Core LEGO MINDSTORMS Programming

摘要

From the Book: Preface There are 718 LEGO pieces in the latest version of the Robotics Invention System. Depending on how you look at it, 718 can either seem like a large number or a small number. In the grand scheme of things, 718 seems like a small number to me. Of those pieces, 129 are unique LEGO parts (not including color differences). Looking around me, I'd say the Robotics Invention System can build a decent representation of just about everything in this room. It can build a desk, a chair, a primitive speaker, a spinning globe, a blender, a clock (digital or analog), or probably even a simulation of a CD player. Outside my domain, the kit could produce models of automobiles, subway cars, boats, or almost any man-made machine. Looking to nature, it could create simulations of spiders, ants, scorpions, dogs, cats, and whales. True, the kit by itself can't reproduce everything in the world. It can't reproduce the envelope of a helium balloon or a complete BMW assembly line, but the things it can't do are far outweighed by the things it can. And there are probably things it can build that no one has ever thought of! I'm going to go out on a limb and estimate that 718 pieces can create an infinite number of models. From this logic, it's easy to see that 718 equals infinity. It's no exaggeration to say that LEGO MINDSTORMS has done for robots what Henry Ford did for automobiles. LEGO has managed to put robots in the hands of ordinary people. The standardized parts and common languages means sharing of ideas in robotics is happening on a scale that has never occurred before. A brief search of the web to shows just how much MINDSTORMS has permeated through cyberspace. Ifyou already own the Robotics Invention System, congratulations! You have almost everything you need to create some amazing robots. The only remaining tool you need is a truly powerful programming language, and that is what this book will present to you. The language is Java, one of the most universally accepted programming languages in computers today, and this book will show how to use Java to push MINDSTORMS to the limit. This book is not a compilation of projects, (of which there are several good ones on the market). The aim of this book it to give you the knowledge and tools you need to turn your ideas into reality, not someone elses. All the projects in this book are presented because they have some sort of lasting value. If this book has done its job, hopefully you will be surprised by what you didn't know MINDSTORMS could do. This book will also solve the greatest mystery of the MINDSTORMS kit-what the grey foot-pedal looking part is for (see Figure below). To my know-ledge, no one has yet discovered what this part does or how it is used. Not even the actual LEGO MINDSTORMS engineers who designed the part understand what it is for. Chapter 5 will answer this age old mystery. About this Book Chapter 1 is an introduction to the Robotics Invention System. This chapter covers just the main components of the kit, including software, the RCX brick, and the IR tower. It also introduces other kits and products that can expand your MINDSTORMS universe. Chapter 2 is a basic introduction to leJOS, the Java platform for the RCX brick. It covers a bit of background on leJOS, the basic features that distinguish it from other RCX development tools, and instructions on how to install leJOS as well as a powerful IDE. Chapter 3 is a high-speed introduction to Java. Those who are familiar with Java may opt to just skim the Notes and Warnings, which point out differences between leJOS Java and Sun's Java. Chapter 4 demonstrates, through code examples, how to access motors, sensors, and other components of the RCX brick using Java. Chapter 5 is an encyclopedia of the Robotics Invention System parts. It goes through each of the 129 unique parts of the kit so you can put a name to the part and identify all the uses. If you ever wondered what the oth