Competitive MINDSTORMS: A Complete Guide to Robotic Sumo using LEGO(r) MINDSTORMS - Softcover

Perdue, David J.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1590593758 ISBN 13: 9781590593752

Publisher: Apress, 2004

Synopsis

With the advent of TV shows such as Junkyard Wars and BattleBots, robot building is gaining popularity throughout the mainstream population, but no books have been published with this particular focus. Competitive MINDSTORMS: A Complete Guide to Robotic Sumo using LEGO MINDSTORMS sets a new precedent, covering the design and construction of Robot-Sumo robots using MINDSTORMS. Written by an experienced robot builder active in the building-community, this groundbreaking guide features thorough, realistic, premium-quality LEGO instructions. This book helps bridge the gap between the builder and the technology.

About this title

From the Back Cover

Competitive MINDSTORMS™ combines the LEGO MINDSTORMS™ Robotics Invention System (RIS) with the game of robotic sumo. It shows you how to design, build, program, and unleash autonomous creations of amazing potential: sumo-bots. With these robots, you’ll push, ram, outwit, and baffle your opponent’s sumo-bot on a robotic sumo arena. This is the book that will help make sure it’s your sumo-bot left standing when the battle is over.

From the lightning-fast Zip-Bam-Bot to the heavyweight Gargantuan-Bot, Competitive MINDSTORMS™ offers seven complete projects and plenty of tricks to widen your MINDSTORMS™ horizons. Illustrated, easy-to-follow building instructions guide you through advanced construction techniques, using pieces from the RIS and its expansion packs. The downloadable programs presented in this book demonstrate basic to extreme sumo-bot programming, and you’ll find thorough coverage of how to run and test each one.

Competitive MINDSTORMS™ reveals techniques for competing in each of the three different robotic sumo strategies it presents: small and fast, medium-class, and big sumo. You’ll find out the purpose of counter-rotating wheels, see how to design slopes--also known as inclined planes or wedges--to run underneath an opponent, learn how to effectively program your sumo-bots, discover the undocumented secrets of successfully participating in and hosting robotic sumo events, and much more.

Competitive MINDSTORMS™ teaches you essential and advanced robotic sumo concepts and techniques. And in no time at all, you’ll be the most feared LEGO MINDSTORMS™ robotic sumo contestant for miles around.

About the Author

David J. Perdue, like many others, played with LEGO sets as a young child. However, LEGO MINDSTORMS became David's main hobby when he picked up a LEGO MINDSTORMS Robotics Invention System. Immediately, he saw that he had a natural talent with the set. He purchased thousands of pieces, spent countless hours building and programming, and devoured thousands of pages of documentation to learn as much as he could. After passing the beginner stage, David let loose his imagination and won three Special Mention awards for his creations, from the LEGO MINDSTORMS web site within a period of less than six months. He then went on to become a devout LEGO computer-aided design (CAD) fan, and uses the system to document his creations. David currently resides in the Austin, Texas area, where he builds, writes, programs, and updates his web site at www.davidjperdue.com.

Edition details

• Publisher: Apress
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 1590593758
• ISBN 13: 9781590593752
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 335