The NXT Brick features as sound editor that can record any sound and can play it back again when required.The NXT Brick is the remote control unit that controls the robot.
It also features a Color Sensor which allows the robot to distinguish between six different colors.
Here are some of the features of the NXT 2.0 kit:
- The ultrasonic sensor allows the robot to judge distance up to 8 feet
- The 3 servo motors give the robot the ability to move as well as interact with the environment
- It is Bluetooth enabled which enable it to connect with up to 3 NXT bricks
Different NXT 2.0 models
Here are some examples of the different projects for NXT that can be built:
- Alpha Rex – A robot that can walk, talk as well as grab various things
- Shooter Bot – A robot that will shoot balls when it detects movement
- Color Sorter – the robot sorts different colors of balls
- Robogator – like a crocodile the robot will snap its jaws at various things
- Lego Mindstorms Forklift – a working forklift that can lift various things.
Lego Mindstorms in the News
Students from 8 districts in the San Antonio district got to earn some college credits with the help of Lego Mindstorms.
“For the final project, students customized and programmed the Lego Mindstorms NXT robots using light, touch and ultrasonic sensors to measure distance and detect and react to opponents while trying to keep their robot from being pushed out of the competition ring. The winning team was Brandon Moya and Chris Tubb with their robot Fearless Coward.”
LEGO Mindstorms Rubik’s Cube solver
