Book Image

Smart Robotics with LEGO MINDSTORMS Robot Inventor

By : Aaron Maurer
Book Image

Smart Robotics with LEGO MINDSTORMS Robot Inventor

By: Aaron Maurer

Overview of this book

LEGO MINDSTORMS Robot Inventor is the latest addition to the LEGO MINDSTORMS theme. It features unique designs that you can use to build robots, and also enable you to perform activities using the robot inventor application. You'll begin by exploring the history of LEGO MINDSTORMS, and then delve into various elements of the Inventor kit. Moving on, you'll start working on different projects which will prepare you to build a variety of smart robots. The first robotic project involves designing a claw to grab objects, and helps you to explore how a smart robot is used in everyday life and in industry. The second project revolves around building a working guitar that can be played and modified to meet the needs of the user. As you advance, you'll explore the concept of biomimicry as you discover how to build a scorpion robot. In addition to this, you'll also work on a classic robotic challenge by building a sumobot. Throughout the book, you'll come across a variety of projects that will provide you with hands-on experience in building creative robots, such as building a Dragster, Egg Decorator, and Plankton from Spongebob Squarepants. By the end of this LEGO book, you'll have got to grips with the concepts behind building a robot, and also found creative ways to integrate them using the application based on your creative insights and ideas.
Table of Contents (12 chapters)

Building the scorpion claws

You will need the following pieces:

  • Two black double-bent beams
  • Two black round elbow connectors
  • Four blue axle pins

Start with the two black round elbow connectors. Add a blue axle pin to both sides of each of the black round elbow connectors. Add one of each to the black double-bent beams on the second hole of the long part of the beam, as illustrated in the following image:

Figure 5.42 – Building out the first part of the claws

Each of these will then connect to the 11L black beam on the sides of the robot using the fourth pin hole.

Next, locate the following parts:

  • Two black double-bent beams
  • Six blue axle connector pins
  • Two white axle connectors
  • Two black 90-degree axle pins
  • Two black connector pins
  • Two black 3L beams

Again, you will build two of the same parts for each side of the robot. Begin by adding a blue connector pin to the pin hole right before the...