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How to Program the NXT LEGO Robot

NXT LEGO Mindstorms robots are powered by the Lego Mindstorms NXT brick, which is a 16-bit microprocessor unit. The NXT brick has input ports for controlling the NXT robot's motor and sensors. You can program the NXT brick to make your robot perform a number of actions, like moving in a predetermined direction and picking up objects. The process of programming a NXT LEGO robot is fairly straightforward.

Instructions

- 1
  Install the LEGO Brainstorms software supplied with the robot onto your computer, then double-click the LEGO Brainstorms icon on your computer to launch the application. The application's main window will open once you launch it.
- 2
  Drag and drop the desired command icon blocks -- "Move Forward," "Turn Left" and so on -- from the toolbar on the left side main window of the software application to the main window grid. The Brainstorms application has a block icon-based programming language that uses the position of where you place the icon's block on the window grid to determine what actions the robot will perform, as well as the order in which the actions are performed.
- 3
  Select "File" option, then select "Save" to save the program once you have placed your selection of programming icon blocks onto the window grid.
- 4
  Press the orange "Enter/ON" button on the NXT brick of your robot to turn it on.
- 5
  Plug the USB connection cable into the USB port on your NXT brick, then plug the other end of the cable into an available USB port on your computer. The Lego Mindstorms application will automatically detect the NXT brick connected to the computer.
- 6
  Select the "Transfer" option in the secondary top menu of the application. A dialog window will open with a listing of programs available for transfer to the NXT brick. Select the program you created from the list and select "OK."

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