Lego Mindstorms NXT 2.0

Lego Mindstorms NXT 2.0

Other names	Mindstorms NXT Mindstorms NXT 2.0
Parent theme	Technic
Availability	2009–Present
Official website

Lego Mindstorms NXT 2.0 is the newest set from LEGO's Lego Mindstorms series, launched on August 5, 2009 at the Lego Shop in the U.S. The set contains 619 pieces, including a new sensor that can detect colors, all for around 280.00 US Dollars or 230 UK Pounds at the online Lego Store.

Features

Model Forklift Constructed using the Lego Mindstorms NXT 2.0

• The most innovative is the new software that has a sound editor. This may record any sound and then program the NXT Brick to play the sound previously recorded.
• With the image editor you can upload a picture to the NXT Brick and when you download the picture to your NXT this will appear on the screen.
• Includes 619 pieces (Including motors and sensors) also Lego Technic parts/pieces
• 1 RGB Color Sensor: Allows the robot to distinguish between six colors: White, black, yellow, red, green and blue
  

  A Color Sensor included in the NXT 2.0 retail kit.
• Includes 1 Ultrasonic sensor: Allows the robot to judge distance up to eight feet
• Includes 2 Touch sensors: Lets the robot react to touch
• Includes 3 servo motors: Allows the robot to interact with the environment
• Includes the NXT Brick: The programmable core that reads the sensors and controls the motors
• Capable of bluetooth connections with a computer or up to three other NXT Intelligent Bricks
• Includes a zamor sphere launcher/ball shooter and comes with 12 balls with four colors: Yellow, red, green and blue
• Includes a Test Pad for testing out your robots
• Includes 7 connector cables for linking motors and sensors to the NXT

Models

All these models can be programmed in different ways. The following are examples:

• Robogator: Like an alligator, it snaps its jaws at objects in the way.
• Shooter Bot: A robot that launches balls quickly if it detects movement.
• Color Sorter: Separates the different colors of balls into different trays.
• Alpha Rex: A humanoid robot that can walk forward, backward, turn, talk, grab things, see, and even dance! Alpha Rex was redesigned for this release.

The box also has 10 models built from download-able building instructions from the Lego Mindstorms Official Webpage

Programming

Very simple programs can be created using the NXT Intelligent Brick itself. In order to create larger, more complex programs, programming software on a PC is required. The standard programming software is NXT-G, which is included in the package. Third-party programming software is also available, some of which is listed below:

NXT-G

NXT-G is the programming software included in the standard base kit. It is based on LabView graphical programming. It features an interactive drag-and-drop environment. It is not useful for writing programs that are very long as the software tends to crash and run sluggishly when writing long programs, even on powerful PCs.^{[citation needed]}

LabVIEW Toolkit

NXT-G is powered by LabVIEW, an industry standard in programming. Created by National Instruments, LabVIEW uses data flow programming to create a virtual instrument. To allow for more advanced programming, in the graphical sense, National Instruments released a Toolkit for the NXT. Version 1.0 came out in December 2006. Since its release, several bugs have been found and new sensors have been created. While the toolkit does allow for the creation of new sensors, National Instruments has yet to formally release an update.

Lego::NXT

Lego::NXT provides an API between Perl and NXT.

Ada

A port of GNAT is available for the NXT. It requires nxtOSEK to run. The port includes Ada bindings to the NXT hardware and nxtOSEK.

Next Byte Codes & Not eXactly C

Next Byte Codes (NBC) is a simple open-source language with an assembly language syntax that can be used to program the NXT brick.

Not eXactly C (NXC) is a high level open-source^[1] language, similar to C, built on top of the NBC compiler. It can also be used to program the NXT brick. NXC is basically NQC for the NXT.^[2] It is the most widely used third-party programming language.

RobotC

RobotC is another programming-language based on C for Vex, FIRST Tech Challenge, and Lego Mindstorms. It requires custom firmware in order to run.

NXTGCC

NXTGCC is a GCC toolchain for programming the NXT firmware in C.

URBI

URBI is a parallel and event-driven language, with interfaces to C++/Java and Matlab. It also has a component architecture (UObject) for distributed computation. Urbi is compatible with many robots, including Nao (cf Robocup), Bioloid or Aibo.^[3]

leJOS NXJ

leJOS NXJ is a high level open source language based on Java that uses custom firmware developed by the leJOS team.^[4]

nxtOSEK

To be able to write in C (programming language)/C++, nxtOSEK can be used, but that requires custom firmware too.^[5]

MATLAB and Simulink

• MATLAB is a high-level programming language for numerical computing, data acquisition and analysis. It can be used to control LEGO NXT robots over a Bluetooth serial port (serial port communication is part of the base functionality of MATLAB) or via a USB connection; for example using the RWTH - Mindstorms NXT Toolbox (free & open-source).

• Simulink is a MATLAB-based environment for modeling and simulating dynamic systems. Using Simulink, a user can design control algorithms, automatically generate C code for those algorithms, and download the compiled code onto the LEGO NXT.

MATLAB and Simulink code for NXT programming is freely available.

Lua

pbLua is an implementation of the Lua programming language, a general purpose scripting language, for Lego Mindstorms.

FLL NXT Navigation

FLL Nxt Navigation An open source program to help navigation on the FLL competition table. Uses NXT-G and .txt files to write programs.

ruby-nxt

ruby-nxt is a library to program the NXT for the Ruby programming language. Unlike the other languages for the NXT the code isn't compiled to a binary file. Instead the code is directly transmitted to the NXT via a bluetooth connection. This method of execution is significantly slower than executing compiled code directly.

Robotics. NXT

Robotics.NXT is a Haskell interface to NXT over Bluetooth. It supports direct commands, messages and many sensors (also unofficial). It has also support for a simple message-based control of a NXT brick via remotely executed program (basic NXC code included).

See also

	Lego portal
	Robotics portal

• Lego Mindstorms
• Lego Mindstorms NXT
• Lego
• Robots
• Dexter Industries - Sensors for the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT.

References

1. ^ Not eXactly C
2. ^ NBC/NXC - NeXT Byte Codes and Not eXactly C
3. ^ URBI NXT Page
4. ^ LeJOS, Java for Lego Mindstorms
5. ^ http://lejos-osek.sourceforge.net/index.php

External links

• Official website
• Official Lego Website
• Official Lego Shop
• Lego Mindstorms Blog
• Lego Mindstorms Community
• Lego Mindstorms NXT and Lego Mindstorms NXT 2.0 Projects
• A NXT 2.0 robot in action