engineering

Lego Mindstorms NXT

Lego Mindstorms NXT is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Lego Mindstorms NXT rather than just read about it. In short: Lego Mindstorms NXT is a programmable robotics kit released by Lego on August 2, 2006. It replaced the Robotics Invention System, the first-generation Lego Mindstorms kit.

Key takeaways

Lego Mindstorms NXT belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Lego Mindstorms NXT to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Lego Mindstorms NXT from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Lego Mindstorms NXT is a programmable robotics kit released by Lego on August 2, 2006. It replaced the Robotics Invention System, the first-generation Lego Mindstorms kit. The base kit ships in two versions: the retail version and the education base set. It comes with the NXT-G programming software or the optional LabVIEW for Lego Mindstorms. A variety of unofficial languages exist, such as NXC, NBC, leJOS NXJ, and RobotC. A second-generation set, Lego Mindstorms NXT 2.0, was released on August 1, 2009, with a color sensor and other upgrades. The third-generation EV3 was released in September 2013.

NXT Intelligent Brick

The kit's main component is the NXT Intelligent Brick computer, which can accept input from up to four sensors and control up to three motors with a modified version of RJ12 cables (similar to, but incompatible with, RJ11 phone lines). The plastic pin to hold the cable in the socket is moved slightly to the right. The brick has a 100×64 pixel monochrome LCD and four buttons that can navigate a user interface with hierarchical menus. It has a 32-bit ARM7TDMI-core Atmel AT91SAM7S256 microcontroller with 256 KB of FLASH memory and 64 KB of RAM, an 8-bit Atmel AVR ATmega48 microcontroller, and Bluetooth support. The kit has a speaker, and can play sound files at sampling rates up to 8 kHz. Power is supplied by 6 AA batteries (1.5 V each) in the consumer version of the kit, and a rechargeable Li-Ion battery in the educational version. The brick is compatible with sensors and motors of its successor Lego Mindstorms EV3.

Development kits Lego has released open source firmware for the NXT Intelligent Brick and schematics for all hardware components. Several developer kits are available with documentation for the NXT:

Software Developer Kit (SDK), with information on host USB drivers, executable file format, and bytecode reference Hardware Developer Kit (HDK), with documentation and schematics for the NXT brick and sensors Bluetooth Developer Kit (BDK), documenting protocols used for Bluetooth communications

Programming

Simple programs can be created using the menu on the NXT Intelligent Brick. More complicated programs and sound files can be downloaded with a USB port or Bluetooth. Files can be copied wirelessly between two NXT bricks, and some mobile phones can be used as a remote control. Up to three NXT bricks can communicate simultaneously via Bluetooth when user-created programs are run. The kit's retail version includes software for writing programs that run on Windows and Mac OS personal computers. The software, based on National Instruments LabVIEW, provides a visual programming language for writing simple programs and downloading them to the NXT Brick; instead of requiring users to write lines of code, they can use flowchart-like blocks to design their program.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Logo of Lego Mindstorms NXT

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Lego Mindstorms NXT

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Lego Mindstorms NXT claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Lego Mindstorms NXT before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Lego Mindstorms NXT ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Lego Mindstorms NXT

In research: Lego Mindstorms NXT appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Lego Mindstorms NXT in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Lego Mindstorms NXT is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2006 in robotics, Lego Mindstorms, Lua (programming language)-scriptable hardware, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Lego Mindstorms NXT outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Lego Mindstorms NXT in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Lego Mindstorms NXT means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Lego Mindstorms NXT out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Lego Mindstorms NXT in simple terms?

Lego Mindstorms NXT is a programmable robotics kit released by Lego on August 2, 2006. It replaced the Robotics Invention System, the first-generation Lego Mindstorms kit.

Why does Lego Mindstorms NXT matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Lego Mindstorms NXT?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Lego Mindstorms NXT.