LEGO Mindstorms NEX
The Mindstorms NXT engagement is a great way to learn the basics of designing, building and programming robots. The first thing you'll want to discuss in your group is which direction you want to go in this engagement. The list below will help you determine which path is right for you.
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Engagement Options
If this is your first time using LEGOs, then you may want to choose to build the default robot that can be found in the instruction manual in the LEGO bin. This manual will show you how to build the basic taskbot. Once built, you'll use the NXT brick to give up to five commands to your robot at a time. The instruction manual also shows you how to add additional attachments.
If you choose to focus on programming robots, you have two different tools to utilize. The first option is the Robot Educator built into the NXT software on the computer. To access the software, open the Mindstorms NXT application on the computer and click on the getting started link. There are over 30 tutorials that start super simple (using just the NXT brick!) and get much more complex. Along the way you will build a basic robot and learn the basics of programming. This is the option I recommend the most.
This part of the engagement is geared towards groups that previously have experience programming and building with Mindstorms NXT. Your group can choose from a variety of pre-designed projects that include building instructions and a programming file. While this option gives you the opportunity to build very cool projects, you most likely will not learn how to program with this option. Many of these programs will require both the gray box and blue box of parts. The links below show a variety of projects to choose.