Core LEGO MINDSTORMS Programming: Unleash the Power of the Java Platform (Core Series) (Paperback)

by Brian Bagnall (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
LEGO Mindstorms robots can do more than you ever imagined! The secret: go beyond the built-in tools, and leverage the full power of Java -- the world's hottest programming language. Core LEGO Mindstorms shows you how, step-by-step -- as you build sophisticated robots and custom sensors that will amaze you. No matter what version of LEGO Mindstorms you own -- 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, even the USB version -- this book will take you farther than ever before. Brian Bagnall guides you through installing leJOS, a full-fledged Java Virtual Machine for the programmable RCX "brick" that gives LEGO robots their intelligence. Next, you'll master each key programming task step-by-step, with practical examples and photographs. You'll master behavior control programming, a simple but brilliant concept developed at MIT. Then, working from beautifully rendered 3-D plans, you'll walk through constructing five unique robots, each capable of increasingly powerful navigation. In later chapters, you'll walk through building and programming powerful custom sensors, including proximity sensors -- and even the "Holy Grail" of navigation sensors: the compass sensor. Bagnall concludes by introducing several powerful new techniques for advanced programmers.

From the Back Cover

• Complete 3-D plans for building five unique robots
• Advanced control techniques—including distance and compass sensors
• Behavior control programming, the breakthrough methodology invented at MIT
• For LEGO Mindstorms Robotics Invention System, versions 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0

Your LEGO Mindstorms robots can do more than you ever imagined. The secret: go beyond the built-in tools, and leverage the power of the Java platform—the world's hottest programming technology.

Core LEGO Mindstorms shows you how, step by step. Working from beautifully rendered 3-D plans, you'll construct five unique robots-each capable of increasingly powerful navigation. You'll build and program two powerful custom sensors-an accurate distance sensor and the "Holy Grail" of navigation sensors: the compass sensor.

Brian Bagnall, co-creator of the leJOS Java Virtual Machine for LEGO Mindstorms, starts with the absolute basics then teaches you sophisticated, never-before-published techniques for controlling LEGO Mindstorms robots. No matter what version of LEGO Mindstorms you own, this book will teach you how to build robots with remarkable intelligence and amazing power.

• Installing leJOS, the Java Virtual Machine designed for the LEGO Mindstorms RCX programmable controller
• Setting up your Java platform development environment for LEGO Mindstorms
• Programming rotation and custom sensors
• Using behavior control programming, the biologically inspired MIT breakthrough in robot control
• New techniques for improving navigation accuracy
• Gathering map data and transmitting it back to your computer
• For LEGO Mindstorms RIS versions 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0—including USB versions

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Product Details

• Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall PTR (March 21, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0130093645
• ISBN-13: 978-0130093646
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #280,306 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This item is part of The Core Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I really enjoyed this book, July 2, 2002

By	Ferrari Mario (Modena, Italy) - See all my reviews

Brian succeeds brilliantly in the difficult tasks of introducing the reader to the Java language, to the Mindstorms system and to some programming techniques peculiar to robotics, and he does this in such a pleasant way that he doesn't even realize he's learning new concepts.

The book gives you enough elements of the Java language to make you immediately productive in using it with your Mindstorms kit, without including details about the language which would have made the book unnecessarily heavy. It won't make you a professional Java programmer, but it's not its goal.

From this foundation, Brian introduces you to some of the most powerful programming techniques aimed at robotics - like behavior control and navigation - using simple and clear examples.

The robots are nice and very well documented, and I have no doubt you will find them instructive and inspiring. And their code is well tested and ready to use.

Brian's style is very pleasant: he is able to always keep the your attention, never boring you explaining obvious concepts nor entering complex maters without the necessary gradualness. A touch of thin humour here and there makes the reading of this book a great experience.

To conclude:
- If you already know Java and want to learn how to use it for your Mindstorms robots, this book is for you.
- If you don't know Java, but want to push your Mindstorms beyond the limits of the LEGO software and are challenged by the opportunity to learn a new language, this book is for you as well.

This book definitely deserves its place in your bookcase among the best Mindstorms books.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Java@YourCommand, August 10, 2002

By A Customer

This book is a great guide to using Lejos (the Java Virtual Machine for the RCX). It starts with a basic java tutorial and an introduction to Lego Mindstorms and Lejos. The tutorial is far from complete and is not "beginner proof". Therefore I recommend that you have some basic programming skills before reading this book. The book goes on to cover several cool topics including behavior control, navigation and communication. It has two electronic projects in which you make a proximity sensor and a compass sensor. Although it has very clear instructions(it has pictures and written descriptions), I think that these projects would not be easy for a person with little experience with electronics to do. Also to complete one section of this book you need to purchase two lego rotation sensors. These can be bought at the lego-pitsco dacta shop which is located at pldstore.com I particulary like the communication section which shows how to control a robot from a web page, how to make a robot that can plot its course on a map etc. I highly recommend this book.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Robotics? Start Here!, May 17, 2002

By	P. Ridsdale (Bristol United Kingdom) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you are at all interested in robotics and have made the perhaps surprising discovery that there is a relatively inexpensive but remarkably sophisticated robotic modelling kit readily available, then you have discovered the Lego Mindstorms Robotic Invention System. This is a system that incorporates motors, gearing and both touch and light sensors, to put it succinctly. Once you have got over the idea that this engineering kit masquerades as a child's toy, it may reassure you to know that the average age of a Mindstorms user is 30. Lego does provide a programming environment with the R.I.S. so that you can control the robots you construct from your PC, but if you want to take things a step further, then Brian Bagnall's book is the next essential item. Bagnall is co-author of the leJOS Java Virtual Machine, which is a stripped down version of Java, specifically designed for programming the Lego RCX processor (the heart of the R.I.S. system). leJOS can be downloaded from the internet and you can then download its firmware to the RCX brick, which affords you a much greater degree of control than that provided by Lego.
The book shows you how, and assuming no prior knowledge, guides you through all the necessary stages. Chapter 3 is a comprehensive Java primer and it is theoretically possible for someone with no Java experience at all to start here, although I wouldn't like to try it myself. On the other hand, if you know another programming language and something about the principles of Object Oriented Programming, then I'm sure that this chapter would be sufficient. The book contains a wealth of useful information concerning all matters Lego and Java - it not only tells you where to get more exotic sensors than those provided by Lego but also shows you how to make them. The importance of trigonometry in navigation is explained in such a way that even math phobics will be able to understand it - Bagnall's writing style is always crystal clear and avoids the jargonism of much `scientific' writing. The book is lavishly illustrated and there is a very sensible emphasis towards the practical side of things. It is a book that you will learn from, but it is also that rare thing, a book that makes learning a genuinely enjoyable experience.