Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
Building the Robot
Brainstorm what the robot will do and what it will be used for. You may want to begin sketching the robot on a piece of paper before you build, so you have a clearer idea of how it will come together.
Choose which motors and sensors your robot will have and connect them to the ports on the NXT brick.
Build the chassis of the robot around the brick. This is the main body of the robot. You should place the brick near the center and fairly low to the ground to keep the robot's center of gravity low.
Attach the robot's form of locomotion. This would be the main motor, and will either connect to the legs or treads on a moving robot or the arm or some other device on a stationary robot. Make a note of which port attaches the motor you are using to the NXT brick.
Add the sensors in the most efficient places. For example, if the robot is moving on the floor, you should mount the distance sensor near the ground and to the front--this placement lets it see the ground ahead and prevents it from confusing its own body with an obstacle.
Repeat Steps 4-5 until you have connected all of the motors and sensors you intend to use on this creation.
Place any finishing touches or other elements needed to make the robot stable, sturdy and sleek-looking.
Programming the Robot
Download or install the Mindstorms Workspace software.
Start a new program and type in a name for it. For example, if you want the robot to move until it sees a wall, use a title such as "Move_to_Obstacle."
Close the Robo-Center by clicking the X button on the main window, and click the center button on the Control Panel to bring up the Blocks panel.
Click the Action Icon to bring up the Action bricks palette. Click and drag one of these to the Sequence Beam to add it to your program, and then click to select that piece. At the bottom of the screen, you can change options such as which of the motors will be working, and how fast and how far they will turn.
Stop the robot by adding one of the Hourglass icons to the Sequence Beam. For example, choosing the icon depicting an Hourglass with a Radar Dish will stop the device when certain inputs come in, like stopping the robot before it hits a target or wall.
Bring out the Sound Effect palette. You can make the NXT brick make noises before and after completing certain actions, including uploading your own sound effects to the brick.
Use the Loop tool to make the robot repeat certain actions. You can make the robot repeat actions indefinitely, or for a set number of times, or until it receives a certain kind of input from one of its sensors.
Connect the RCX using either your included USB cable or a Bluetooth chip, if your computer has one. If not, you can purchase a Bluetooth dongle of any kind (see Resources).
Click the NXT Window button to bring up the NXT brick and connect it to the computer. If nothing appears, click the Scan button to locate the brick. You can close the brick once you've selected it and established a connection.
Click the Download button below the "NXT Window" button. A window appears to let you know your new robot's program is downloading and will disappear when done.
Disconnect the NXT brick, select your program using the buttons on it and press "Start." The robot will run through your program.