The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Zoo!

 

Reviewed by Michael Potter

 

Author: Fay Rhodes Publisher: No Starch Press Released: February 2008 Pages: 336 $25 USD, $28 CDN ISBN-10: 1-59327-170-0 ISBN-13: 978-1-59327-170-1   Audience: For ages 10 and up.   Strengths: Clear, easy to follow illustrations, plenty of tips for building without getting overly technical, lay-flat binding.   Weaknesses: would like a bit more space devoted to troubleshooting and programming.

 

Introduction

 

Back in January, I took a look at one of the other LEGO MINDSTORMS books from No Starch Press titled, The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Idea Book (link).  While that book was very much intended for the advanced LEGO hobbyist, one of its co-authors, Fay Rhodes, felt there was little out there to interest children and their parents in building LEGO robots – and to have fun while doing so.

 

With that notion in mind, she set out to create this book as a way for parents or teachers to introduce a young audience to the high-tech world we live in, while avoiding the stereotypical clanking machines usually built by “adult techno-geeks.”  Creating robots that mimic the movements of animals in nature is a fantastic way to build interest in a younger audience, and the variety of creatures found in the book is enough to please boys and girls alike – as well as their parents who may still be big kids at heart too.

 

In this book…

 

As with The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Idea Book, it's a good idea to familiarize yourself with the first couple of chapters before diving straight into the projects themselves, and perhaps the most important of these introductory chapters is the first one where Rhodes explains for us, briefly, the bare minimum list of LEGO bricks needed to get started building these robots.  Considering the target audience of this book is children, their parents, and teachers, it's not surprising that many of the projects rely upon the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Education Base Set, though, it's explained, the retail set will suffice as well if that's what you already own or can obtain more easily. 

 

From there, the book details additional parts needed for many of the robots and where you can look to find those parts.  As an example, for three of the robots, all that's needed is one of the base sets plus the Education Resource Set.  For the remaining robots, however, there are many specialty parts called “hassenpins” or “3x5 L Shape with Quarter Ellipse Beams” required, which, the book explains, can be found within several inexpensive add-on kits.

 

I found the recommendation of a third-party resource for locating parts refreshing, although I felt the site mentioned, Peeron.com, was a bit difficult to navigate and seemed best for hard to find or no longer manufactured LEGO pieces.  Because LEGO blocks are very much like Macs in that prices vary little from retailer to retailer, my recommendation would be to skip the middleman and begin your shopping trip at LEGO's online store or LEGO's education store.  Still, I appreciate the mention of Peeron.com for when you need only a single brick or help locating a hard to find or out of stock part.

 

Chapter two is a short collection of terms commonly misunderstood by beginning robot builders where topics such as direction, coast vs. brake, the correct type of pin to use when constructing your robot, and the concept of “my blocks” are all briefly touched upon.  Because the illustrations found throughout the book are in black and white, some of the passages can be confusing like the one that refers to the “orange” part of a motor.  I presume we'd have the parts in front of us and the illustrations are meant to serve as simple guides, but, still, a bit of clarification is in order considering this book is aimed at children.

 

Chapters 3 – 10 are the core of the book.  It's here we are presented with clear instructions for building one of 9 robotic beasts ranging from a hopping frog up to a strutting peacock.  As I mentioned earlier, there are plenty of creatures to choose from to please all kids including the camel, a spider, a dinosaur, and an elephant.

As with the earlier book, each robot is given it's own chapter which is broken down into the construction of the robot itself, and the programming needed to make it go.  The parts list for each is clearly laid out and, as construction progresses, Rhodes adds notes to key sections to ensure the assembly goes smoothly.  I especially appreciated the “Part Substitution Suggestion” sections for when the kits you own might not have the exact part called for to complete a project or are looking for ideas to “plus” your robotic creation.

 

While this book doesn't delve too far into the logic behind programming the NXT brick, it still includes enough helpful information to make the process of constructing your robot an educational one.  Challenges encountered while creating the robots are often discussed and, many times, Rhodes describes where she had the most difficulty – like tips for designing a proper elephant trunk or when she found that a liquid would not be ideal to emulate the skunk's spray.

 

The final section of the book is divided into three appendices.  The first, Enrichment Ideas for Teachers, is aimed at educators and discusses how to apply the concepts learned in the book to the classroom.  As the author suggests, it's hardly comprehensive, but ideas for experiments using ultrasound, mathematical concepts, and multiple exercises designed to help the student practice the scientific method can all be found, as well as suggestions for merging your robotic projects with the arts.  Appendix B discusses several simple troubleshooting tips and the final appendix offers helpful links to several LEGO and LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT related web sites.

 

Conclusion

 

The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Zoo! doesn't plumb the depths of building LEGO robots as the Idea Book did, but it does accomplish its primary goal:  to provide a straight forward, easy to understand, introduction to the MINDSTORMS NXT kits for young minds.  After building these 'bots, most children will have built up enough confidence to invent their own creations or move on to more advanced topics in LEGO robotics.

 

Recommendation

 

As a parent who participates in educating our daughter, I would have no qualms about adding this title to her course of study as we introduce more advanced technical topics to the classroom.  The author's attention to detail as she recreates the naturalistic movements of animals, plus her obvious love and enthusiasm for LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT building sets, shine through in the pages of this book.  Though specifically geared for children, The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Zoo!  is an ideal companion to No Starch Press' other LEGO titles in the libraries of young and old alike.