Home >> Toys >> Educational Toys

NXT Brick Uses

The NXT intelligent brick is the key component of the Lego Mindstorms NXT kit, a robotics kit released in 2006. Referred to as "the robot's brain," the brick has a 32-bit ARM 7 microprocessor that you can program. You can take advantage of the brick's flash memory capability, and communicate with it via Bluetooth and USB 2.0. You can connect up to four items to the brick's input ports and up to three items to its output ports.

Alpha Rex
- Alpha Rex is a Lego Mindstorms robot and the main model that most kids -- and adults -- want to build with the Lego Mindstorms NXT kit. Specifically, Alpha Rex is a humanoid, bipedal robot that can walk like a human, on two legs. The legs have built-in rotation sensors on the two servo motors powering them. The NXT brick is an essential component of Alpha Rex, and you can use it to program the robot to move very precisely.
Clock
- According to the Lego Mindstorms official website, you can make a classic clock with your NXT brick. The instructions run to 64 pages, but true to Lego's underlying principle of trying to make their products accessible to Lego fans across the globe, the building instructions are graphic-based rather than text-based. The classic clock building instructions booklet consists of a superb series of meticulous technical drawings showing every part required, in what quantity, and detailing precisely how they all fit together.
Spike
- Spike the scorpion is another popular robot that people like to make using the Lego Mindstorms kit. Unlike a real scorpion, which has eight legs, Spike has six legs, but this can be an educational discussion point with kids. The design is such that Spike's tail is held erect, like a real scorpion's. Using the NXT brick, you can program Spike to crawl and use sound and touch sensors. Spike has pincers and a touch sensor stinger that you can control using the brick's microprocessor.
Other
- You can also use the NXT brick to make and program the RoboArm T-56, a machine that replicates a sophisticated robotic arm of the type used in modern factories and manufacturing plants. You can use RoboArm T-56 to find, grab and lift up objects with its claw. The TriBot vehicle is a three-wheeled robot that you can drive using the NXT brick. You can program four different sensors to make the TriBot drive along a line, grab a ball and follow sound commands.

Educational Toys