LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT-G Programming Guide (Technology in Action) [Paperback]

James Floyd Kelly (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

From the reviews:

"An introduction to programming Mindstorms NXT robots using the NXT-G programming toolkit by Lego is provided in this book. … The book covers every step needed to write programs, starting from no knowledge of programming and slowly bringing in additional programming constructs. … Overall, the book is clear and well written, intended for an audience with no programming skills who need step-by-step instructions … ." (M. Gini, ACM Computing Reviews, Vol. 49 (12), December, 2008)

Product Description

The reader of this book will be someone looking for more detailed information on the NXT-G programming language used to program the LEGO Mindstorms NXT robotics kit.

LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT-G Programming Guide is suitable for young programmers, age 10 and up, as well as parents and teachers who want to learn the new language for themselves or be able to assist students/children with learning to properly program their robots.

• Includes easy-to-follow examples for each and every programming block
• Provides programming techniques simple enough to be understood by young programmers, age 10 and up.
• Provides a test robot (with instructions) in the appendix for running the programs

What youll learn

• Understand the basics of computer programming.
• Easily program your robot with the NXT-G visual programming language.
• See how to implement basic, intermediate, and advanced programs.
• Learn how to program for
  • Moving
  • Waiting
  • Recording
  • Stopping
  • Displaying messages
  • Sending messages
  • Defining the duration of an activity
  • Creating random behavior
• Practice with a free sample program.

Who is this book for?

This book is for people new to programming (10 years old and up) or for experienced programmers new to the NXT-G programming language.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 196 pages
• Publisher: Apress; 1st. 2007. Corr. printing edition (June 2, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590598717
• ISBN-13: 978-1590598719
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #110,894 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

  #72 in	Books > Computers & Internet > Computer Science > Systems Analysis & Design
  #52 in	Books > Professional & Technical > Engineering > Computer Technology > Robotics & Automation

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More Details about the book, July 13, 2007

By	J. Kelly "GA Book Fan" (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT-G Programming Guide (Technology in Action) (Paperback)

DISCLAIMER: I am the author of this book - buyer beware :)

The book consists of 26 chapters plus 1 appendix.

The first 2 chapters cover the questions of "What is a robot" and "What is a program" and introduce the topic of pseudo code. There are many different methods when it comes to pseudo code, but this method will hopefully help teachers, parents, and students to understand how to take an idea for a program and turn it into actual NXT-G block code.

All 36 blocks are covered (the book is useful for both the retail version software and the educational version), and each block has its own chapter with the exception of a couple of blocks that share a chapter (such as the Random block and Number-To-Text block that share chapter 14).

There is a chapter dedicated to the concept of data plugs and wires (Chapter 7). This can be one of the more confusing elements of NXT-G, so this chapter uses a simplified method of showing how data types (number, text, logic) are passed between blocks.

Another chapter provides a walkthrough on creating a My Block. My Blocks are powerful methods for simplifying NXT-G programs, and this chapter shows how the ability to re-use My Blocks can be helpful.

Finally, the appendix covers some basic math such as converting back and forth between degrees and rotations. It also explains the LCD screen's resolution and how the X/Y coordinates work.

Teachers, parents, coaches, and kids should find this book useful. It's written in a very friendly and easy-to-read style and provides plenty of sample programs in each chapter to demonstrate how to use the blocks. Also, coverage of each block's configuration panel is also provided. Overall, the book can be used as an additional source of information on the NXT-G programming language to supplement the Help files included with the software.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lego Mindstorms NXT_G Programming Guide, August 9, 2007

By	Mike Lawson "MLComputer" (Zanesville, OH USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT-G Programming Guide (Technology in Action) (Paperback)

When it comes to wanting to do Lego Mindstorm NXT-G, this is the first book you should get. The book shows the reader what different blocks are and how they work. The book also reads in terms that middle school students can understand and follow. Programming is the most difficult item that you have to do with a roboit. This book shows is a great resource for people that are in to lego roboits.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!, February 17, 2008

By	T. Bailey "T. Bailey" (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT-G Programming Guide (Technology in Action) (Paperback)

We bought this book for our nine year old son who had recently received the Mindstorms NXT for Christmas. He could not put the book down - read it from cover to cover and thinks it is a great book. Highly recommend.