RobotBASIC Projects for the Lego NXT: Robot Programming for Beginners Review
Lego’s NXT system allows you to snap together a robot base complete with a variety of self-contained, modular sensors and motors. The problem with the NXT Robot though is software. While the visual programming language that ships with the system is supposed to be easy-to-use for beginners, many find it far from intuitive. Unless the tasks you are attempting are rudimentary and uncomplicated you may find the NXT’s programming procedures difficult to comprehend. Even many of the after-market languages available for the NXT have cryptic syntax that can frustrate a new user. One solution to these problems is RobotBASIC. Its easy-to-use English-like syntax makes programming easy to grasp, even for beginners. We provide a library of routines that allow you to control the NXT without downloading anything to the robot itself. RobotBASIC controls the NXT’s motors and reads sensory data by talking directly to the NXT computer using Lego’s wireless protocol. With our system, you program totally on the PC and when your program is ready, just run it and watch the robot respond. We also provide a Lego Simulation Library that allows your NXT programs to operate with the RobotBASIC simulator, letting students experiment even when the Lego hardware is not available. Every student can work with their own simulated robot both at home and in the classroom and when someone gets their program working, just plugging in a USB Bluetooth adapter will instantly allow their program to control the real NXT. This system makes programming easier to understand because the user can concentrate on concepts rather than cryptic syntax or an unintuitive graphical interface. Finally, RobotBASIC is a powerful, full-featured robot-control language, so after you have learned all you can from the NXT you can still use the RobotBASIC skills you learn from this book when you move on to other hardware technologies with more options and capabilities.
