
MINDSTORMS is the name of a product line sold by The LEGO Group. The LEGO Group has a handful of product lines that cater to different age groups, some of which are shown in Table 1-1.
Table 1-1. Representative LEGO Product Lines
Product Line Name
Suggested Ages
LEGO
PRIMO
3 months to 24 months
LEGO
DUPLO
18 months to 6 years
LEGO
SYSTEM
3 years to 12 years
LEGO
TECHNIC
7 years to 16 years
LEGO
MINDSTORMS
11 years and older
The centerpiece of MINDSTORMS is the Robotics Invention System (RIS), a set for building robots. It makes the challenges and excitement of mobile robotics accessible to anyone with $200US
and a desktop computer (PC). It gives you a chance to solve problems in innovative ways. Best of all, it's a lot of fun.
The RIS set eliminates many of the difficulties of building mobile robots:
• The set comes with a robot brain called the RCX.
∗
The RCX is a small computer that is neatly packaged in a palm-sized LEGO brick.
∗
Some people think RCX stands for Robotic Controller X. According to the MINDSTORMS web site, RCX stands for Robotic Command Explorer.
Page 7
• Two touch sensors and one light sensor are included in the RIS set. Wiring the sensors to the RCX is as simple as snapping LEGO bricks together.
• The set also includes two motors. Like the sensors, they can be connected to the RCX by just snapping LEGO bricks together.
• The RCX uses six standard AA batteries for power. It also includes a power jack. You can supply power in either polarity, even AC, from 9V to 12V.
• The set includes more than 700 LEGO pieces that you can use to build the body of the robot.
• You can write programs for the brain using an intuitivé, highly visual programming environment on your PC. Programs are sent to the RCX over an infrared (IR) data link. The set includes an IR
tower that attaches to one of the serial ports on your PC. Just point the tower at the RCX, and you're ready to download programs.
You don't need an electrical engineer anymore because the brain, sensors, and actuators that come with the RIS set are easy to hook up. You don't need a computer programmer anymore because
the programming environment is easy to use. And you don't need a mechanical engineer because building a body is as simple as building a LEGO model.
Figure 1-1 illustrates the basic setup. Building a robot using MINDSTORMS consists of four steps:
1. Build the robot's body.
2. Write a program for the robot using software tools on your PC.
3. Download the program to the robot.
4. Run the program.
This is only a sketch of the process, of course; it's likely you'll repeat the steps many times as you gradually improve the mechanical design and software of your robot.
You can create a program on your PC using the MINDSTORMS software. Then you need to download it to the RCX using the IR link. Once the program is downloaded, your robot is ready to go.
Is it a good deal? Yes. You could build a comparable setup by buying the pieces separately, but it would cost more and would not be nearly as easy to use.
Содержание MINDSTORMS Robots
Страница 22: ...Page 18 The back tread wheels are anchored to the shafts with the 16t gears ...
Страница 23: ...Page 19 Page 20 Next start building support for the drive motors ...
Страница 25: ...Page 22 Attach the motor wires to output A and output C Next build the platform for the front bumpers ...
Страница 26: ...Page 23 The touch sensors are attached only by the shaft that runs through them ...
Страница 41: ...Page 41 ...
Страница 43: ...Next build the support for the light sensor ...
Страница 80: ...Page 85 Make sure the bump on the long pin is up against the 4u beam ...
Страница 82: ......
Страница 84: ...Page 89 ...
Страница 85: ...Step 14 is similar to Step 11 take a deep breath and go slowly ...
Страница 86: ...Page 90 Grabber Arm In Step 17 the half bushings go between the center block and the cams pear shaped pieces ...
Страница 87: ...Page 91 ...
Страница 88: ...Page 92 Make sure that the two sides are at the same angle They should mirror each other ...
Страница 89: ...Page 93 Page 94 ...
Страница 90: ...Structural Support Page 95 ...
Страница 91: ...Idler Wheel Page 96 ...
Страница 92: ...Page 97 Drive Motor ...
Страница 93: ...While you re putting the motor in hold on to the worm gear so it doesn t slip off Page 98 ...
Страница 94: ...Grabber Arm Motor ...
Страница 95: ...Page 99 ...
Страница 96: ...Page 100 RCX Attach the RCX on both sides as shown Page 101 ...
Страница 158: ......
Страница 159: ...Page 175 The 16t gears are nestled inside the tread wheels ...
Страница 160: ...Page 176 ...
Страница 161: ...Page 177 Attach the motors to output A and output C as shown Page 178 ...
Страница 162: ...The light sensor which is mounted on the bumper is attached to input 2 The touch sensor goes on input 1 Page 179 ...