Programming Lego Mindstorms with Java (With CD-ROM) [ILLUSTRATED] (Paperback)

by Dario Laverde (Author), Giulio Ferrari (Author), Jurgen Stuber (Author) "Soon after its release, the LEGO MINDSTORMS Robotics Invention System (RIS) quickly became popular not only with its initial intended audience of children aged 11..." (more)
Key Phrases: package linefollower, direct control programming, infrared tower, Java Communications, Frequently Asked Questions, Kekoa Proudfoot (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The LEGO Mindstorms Robotics Invention System has been called "the most creative play system ever developed." This book unleashes the full power of the RCX and the tools, bricks, and components that make up LEGO Mindstorms.

Programming LEGO Mindstorms with Java is as much about robotics programming as it is about Java programming. This book is for all levels of Mindstorms users, from hobbyists to the serious Mindstorms aficionados. This book is also appropriate for a variety of programming levels; those with only a modicum of Java knowledge as well as those at an advanced level will find much to learn within these pages. You will cover all the basics of programming the RCX, beginning with the introduction of the available Java APIs used to communicate remotely to the RCX using its default firmware, all the way through the advanced topics of embedded programming using a custom Java Virtual Machine (JVM).

About the Author
Søren Hilmer (SCJP, SCJD, SCWCD) is Research and Development Manager at IT+, a company in the TietoEnator group. Søren has been giving talks on programming the RCX with Java, most notably at the JAOO conference in 2000. Giulio Ferrari works as a Software Developer at EDIS, a leader in publishing and finishing solution and promotional packaging. Giulio co-authored the best-selling Building Robots with LEGO Mindstorms (Syngress Publishing, ISBN: 1-928994-67-9), a book that has quickly become a fundamental reference and source of ideas for many LEGO robotics fans. From that moment on, he held an important place in the creation of the Italian LEGO community, ItLUG, now one of the largest and most important LEGO users group worldwide. Jamie Waldinger (SCJP) is a developer at Viant Corporation in Boston, where he develops Web-enabled systems for a global client base. He has coded in Java for three years, and holds a bachelor's degree in business from the University of Massachusetts. Jürgen Stuber is one of the administrators of the leJOS project and one of the few people who have worked on the internals of leJOS. Jürgen has made important contributions to the leJOS virtual machine, in particular fixes that made rotation sensors usable and that improved the speed of the main instruction loop. Mick Porter (SSJCP, MCP) is a Senior Technical Architect for Logica, a global systems integrator. Mick specializes in the design and implementation of wireless and mobile commerce systems. Andy Gombos is a sophomore at John Hardin High School. He has been programming in Java for four years, and started programming the RCX with TinyVM almost two years ago. He is the author of the leJOS Visual Interface and Simlink, two tools for leJOS. Dario Laverde is a freelance Java Software Architect. As the Vice President of System Architecture at PlayLink, Inc., a Java online games development company, he created the initial framework of the client/server architecture and graphical user interfaces. Ron Gonzalez is a Software Developer for Oracle Corporation, where he works on the Oracle Warehouse Builder product. His work has nothing to do with LEGO Mindstorms, but is an avid LEGO Mindstorms fan and is a member of the Lejos development group.

Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Syngress; 1 edition (May 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1928994555
• ISBN-13: 978-1928994558
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #139,966 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #55 in	Books > Professional & Technical > Engineering > Mechanical > Robotics
  #60 in	Books > Professional & Technical > Engineering > Computer Technology > Robotics & Automation

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good book, but might be a bit steep for non-programmers, August 15, 2002

By	Robert Andrews (Florence, MS United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Personally, I enjoy this book. It's beaten my expectations, and that's a rare treat.

However....

If you have never done any programming in a language like Java, Python, or C++, and if terms like "firmware", "embedded", etc. leave you feeling upset, this book may be a bit of a challenge.

But then again, if you are interested in moving beyond the capabilities of the software that shipped with your Lego Mindstorms kit, this may be precisely what you want.

Also, if you have been trying to learn some Java but haven't found a project "fun" enough to sustain your interest, this book and a Mindstorms kit may thrill you.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Medicore at Best, February 14, 2003

By	Shannon Moon (Florida) - See all my reviews

This is a medicore book that spends quite a lot of time and chapters on programming Mindstorms with other langagues and APIs.

I found "Core LEGO MINDSTORMS Programming: Unleash the Power of the Java Platform" by Brian Bagnall to be a much better book. It is well suited to both beginning and advanced programers. It covers languages basics, but still provides much info to experienced Java developers.

It also includes detailed instructions and pictures describing on basic robotics...things like how to turn a rotary motion to a linear motion, how to change gear rations, how to build differentials, and much more.

There is also a detail chapter devoted to building your own homebrew sensors that even someone with little to no experience in electronics could easily build.

In short, this book is ok, but there are better alternatives out there.

2 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Super Java challengers, March 1, 2004

By A Customer

Lego mindstorms have steadily become the latest craze in robotics across campuses, and are an excellent way to build mechanics and physics skills, the newest series from Syngress is awesome.