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

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!

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.

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..."