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Product Description
Product Description
It may look like one, but the LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT set is not a toy.
Whether you've been building with the original LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT set for years or you just picked up a 2.0 set, you'll love this book.
LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Thinking Robots will show you how to build and program two robots that think. You'll be awestruck when the TTT Tickler ties you at tic-tac-toe and amazed when the One-Armed Wonder solves a Rubik's Cube® in just a few minutes.
These robots aren't child's play. The models are challenging, and you'll have to do a bit of thinking yourself to get them to work. But once you get the hang of it, your efforts will be amply rewarded.
In addition to providing detailed instructions for building each model with either the original or the NXT 2.0 set, author Daniele Benedettelli takes you inside the robots to show you how they're designed, what makes them think, and how to use them. You'll learn how to:
- Control and calibrate your robots for best performance
- Dig into tic-tac-toe strategy to see how the TTT Tickler always plays to win
- Use the CubeSolver program to solve a Rubik's Cube with the One-Armed Wonder
- Better understand artificial intelligence as it relates to robotics, problem solving, and gaming
And for you serious MINDSTORMS builders, all of the source code for programming the robots is available online. Not only will you get to see how the robots are programmed, but you can hack the code to make them act differently, too. You can find all of the source code at "https://robotics.benedettelli.com/TRbook.htm https://robotics.benedettelli.com/TRbook.htm .
So go ahead, put on your thinking cap and get building!
Requirements: A computer running Microsoft Windows 2000 or higher, one complete LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT or NXT 2.0 set, a webcam, some marbles, a couple of rubber bands, and an Internet connection (to download the programs).
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Hello all!
I have not reviewed a book before so please bear with me!
Right, I got my copy of this book a few days ago and have spent these days actually making the robots.
The biggest issue I had with the book is that the pages are all in black and white and quite low printing quality which can make it a bit tricky at times to tell what piece is what.
However, once the bots are up and running they are very good although my rubiks cude bot does struggle as I think my (official) cube seems a little too big for the rotation pad so beware you will possibly need to buy another cube if you dont have the exact right one.
All in all I very much enjoyed the book (more a manual than a book as such) and am certianly looking forward to some more of the NXT 2 books to get onto the market!
Thanks for an interesting few days!
I have not reviewed a book before so please bear with me!
Right, I got my copy of this book a few days ago and have spent these days actually making the robots.
The biggest issue I had with the book is that the pages are all in black and white and quite low printing quality which can make it a bit tricky at times to tell what piece is what.
However, once the bots are up and running they are very good although my rubiks cude bot does struggle as I think my (official) cube seems a little too big for the rotation pad so beware you will possibly need to buy another cube if you dont have the exact right one.
All in all I very much enjoyed the book (more a manual than a book as such) and am certianly looking forward to some more of the NXT 2 books to get onto the market!
Thanks for an interesting few days!
Format:Paperback
The book and robots seem great. The instructions to construct are pretty good and relatively clear. The software summary is informative. But ...
I consider myself a reasonably technical person but unless you can read and write the NXC code associated with the programs for these robots I would be wary. I spent many hours attempting to get the supplied code to work and encountered pretty well every error that the support forum references. I waded through installing many variants of the Lego NXT Firmware and creating config files from scratch - every time overcoming another issue. In the end I could not get the TTT Robot to get past the human player's first move. That was after messing with the supplied source code for the calibration routine and re-compiling having had to remove code that simply got rejected by the compiler.
There seem to be quite a number of other frustrated people on Daniele's forum. That's my warning. My problems may be as much to do with the complilation engine as with the source code but my patience has been exhausted and my son remains disappointed that the robot does not work beyond its preliminary steps.
The robots are a great idea and clearly can be made to work (see YouTube videos) but despite my technical abilities, it was beyond me, I'm afraid.
I hope others are more successful. Good luck.
I consider myself a reasonably technical person but unless you can read and write the NXC code associated with the programs for these robots I would be wary. I spent many hours attempting to get the supplied code to work and encountered pretty well every error that the support forum references. I waded through installing many variants of the Lego NXT Firmware and creating config files from scratch - every time overcoming another issue. In the end I could not get the TTT Robot to get past the human player's first move. That was after messing with the supplied source code for the calibration routine and re-compiling having had to remove code that simply got rejected by the compiler.
There seem to be quite a number of other frustrated people on Daniele's forum. That's my warning. My problems may be as much to do with the complilation engine as with the source code but my patience has been exhausted and my son remains disappointed that the robot does not work beyond its preliminary steps.
The robots are a great idea and clearly can be made to work (see YouTube videos) but despite my technical abilities, it was beyond me, I'm afraid.
I hope others are more successful. Good luck.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
14 reviews
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Powerful robot building techniques here
24 Dec 2009
Format:Paperback
We are all used to LEGO robots that roll and crawl, but this book focuses on robots that perform complex tasks instead of following lines and avoiding obstacles. The two robots, a Rubik's Cube solver and a tic-tac-toe opponent, are well designed and the building instructions are clear and contain some great building techniques.
One thing I like about the book is the novice level introduction to BricxCC/NXC and the NeXT tools. The book doesn't try to teach this language and there are other books available on these topics, but to use these robots you need a bit of understanding on how they work, how to save them, etc... a good jumping off point.
Some of the reviews have critiqued the book for not supporting the Mac operating system. The author DOES support these and the book does provide what it can for Mac users... the reader is given a complete website for contacting the author with questions as well as to download the required programs.
The building instructions for No Starch books continues to improve every time... these instructions are easy to follow and are not cluttered on the page. The author deserves a lot of credit for also providing building instructions for both robots using both retails kits - 1.0 and 2.0.
My only concern (not complaint) about the book is a possibly limited audience - with only 2 robots in the book, I believe the book may only appeal to intermediate and advanced NXT users. Beginners are probably looking for more robots to build, more sample programs (especially in NXT-G), and more hand-holding. Fortunately there are other books that cater to the beginner... but I feel a warning should be given here that this book is not about teaching newcomers about building and programming.
All in all, a good book to have on the shelf if you're an NXT fan.
One thing I like about the book is the novice level introduction to BricxCC/NXC and the NeXT tools. The book doesn't try to teach this language and there are other books available on these topics, but to use these robots you need a bit of understanding on how they work, how to save them, etc... a good jumping off point.
Some of the reviews have critiqued the book for not supporting the Mac operating system. The author DOES support these and the book does provide what it can for Mac users... the reader is given a complete website for contacting the author with questions as well as to download the required programs.
The building instructions for No Starch books continues to improve every time... these instructions are easy to follow and are not cluttered on the page. The author deserves a lot of credit for also providing building instructions for both robots using both retails kits - 1.0 and 2.0.
My only concern (not complaint) about the book is a possibly limited audience - with only 2 robots in the book, I believe the book may only appeal to intermediate and advanced NXT users. Beginners are probably looking for more robots to build, more sample programs (especially in NXT-G), and more hand-holding. Fortunately there are other books that cater to the beginner... but I feel a warning should be given here that this book is not about teaching newcomers about building and programming.
All in all, a good book to have on the shelf if you're an NXT fan.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Building a Thinking Robot
8 Feb 2010
Format:Paperback
This book is simple in concept. Take either the original NXT or the NXT 2.0 Mindstorm Robot from Lego. Set up your computer to use the NXC programs that are used to program the robot. Download the code to accomplish one of two tasks, a tic-tac-toe playing robot, or one that will solve Rubik's Cube. Then use the instructions to build the Lego model to accomplish these tasks. Most of the book is devoted to the instructions for building the robot from Lego blocks, there is little information on programming. The books has instructions for using either Windows or Mac operating systems, Linux is not currently supported. There is a brief listing of books and online articles that deal with artificial intelligence, which may be helpful to those with more interesting in creating these types of projects.
The book is not about interfacing with computers, it is not about robots, it is about building two specific projects with the Mindstorm NXT kit. In that way it is similar to buying a Lego model, and using the exploded graphical instructions to complete the model. For someone with interest only in building these two projects, and with no desire to delve into the code required to made the computer function, this is a great kit. For those who would like to do a programming project that builds on the work done by the book's author, there is no access to the source code, so that option is not available. There are other books that deal with programming the Mindstorm robot.
The book's strength is the quality of the graphics that instruct in building the model, its weakness is the lack of accessibility to and explanation of the source code. But if your only interest is building the admittedly clever robots that will play tic-tac-toe and solve Rubik's Cube, this is the book for you.
The book is not about interfacing with computers, it is not about robots, it is about building two specific projects with the Mindstorm NXT kit. In that way it is similar to buying a Lego model, and using the exploded graphical instructions to complete the model. For someone with interest only in building these two projects, and with no desire to delve into the code required to made the computer function, this is a great kit. For those who would like to do a programming project that builds on the work done by the book's author, there is no access to the source code, so that option is not available. There are other books that deal with programming the Mindstorm robot.
The book's strength is the quality of the graphics that instruct in building the model, its weakness is the lack of accessibility to and explanation of the source code. But if your only interest is building the admittedly clever robots that will play tic-tac-toe and solve Rubik's Cube, this is the book for you.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Compelling MINDSTORMS 1.0 and 2.0 book -- NO PROGRAMMING REQUIRED!
22 Dec 2009
Format:Paperback
Full disclosure: I was this book's editor and I'm the Founder of No Starch Press. Am I biased? Probably, but this is an honest review.
I'll begin by saying that this is a fascinating book about building with LEGO MINDSTORMS. I know many of the premiere MINDSTORMS builders and Daniele Benedettelli is one of the most creative, which is why we were so excited to publish this book in the first place.
My son and I spent many hours building and testing the robots in this book as did a couple of our staff. The robots are fascinating and the programs that Daniele provides are really intriguing.
The book provides instructions for building two MINDSTORMS models with BOTH THE ORIGINAL AND THE MINDSTORMS 2.0 SET. One model is able to solve a Rubik's Cube on its own (really amazing); the other will play Tic-Tac-Toe with you.
I am not one to spend hours building with LEGO (although my son is). Still, the models were fun to build although they're not half-hour constructions.
And perhaps the best part? There is absolutely NO PROGRAMMING REQUIRED! Daniele provides all of the necessary programs free at his website.
I'd say this is a great book for a precocious 10 year old on up. The robots themselves will be great fun at parties, too.
I'll begin by saying that this is a fascinating book about building with LEGO MINDSTORMS. I know many of the premiere MINDSTORMS builders and Daniele Benedettelli is one of the most creative, which is why we were so excited to publish this book in the first place.
My son and I spent many hours building and testing the robots in this book as did a couple of our staff. The robots are fascinating and the programs that Daniele provides are really intriguing.
The book provides instructions for building two MINDSTORMS models with BOTH THE ORIGINAL AND THE MINDSTORMS 2.0 SET. One model is able to solve a Rubik's Cube on its own (really amazing); the other will play Tic-Tac-Toe with you.
I am not one to spend hours building with LEGO (although my son is). Still, the models were fun to build although they're not half-hour constructions.
And perhaps the best part? There is absolutely NO PROGRAMMING REQUIRED! Daniele provides all of the necessary programs free at his website.
I'd say this is a great book for a precocious 10 year old on up. The robots themselves will be great fun at parties, too.
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