Winning Design! Lego Mindstorms NXT : Design Patterns for Fun and Competition

Winning Design! LEGO Mindstorms NXT Design Patterns for Fun and Competition is about design that works. Itrs"s about building with LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT for fun, for education, but especially for competition. Authors Granville Miller and Tatiana Znayenko-Miller are experienced coaches and mentors who have led their robotics team to the 2008 North Carolina FIRST LEGO League state championship. In this book they share their hard-won knowledge about design principles and techniques that contribute to success in robotics competitions.Successful design for competition recognizes that at the critical moment, at the moment when the most people are watching, at the moment when you are the most stressed, that you have only one chance to "get it right". You therefore need designs that are proven and robust, that will withstand variation such as from a battery running down its charge, that wonrs"t be thrown off by changing light levels, that will repeatedly do just what you have designed them to do, no more, no less.Winning Design! unlocks the secrets of reliable design using LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT. Yours"ll learn proven design patterns that you can employ for common tasks such as turning, pushing, pulling. Yours"ll reduce and compensate for variation in performance from battery charge levels and motor calibration differences. Yours"ll produce designs that wonrs"t frustrate you by not working, but that will delight you with their reliable performance in the heat of competition. Written by a coach and mentor who know what it takes to field a winning team in competition Useful to coaches who teach, and to students wanting to grow their skills Presents proven design patterns that help take the stress out of competing What yours"ll learn Build using proven-in-competition design principles Reduce variability in mechanical movements Compensate for variability that you cannot eliminate Prepare for success in FIRST LEGO League competition Learn programming techniques employed by winning teams Build competence and confidence in your team's robotic design skills Who this book is forThis book is aimed at students, parents, teachers, and coaches involved in LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT robot design and programming. Teachers and coaches will find the book to be a valuable teaching resource. Students and parents will find insight into good design practices. And all readers will enjoy the increased satisfaction that comes from building designs that actually work, and that can be relied upon to continue to work every time. Table of Contents Building the First Robot Programming the NXT: the Basics Building Attachments Calibrating the Robot Your First Challenge (Vinyl on table, base, obstacles) Removing Some Variation Using Sensors Wheel Wells and Other Base design Strategies Reliable Programming Techniques The Program Framework Variables Powered Attachments Advanced Designs