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)

Making it your own

You have been given the framework of an awesome scorpion. How could you add some unique features to make this build even better? How could you possibly combine this with another set of animal features for a super-hybrid creature?

More importantly, how will you tweak the code to have the robot behave differently? What more could be done? You have been given some starter code to have initial success, but your challenge is to take things to the next level! What will you do in a pinch? (Pun intended.)

Here are some ideas to think about to expand on this scorpion build:

  • Could you use the color or distance sensor in different ways?
  • For movement of the scorpion, could you use the gyro sensor built within the Intelligent Hub?
  • Could you explore a scissor mechanism for the tail or limbs?