We are showing the basics of communication between LEGO Mindstorms NXT Bricks using a Bluetooth connection. In the next few minutes we will build two programs - one for the master and one for the slave brick, while explaining the essentials for building such programs.
In this episode of the Basic NXT Programming series I will cover the sound sensor. I will explain how to program the sound sensor, stop on common problems faced, when the sound sensor is used and finally we will build a program that will allow us to control the robot's speed through the volume of the sound.
In this episode I will show you how to program the touch sensor part of the LEGO Mindstorms education robotics sets. I have given answers to questions like - how the touch sensor works or how you can use it.
In this video we are solving part of the FIRST LEGO League Senior Solutions challange missions (FLL 2012) using LEGO Mindstorms NXT robots. I make a step by step explanation of each move I make. The goal of this video is to help you with ideas and suggestions on how one should look at the missions.
In this video lesson I will show you how to follow a black line using just one sensor, but fast enough so that you could use it during any robotics competition without wasting any time.
In this tutorial we will go through a solution for three of the missions from 2012 FIRST LEGO League competition using only one attachment. By accomplishing the medicines, strength exercise and cardiovascular missions we earn 55 points. You can download the programs from the link in the Materials tab.
In this video tutorial I give a step-by-step explanation of how to implement a block for aligning to a line. The block was first used in lesson 28. Aligning to lines is probably the most powerfull way to know the position of the robot on the FLL Competition field and to be able to execute the missions precisely at 100% of the time.
In this video we are solving Senior Solutions missions: Stove, Gardening, Similarity recognition, Ball game and Wood Working. We will make step-by-step of everything we do on the FLL field.
In this episode we are showing the great similiarity between the sensors in NXT Mindstorms. We are solving a common problem - How to make a robot that do not fall from the table. We are using the Ultrasonic sensor, Light Sensor and Touch Sensor to solve the same problem, but with three different sensors.
Robotics competition is a large part of the FLL Competition. The field contains missions which give points and the main purpose is to gather maximum number of points for 2:30min. FIRST LEGO League competitions have different themes every year but the tasks have similar functionality. In this video tutorial we will give a brief of missions in Senior Solutions (the theme for 2012).
An advanced but understandable description of how to program the mindstorm robot to move in a regular n-gon like pentagon, hexagon etc. (Yes, we know math). We have also included notes on the used formulas. A must see for each of you who would like to master the robot movements.
In this tutorial, I will cover the adjustments of the display and the color lamp blocks from the LEGO Mindstorms NXT-G. Today I will show you how to use the color lamp in order to make your robot more interesting or how to display sensors values or try to draw something on the screen of the brick.
During the FIRST LEGO League competition you can hardly use the sound block, because of the noise from the excitement around the tables, but it has a few interesting applications. I this video lesson I will show you how to use the sound block and build a program that makes the robot say which color it sees.
If you look at the properties of the move block and the motor block LEGO Mindstorms NXT, you will see that they have much in common. Still they have several differences. You should be aware of these differences in order to choose the appropriate block for your needs.
In this episode I would like to show you how to enable the communication between the computer and the NXT brick, through the USB and using the leJOS project. Starting leJOS on Windows is pretty easy. But starting the samples and achieving the communication is the actual problem.
Starting leJOS might be very problematic, since you need to install a few libraries and make some configurations. In this video tutorial I am showing a step-by-step guide on how you could install leJOS on your Ubuntu Linux. And it is quite easy.
In this episode I would like to show you a way to solve the FLL 2012 Medicine mission using an LEGO Mindstorms NXT Ultrasonic Sensor and a system of gears that converts circular motion to linear.
In this video tutorial we will show you three ways for making your robot stable on the field. We will present each one of them with their advantages and disadvantages - it's up to you to choose which one is the best for your case.
In episode 11 we looked at one of the most important topics for the competition - calibrating the light sensors. In this video I would like to show you how to use a more programmatic approach. This means letting the robot do the calibration on its own. Automatically.
In this lesson I would like to show you how to build a LEGO Mindstorms competition robot and tell you how we have designed the construction used in the videos so far. Surely it isn’t perfect, but it is a good start.
In this lesson we build a simple LEGO Mindstorms NXT calculator program that sums, multiplies, subsctracts or divides two numbers between 1 and 50.
To win the FLL robotics competition you should surely use light sensors for navigating on the field. But the performance of the light sensors is affected by the surrounding light which means you might get different results on the training and on the competition table. This is where calibration is useful. In this video I will show you an easy way to do calibration along with a few examples.
In this video lesson, we will show you how to build a menu as a MyBlock in LEGO Mindstorms NXG-G. Having a menu is a must at robotics competitions since it saves time and gives easy access to program functionalities.
This is not the standard video lesson. We have always wanted to just destroy the field and see how easy it would be. We would prepare a detailed lesson in the next few months, but this was one of the first tries on completely destroying the FIRST LEGO League Seniour Solutions field.
The scorpion is one of the most famous robots build with the NXT kit. In this lesson we are showing how to use the rotation sensor to program the scorpion and its strikes. The main challenge is how to return the spike for the same amount of degrees after it strikes. The other topic is how to use variable to keep the state of the scorpion. Both of this techniques are very valuable during the competition.
The last thing you want to lose during every robotics competition is time for changing the programs on the brick. This could require seconds and as we all know every second counts. There are a few ways to improve the way of choosing programs. In this video lesson we will show you how to program a menu directly in your program.
This lesson shows how you could use the rotation sensors of the motors of a LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT robot. This technique is very powerful during the competition. We give ideas on how to show the value of the sensor on the display, how to check if you have completed a given job or you are still doing it and other even more advanced topics. Understanding the rotation sensor is a must if you want to use the full capabilities of the motors.