Interesting Articles on Robots, and Robot Technology Links.
Easy Robot Building With Lego Mindstorm NXT
Fun And Easy Robot Building With Lego Mindstorm NXT
by Jonathan Brunet
Robot hobbyists, come aboard. Lego has come up with the next generation Lego Mindstorm, NXT.
The real easy way of forming, programming, and manipulating your very own robotic Lego creation.
Don’t be intimidated. You need not be a true blue robotics expert to enjoy the Lego Mindstorm NXT.
Amateurs and professionals, kids and adults alike would definitely enjoy the collection spontaneously.
The same concept in Lego building is followed. You need to have the usual Lego building blocks that come
with the kit. The kit includes about 519 parts that you piece together. You can either follow the
instructions on the guide that comes with it or add your creativity and construct your own robot
creation The Lego Mindstorm NXT guide contains easy to follow guides and pictures. You can deviate
from the design as you wish. Since it’s easy to follow, kids will find it simple and enjoyable to do.
Big kids would look forward to the programming part of the Lego Mindstorm.
The Lego Mindstorm’s robotic ability to execute commands is because of the NXT main data controller named the
"intelligent brick". There it contains the firmware, the memory and the program needed for it to work.
This is the big yellow Lego brick that you’d construct the robot on. You’ll build around this piece.
The heart of the new system is the NXT brick, an autonomous 32-bit LEGO microprocessor that can be
programmed using a PC, or for the first time in the retail offering, a Mac. After building their
robots, users create a program within easy-to-use yet feature-rich software, powered by LabVIEW
from National Instruments.
The addition of sensors to the Lego Mindstorm NXT give user's creations a whole new level of awareness.
Ultrasonic sensors allow robots to "see", sound sensors enable robots to react to sound commands including
sound pattern and tone recognition. Improved light and touch sensors allow your robot to see colors and
feel or touch objects.
When it comes to programming, this will be the fun part. Programming gurus would definitely have a kick
out of it. Novices will find it simple and easy. There’s a series of commands that you can select, drag
and drop into your set of commands. Click a button and watch your creation perform the task.
You can select a series of preset commands in there. This means that no programming knowledge is required
whatsoever. Codes are already in there, ready for you to select and activate. Good for newbies. The robot
can go different directions, reverse, or roll over. There’s also an option to create your own chain of
program codes which professionals will find appealing. The robot can do plain or complicated tasks
depending on the user.
This program will then be beamed from the computer via Bluetooth or the included USB 2.0 cable to your
Lego Mindstorm NXT robot. Then just sit back and watch your Lego Mindstorm NXT robot execute your commands.
The Lego Mindstorm is simply not just a toy. It is actually used by universities teaching robotics.
The simple robotic logic and design will be good for students to understand the basics of robotics.
Lego Mindstorm NXT will enhance your creativity, skills, and technical background. Highly recommended to
hobbyists out there. It’s very technical yet simple. Right on for anyone’s taste.
For a
Lego Mindstorms NXT
,Roomba and Metapo Robot Vacuums, Robot Toys, Robot Kits or the new
IRobot Scooba
, please visit http://www.robotshop.ca.
Article Source: ArticleRich.com
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Robotics In Health Care by
ForProcessAutomation.com We haven’t quite reached the Jetson age of personal robots to do all of
our work around the house. There are still quite a few developments in robotics, however, that affect humans
in our day to day lives, although we might not recognize them as such. The robots in real life are not
generally manufactured to look like people, but they nevertheless carry out many functions that would be
dangerous or difficult for a human to do.
One area where the use of robotics has advanced considerably is that of healthcare.
Robotics are now used in many areas of healthcare, including surgery, home care, and hospital processes.
In surgery, the advancement of robotics has made the surgical process easier on both the
patient and the surgeon. Robotic intelligence and precision have combined to eliminate human
limitations. Robotic surgery allows a surgeon to navigate to the area of operation with minimal
cutting, ensuring both a less invasive procedure and a faster recuperation time. Robotic surgery
also allows for more precise placement of tools within the surgical area, minimizing the risks of
slippage or error.
In home healthcare, the current focus is largely on human labor. The aging population of baby boomers
has already put a strain on the home health care situation which is only going to increase in the next
ten to twenty years. Already, many home health care providers are feeling the strain of an industry
that is increasingly becoming an employees market, where the supply of qualified health providers simply
does not meet the demand.
In order to fill this void, there are many research projects underway in the field of home health care
robotics. Some of the areas include telenursing for those in need of remote home care, mobile health
status monitoring, home health diagnosis equipment, mobility assistance for bedridden patients, and
auditory and visual assistance for the elderly
(http://web.mit.edu/afs/athena.mit.edu/user/a/s/asada/www/workshop.html).
The completion and implementation of these ideas will revolutionize the
home health care industry, both in terms of individual capacity and in expense.
Interesting Articles on Robots, and Robot Technology Links.
Easy Robot Building With Lego Mindstorm NXT
