Archive for May, 2008

Second Edition of Maximum LEGO NXT Book

Thursday, May 29th, 2008

I recently posted about an updated version of the leJOS NXJ language that was released, and I’ve also recently learned that a second edition of Brian Bagnall’s book Maximum LEGO NXT: Building Robots with Java Brains is being published this September. You can pre-order the book at Amazon.com, which currently has the following description posted:

Featuring updated instructions for the improved leJOS NXJ software, this accessible manual is the perfect guide to LEGO Mindstorms NXT, an incredible new kit for building and programming your own robots. Using Java, the most popular and easy-to-use programming language available, this manual helps engineers and amateurs alike design and build their own customized robots, programmed however they desire. Complete with a diverse set of projects, building tips, programming codes, complete 3D-rendered building instructions, and hundreds of illustrations, this useful handbook is the perfect complement to the LEGO NXT kit. The NXT intelligent brick’s Bluetooth capabilities are introduced as well as the newest available parts, including the gyro and the RFID sensor.

I’m looking forward to the second edition, Brian!

Second Edition of Maximum LEGO NXT

Posted in Books, Programming | 3 Comments »

New NXT Book Repository

Monday, May 19th, 2008

There are numerous books that cover the NXT set, but many of them have different focuses: building, programming, custom sensors, etc. So if you’re looking for some NXT books that would interest you, how do you know which ones to get or even what is available?

To address this problem, I’ve put together an Unofficial LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Book Repository that lists most of the published NXT books that I’m aware of. The repository—at www.booksnbots.com—includes a brief description of each book along with other basic information and links to Amazon.com.

Leave a comment here or email me if you have any suggestions for improvement on the repository or other comments. I’d love to hear what you think!

NXT Book Repository

Posted in Books | 1 Comment »

leJOS NXJ Version 0.6 Released

Saturday, May 10th, 2008

If you’re a Java fan, you will be excited to hear that version 0.6 of leJOS NXJ was recently released. This release finally brings full Max OS X support as well as a number of other fixes and new features. You can download it here.

leJOS

Posted in Programming | 1 Comment »

LEGO MINDSTORMS “NXT NXT” Building Challenge

Thursday, May 1st, 2008

Looking for a contest that demands more complexity? Then the official MINDSTORMS NXT NXT Building Challenge is for you. In this contest, inventors are required to create an NXT robot that uses two NXTs that communicate with each other. That’s why this is called the “NXT NXT” building challenge. You have until Monday, June 30 2008, to submit your creation to NXTLOG, where you will find the complete rules.

NXT_NXT

Posted in Building, Events, Inventions | 1 Comment »