Programming Lego Mindstorms NXT

by Bishop, Owen

• ISBN13: 9781597492782
• ISBN10: 1597492787
• Edition: DVD
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-06-16
• Publisher: Elsevier Science Ltd

Summary

Teach your robot new tricks! With this projects-based approach you can program your Mindstorms NXT robot to solve a maze, build a house, run an obstacle course, and many other activities. Along the way you will learn the basics of programming structures and techniques using NXT-G and Microsoft VPL. Includes a DVD w/ e-text, programming code, and link to accompanying website. For hobbyists, and students working on robot projects, Bishop provides the background and tools to program your robot for tasks that go beyond the simple routines provided with the robot kit. The programs range in complexity from simple contact avoidance and path following, to programs generating some degree of artificial intelligence Key Features: * a how-to guide for programming your robot, using NXT-G and Microsoft VPL * ten robot-specific projects show how to extend your robot's capabilities beyond the manufacturer's provided software. Examples of projects include: Maze solver, Robot House Builder, Search (obstacle avoidance), Song and Dance Act * flowcharts and data flow diagrams are used to illustrate how to develop programs * introduces basic programming structures * includes a DVD w/ e-text, programming code, and link to accompanying website

Table of Contents

Robots and Programs	p. 1
Introduction	p. 2
What is a Program?	p. 4
Designing a Robot	p. 6
Specify the Robot's Environment	p. 7
Intelligent or Smart?	p. 8
Summary	p. 9
About NXT-G Programs	p. 11
Introduction	p. 12
Creating a Program	p. 13
First Steps	p. 16
Out of Memory?	p. 18
Coming for a Spin?	p. 19
Tying it Together	p. 19
Data	p. 23
Introduction	p. 24
Sources of Data	p. 24
Variables	p. 26
A Variable Has a Name, a Type, and a Value	p. 27
Arithmetic Operators	p. 28
Logical Operators	p. 28
Flag Variables	p. 29
Loops	p. 31
Introduction	p. 32
Outside Events	p. 33
Time Limit	p. 34
Counting the Loops	p. 34
Dance Some More	p. 34
Use Loops to Make Actions Repeat	p. 36
Another Way to Use the Loop Counter	p. 36
Logical Conclusions	p. 37
Use a Loop (or a Wait Block) to Wait for an Event to Occur	p. 38
Nested Loops	p. 38
The Wait Block	p. 39
Switches and Other Topics	p. 41
The Switch Block	p. 42
Switch Blocks Direct Execution Along Alternative Pathways	p. 44
Simultaneous Processing	p. 44
Diagnostic Programming	p. 46
Using the Light Sensor	p. 51
Introduction	p. 52
Light Sensor Directed Downward	p. 54
Lined in	p. 57
Line Follower	p. 58
Edge Follower	p. 59
Light Sensor Directed Upward	p. 60
Housefly	p. 61
Light Sensor Directed Forward	p. 63
Lightfinder1	p. 63
LightFinder2	p. 64
Almost an Interrupt	p. 65
LightFinder3	p. 66
LightFinder4	p. 67
Summary	p. 70
Using the Touch Sensor and the NXT Buttons	p. 71
Introduction	p. 72
Waiting for Contact	p. 73
Bumper	p. 74
Waiting for Input	p. 75
Scanning the NXT Buttons	p. 76
Entering Numbers	p. 79
Using the Ultrasonic Sensor	p. 81
Introduction	p. 82
Avoidance Routine for Alpha Rex	p. 82
Ultrasonic Search	p. 84
Sounds Received and Emitted	p. 87
Introduction	p. 88
Start and Stop	p. 88
Start, Stop, and Turn	p. 89
One Clap or Two?	p. 90
Playing a Tune (with a Little Dance)	p. 92
Choreography	p. 93
Song Snippets	p. 94
Dance Snippets	p. 94
The Magnetic Compass Sensor	p. 95
Introduction	p. 96
Heading in the Right Direction	p. 97
Polygon	p. 98
Circle	p. 99
More Mathematics	p. 103
Introduction	p. 104
Floating Point Arithmetic	p. 104
Calculating Cosines	p. 105
Calculating Sines	p. 107
Square Root	p. 108
Factorials	p. 110
Combinations	p. 113
X modulo Y	p. 114
Modulo Counting	p. 116
Navigation	p. 119
Introduction	p. 120
Distance Traveled	p. 120
Magnetic Compass	p. 122
Edge Follower 1	p. 122
No-go Response to a Line	p. 125
Steering Alpha Rex	p. 127
Marching Orders	p. 131
Rex On Line	p. 132
Rex On Edge	p. 134
Pathfinder	p. 137
Cosine Rule	p. 142
Games Robots Play	p. 147
Introduction	p. 148
Maze Runner-Version 1	p. 148
Maze Runner-Version 2	p. 153
Maze Runner-Version 3	p. 154
Maze Learner	p. 157
Scissors, Paper, Stone	p. 159
Signalling by Semaphore	p. 166
Magic	p. 167
The Program	p. 170
Databases for Robots	p. 173
Introduction	p. 174
Lookup Table for Weekdays	p. 174
Writable Lookup Table	p. 176
Another Way of Using a Lookup Table	p. 177
Reading Data from a File Access Block	p. 178
Acknowledgements	p. 183
Index	p. 185
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