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)

What this book covers

Chapter 1, History of MINDSTORMS, focuses on a very brief and quick history of the LEGO MINDSTORMS timeline. This chapter serves as information and context for this new MINDSTORMS Robot Inventor Kit 51515. It provides a backdrop of how we have arrived at this new kit.

Chapter 2, Getting Started with the Robot Inventor Kit, is focused on getting familiar with the various parts and components available in the LEGO Robot Inventor Kit and finishes with a small build to explore the basics of the kit.

Chapter 3, Building an Industrial Robot Claw, is focused on how the user can use different components available in the Robot Inventor Kit to build a working model of a robotic arm.

Chapter 4, Building a LEGO Guitar, is focused on combining robotics and music by using the Robot Inventor Kit to make a guitar that is playable and codable to our unique needs and musical tastes.

Chapter 5, Building a Scorpion, is focused on how to build a scorpion robot designed around the famous features of this creature. In particular, you will be building the stinger and a body style similar to a scorpion along with some additional features that the kit provides.

Chapter 6, Building a Solid Sumobot, is focused on how to build a sumobot that will endure battle in a sumo arena while utilizing sensors to be more effective in a strategy designed for success.

Chapter 7, Building a Dragster, is focused on how to build a dragster to see how it turns out in terms of speed and design.

Chapter 8, Building an Egg and Ornament Decorator, is focused on building a robot that will spin around objects such as eggs or ornaments for you to be able to design patterns using markers and other art materials.

Chapter 9, Creating Plankton from SpongeBob SquarePants Part 1, is focused on building the main component of Plankton for the robot to showcase animatronics.

Chapter 10, Creating Plankton from SpongeBob SquarePants Part 2, is focused on building the rest of Plankton by adding the final details to the build and programming the robot to be interactive.