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I’m not sure how long this deal will last, so you may want to buy soon. Amazon currently has the NXT for $199 USD. That beats the $289 I saw it for last week in the local Toys R Us. :P
If you want it for Christmas, you’ll have to pay the extra shipping costs.
And, what better book to add to your NXT purchase, the the One Kit Wonders book. (Chapter 7 was contributed by me). The book contains 10 robots you can build using just the retail NXT kit. So you don’t have to buy extra parts.
Toys R Us is having a new sale (same link as before, but new pricing). You can Buy 1, Get 2nd Half Price. So, it works out to $217 for each Mindstorms kit. Not quite as good as their original sale, but still cheaper than most places. (Reminder courtesy of Fay Rhodes at The NXT Step).
Old Deal:
ThinkingBricks.com left me a note the other day. It’s something I noticed myself, but forgot to pass along.
Right now, Toys R’ Us is having another of it’s “Buy 2, get 3rd Free” sales on LEGO kits. In the past, they have excluded the NXT systems.
Not this time!
You can get three NXT Robotics Kits for the price of two. That works out to about $194 per kit, which is a pretty good deal. And, you can order these online and still get the 2-for-1 deal!
Oh yeah. One more thing. Toys R Us is currently offering free shipping on the NXT MINDSTORMS kits too.
Jens Friedrich has posted detailed steps on how to connect the Wii Nunchuk to your NXT. He uses a couple of resistors, a diode, a spliced NXT cable and the Lego Accelerometer Sensor from HiTechnic.
If you read to the end, there is an alternate method you can use to connect the Nunchuk to the NXT that doesn’t require any hacking of the Wii Nunchuk itself.
Mindstorm Manifest has some building instructions for some custom models. Most of them are based on the RCX, but there are some that are strictly Technic.
One of my favorites is the Mclaren F1 car. Built to scale with a working gearbox, suspension, doors and a V12 engine!
There are some neat sub-models too. Like the Splitter (converts a single motor output to a left-turning and right-turning output), and a steerable walking robot (called the Hexapod). He also has a Battlebot, made from the RCX system. It actually uses two RCX’s, one for the joystick, and one for the bot itself.
Alas, the site seems to be dormant. Nothing updated in awhile. But there are still some great models here.
LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT One-Kit Wonders–New from No Starch Press: How to Build Innovative Robots with Just One NXT Kit
San Francisco, CA, November 12, 2008—When the creative minds behind The NXT STEP blog co-authored The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Idea Book (No Starch Press) in the fall of 2007, they hoped to revolutionize the world of homebrew robotics by teaching readers how to build unique and compelling robots, such as a slot machine and a robot that helps take photographs. The NXT STEP blog is back this year with a similar goal—to show readers how to build a fascinating selection of robots with only one NXT kit.
In LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT One-Kit Wonders (No Starch Press, Nov 08, 408 pp, ISBN 9781593271886), readers will find instructions for building 10 exciting robots, including ones that can balance and steer, sort M&Ms, drag race, and park themselves between objects. Other robots include:
CandyPicker, a robot that picks up candy and other items
RoboLock, a security system that locks and unlocks robots using a passcard
The Hand, a robotic replacement hand
GrabBot, a robot that autonomously finds, grabs, lifts, and moves objects
BobBot, a NXT version of the Bobcat skid-steer loader
"We’re really pleased to be publishing another book from The NXT STEP blog," said No Starch Press founder Bill Pollock. "Readers will find these robots really fun to build, and we think people will be pleased by the fact that each of them can be built with only one NXT kit."
Whether readers are new to LEGO building or are veterans seeking new and interesting robots, LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT One-Kit Wonders will have them building amazing creations with just one NXT kit in no time.
About the Authors LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT One-Kit Wonders is written by James Floyd Kelly, Matthias Paul Scholz, Christopher R. Smith, Martijn Boogaarts, Jonathan A. Daudelin, Eric D. Burdo, Laurens Valk, BlueToothKiwi, and Fay Rhodes
The nine contributors to LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT One-Kit Wonders are dedicated NXT robotics fans who write for the popular blog The NXT STEP, recognized as one of the best sources for news and information about the NXT. Many of the authors have been involved with LEGO as members of the MINDSTORMS Community Partners program, where they advise LEGO regarding NXT marketing, events, and future developments.
About No Starch Press Founded in 1994, No Starch Press is one of the few remaining independent computer book publishers. We publish the finest in geek entertainment—unique books on technology, with a focus on Open Source, security, hacking, programming, alternative operating systems, and LEGO. Our titles have personality, our authors are passionate, and our books tackle topics that people care about. See http://www.nostarch.com for more information and our complete online catalog. (And most No Starch Press books use RepKover, a lay-flat binding that won’t snap shut.)
About O’Reilly
O’Reilly Media spreads the knowledge of innovators through its books, online services, magazines, and conferences. Since 1978, O’Reilly Media has been a chronicler and catalyst of cutting-edge development, homing in on the technology trends that really matter and spurring their adoption by amplifying "faint signals" from the alpha geeks who are creating the future. An active participant in the technology community, the company has a long history of advocacy, meme-making, and evangelism.
BostonDynamics has an all-terrain robot. It’s not built from LEGO. But I think you could model some of it fairly easy from LEGO pieces.
This robot is called RHex. It’s a six-legged walking robot. It navigates through all sorts of terrain, including mud, dirt, sand, rocks, grass, weeds… and it even swims.
Currently, RHex is remotely controlled. It has full GPS. front and rear cameras.
Boston Dynamics has some other robots too, including the BigDog (watch the video for this one… the balance of this robot is amazing), RiSE (climbs vertical surfaces) and LittleDog.
You can often find building instructions on the internet, ranging from the good to the great, to the horrid. And building tips are fairly plentiful to. Tips on how to build sturdy structures, how to make a sphere from square blocks, how to reinforce your Technic creation, etc.
TechnicBRICKs happens to have some tips on things NOT to do. These are some simple structures that if you build… you probably will never get the pieces apart again. Unless you use a knife, or possibly break the pieces.
Here are some new bits that I’ve been collecting, but haven’t got around to posting. So here goes.
Interview with Dean Kamen – Founder of FIRST – Pretty neat article. Talks some about his life, some of his past projects (The Segway, etc) and a new project.
A German builder named leggor has created a remote control for his NXT fatboy motorcyle. That by itself isn’t anything new. Many folks have created remote controls for their NXT projects.
What is neat about this remote control… is it simulates a real motorcycle handlebar. Complete with twistable throttle and a break.
A simple shot of the controller:
Here is a short video of the bike and control in action:
This sensor will detect objects up to 30 Centimeters away.
As you may have heard, FTC has updated its systems to use a hybrid system. It uses some of the VEX parts, combined with the NXT brain. Pitsco is now selling a parts kit for the FTC competitions. Note: These parts themselves are not LEGO compatible. You will need to get the HiTechnic controllers that allow the NXT to control the VEX motors and sensors.
