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

[cornjones]

LEGO.com has a builder on their site.
https://club.lego.com/build/brickbuilder.asp
If that doesn't get you there go to LEGO.com and go to games and you should see the brick builder app.

Lego Mindsprings?

[Smallest]

Do the editors even read the articles??

We know the answer.

-c

Virtual Legos

[qurob]

How about Lego software so kids can build virtual structures?

You can't step on a piece with your bare foot, put pieces in your mouth, and your dog can't accidently crush your 4-day project.

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"?

Re:Twenty Years From Now

[Mad Man]

Dialogue ommitted from The Terminator:

"The Series 200 Terminators were made out of interlocking plastic bricks. We spotted them easily..."

About Jin

[CrezzyMan]

Jin Sato is one truly awesome builder, let me tell you. I'm pleased to see that he's finally written an English-language Mindstorms book. Lots of his stuff has been published in Japanese.

Back when I used to go to RTLToronto meetings, Jin always brought along some of his creations. I've seen that Aibo-looking dog up close, and it was pretty awesome: IIRC, the two RCXs communicate to each other in order to walk. His two-legged walker is interesting as well.

More links:
Jin Sato's Mindstorms website
RTLToronto, a LEGO enthusiasts group for the Southern Ontario area
A nice photo (JPEG) of Jin's table at a previous RTLToronto get-together.

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!

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

Accuracy in Simulation.

[Baka*Exp 2]

To be completely accurate a lego sim would need to be able to determine the final project midway. Then randomly choose one part and make sure you have 1 too few.

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?

Re:Where to get rack pieces?

[Poomah]

I've gotten lots of piecs from Pitsco. They sell parts in bulk and interesting sets.

Re:Where to get rack pieces?

[BigFig]

You can find all sorts of Lego pieces, including the racks you're looking for at http://www.pldstore.com. Go to the "Spare Parts, Tools & Resources" department. I've never ordered from them myself, but I know they've got LOTS of stuff to choose from!