LEGO Mindstorms: The Master's Technique

Poomah writes: "I started my LEGO building career in the late 60s with the basic bricks of that time. I built anything that came to mind. There was no end to the wonders I created with those basic bricks. As I grew up I strayed from the LEGO path to do things like going to college, getting a job, and getting married so I could start a family. When LEGO Mindstorms was released, I was one of the first in line to get one." Now he's discovered a book to help people get the most out of these toys, so here's Poomah's review of LEGO Mindstorms: The Master's Technique. LEGO Mindstorms: The Master's Technique author Jin Sato pages 361 publisher No Starch Press rating 9 reviewer Poomah ISBN 1-886411-56-5 summary How a master builds a LEGO MINDSTORMS robot.

I devoured the book, performed all of the challenges and even amazed my friends with a few inventions of my own. From time to time I would see some inventions spotlighted online. I would marvel at the time and dedication people would put into these. I would wonder, like many others, how someone would conceive such things as a copier or a Rubik's Cube solver. Now there's a book that explains LEGOS from the mind of a master and an engineer of 25 years: Jin Sato's LEGO Mindstorms: The Master's Technique."

When I first looked at this book I was so excited. It would give me the excuse I would need to play with my LEGOS once again. It even has a cute LEGO doggie on the cover. Wait a moment, that cute doggie uses two LEGO Mindstorms kits. It has two RCXs. I only have one. Is this book going to be of any use to me, the casual LEGO builder? Simply put, "Yes!"

Jin starts the book at the most logical place, the beginning. A quick one-page history, one short chapter on the LEGO bricks themselves. This includes info on what they are made of, some of the evolution of LEGO into TECHNIC pieces, and how to assemble them in different ways to create strong connections using minimal pieces.

Chapter 3 starts with the good stuff, motors and gears. What would LEGO Mindstorms be without motors and gears; just a lump of art. In just a few pages the Jin explains everything a first-year mechanical engineering student needs to know about gears. He steps you through creating a gear test bed. This shows you, using a single motor, how all the gears operate and work together. At this point I was wishing I had started reading this book at home near my LEGOS.

I could write in detail about the wonders of each chapter. To keep from writing a review that's the same size as the book, let me summarize some things. This book is filled with lots of examples. Not so much a beginning to end to create a single project, but more a process of creation. Anyone can follow a step-by-step approach for creating a single LEGO project. I have several of those at home sitting on a shelf covered in a thin layer of dust. I call them LEGO art. But with this book, each example evolves you into the next more complex example. The nice thing about these examples is the comments scattered through out. There is a bit of theory explaining how it should work before you get into the construction. This really helps you understand why you are building each part. Eventually you build up to building MIBO, the LEGO doggie on the cover. Personally I couldn't build MIBO since I only have a single RCX, but the concepts he explains gave me new ideas and a drive to build with my current resources.

Every LEGO Mindstorms enthusiast should have this book next to their LEGO storage bin. It's a great reference book when you are in a creative mood.

You can purchase LEGO Mindstorms: The Master's Technique at bn.com. You can read your own book reviews in this space by submitting your reviews after reading the book review guidelines.

Comments

Legos are expensive

[Vietomatic]

Legos are quite expensive nowadays. In order to build a huge project, or even a more "tech" one with motors and IC chips, it takes a small fortune.

How about Lego software so kids can build virtual structures?

Re:Legos are expensive

[aziraphale]

LDRAW - or, more specifically, the fabulous MLCAD program - is exactly what you want. Unfortunately, doesn't handle working technic models, but it's still a helluvalot of fun.

Wasn't there a project to create a data model for describing lego parts in terms of valid connections to other lego parts, so you could build virtual lego models with moving parts?

Re:Legos are expensive

[ThatTallGuy]

One of the challenges of LEGOs, like writing computer programs used to be, is to do the most you can with your limited resources. Run chain or gearing to make your one motor do many things. Make an object hollow or with outlines or gaps to save pieces. Practice efficiency of design.

A virtual set would probably give you as many of piece X as you want. LEGO bloat would set in. You could build LEGO Office...

Re:Legos are expensive

[mobets]

That's neat, but way too limeted. I want a program where I can design stuff with technics peices, including gears, chains, belts, and other interesting stuff. And then when I'm done, watch it work.

Twenty Years From Now

[cheeseflan]

One of the most fascinating things about Mindstorms is the thought about kids playing with these as they grew up. Twenty years ago we were playing with the first home computers, something everyone dismissed as an expensive, pointless hobby. Sound familiar?

Will this be the point that future historians point to to say "here was when the mainstream robotics revolution started"?

Legos are awesome

[Alizarin Erythrosin]

I have about $10,000 in legos in rather large boxes in my closet. It's to bad I don't have any of the fun ones with all the gears and motors and stuff.

In high school I was in a robotics class though, we built a lift out of legos using I think about 4 sets worth of parts (mostly for reinforcing) and we lifted about 50 pounds with it. Probably coulda done more but we didn't want to start breaking rods and gears

I haven't had a chance to play with the mindstorm stuff yet, but rest assured if I had the money I would!

Mindstorms and Education

[krswan]

Lego sells a version of Mindstorms for schools (Called
Robolab) along with curriculum, teacher training, etc... In my opinion, it is one of the best tools out there to actually get kids thinking, creating, and using technology for something other than processing worksheets and delivering standardized tests.

The activities that come with Robolab are OK to start with, but the real learning comes when kids come up with their own problems to solve and robots to create. I have seen kids make fax machines, robots that blow bubbles, machines that sort items based on their color or a bar code... there are limitless possibilities.

The software that comes with the set is ok also, but there are a bunch of free compiliers out there so code can be written in C, Logo, etc... and sent to the Lego "brick".

Now schools just need money to buy these and time to train the teachers!

robotics clubs

[octalgirl]

Thanks for the review. I've been looking for a good lego book. I am part of a lego robotics club at the middle school where I work, and the Mindstorms kits are at the heart of this program. The kids compete at an annual Robotics Park in events like chain-reaction (sort of the old mouse trap game where you put a ball in and a series of events happen) and of course the robot competition. We had a heck of a time this year trying to find good examples of claws. We needed one where the robot would drive out, pick up a sponge, then drive back to base. We managed and did ok. Came in 5th out of 28. For all of you lego fans out there - keep your local schools in mind. If they are involved in a program like this (many are), then they need as many lego parts and gears and motors as possible. Also the plastic bins to keep everything. Most schools are also crying for volunteers. We have the kids lined up to join, but not enough adults to take this on. It is a committment, but a very rewarding one. Esp if you like building robots, cause then you have scheduled time to do it and get to teach the kids along the away. Before selling any of your old lego or construx parts at a yard sale, think of donating them first. thanks!

My webcam

[brejc8]

I built a cool webcam out of lego and you can control it over the web.
http://www.cs.man.ac.uk/~brejc8/camera.html
This is how i built it

Apple IIe and Legos

[shepmaster]

I still have, sitting less than 10 feet away from me, my DACTA set to connect my LEGOs to my old Apple IIe. it was the basis for a lot of my life now. It was the first chance I had to install a 3rd party card into a computer, the first chance I had to program, and the first chance I had to build anything of substance. I got it for my birthday, and at an amazing price of $4000! (Forgive me if that is horribly wrong, but I was young, and I swear thats what my dad said they cost.) If nothing else, it allows me to keep around my IIe for a long time.

Lego as project planning tool

[mccalli]

Long, long ago in a company far, far away my Dad was a quality control manager in a Sheffield steelworks.

Now, office computing didn't really exist at this time - PCs weren't even a glimmer in IBM's corporate eye, and I don't think that Apple had got going either (mid-seventies). Yet projects were still planned and still needed to be tracked.

My dad suggested using Lego. He got laughed at at first, but eventually converted the company to using it. The idea is simple: buy a big base board , some different coloured long bricks, and voila: a fully editable dependency chart can be created just by moving the bricks around.

Powerpoint? Pah. PAH!

Cheers,
Ian

Where to get rack pieces?

[epepke]

I have a LEGO Mindstorm kit, and I find it great. However, I also find it difficult to get pieces. One of the things I need are some racks. I want to build a robot that will go up and down a track with fairly precise control, and rack and pinion seems to be the best way to do this.

There used to be a LEGO Technic forklift kit with lots of racks and pinions and also an add-on kit with a bunch of racks. However, even when I go to the LEGO outlet, all the Technic kits I see are fairly useless cars or robots, and there don't seem to be any add-on kits. The Mindstorm add-on kit has a lot of weird pieces (including a foot pedal), but no racks.

Does anybody know where to get extra racks, pinions, gears, wheels, and other bread-and-butter pieces for complex kits?

palm based lego

[lpret]

I saw an article on Slashdot eons ago that talked about a robot made of legos that ran off of a palm V as it's 'brain.' It was pretty impressive, and I wonder if there is a way to do this with this robot kit...