lego_technic_robotics.pdf

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Contents at a Glance
About the Author �½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½xi
About the Technical Reviewer �½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½xiii
Acknowledgments �½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½
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Introduction �½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½
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Chapter 1: Where to Begin with Your LEGO Technic Robot Kit �½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½1
Chapter 2: Creating a Robot Body �½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½37
Chapter 3: Bring Your LEGO Technic Robots to Life with Power Functions �½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½65
Chapter 4: Designing a Robot Arm �½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½97
Chapter 5: Creating Robots with Extensions �½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½137
Chapter 6: The Robot Head �½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½161
Chapter 7: Enabling a LEGO Technic Robot to Walk �½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½195
Appendix A: Parts List �½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½225
Index �½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½�½275
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Introduction
I am certain that everyone has a different image in mind when they hear the word “robot.” One definition I found
while doing a Google search stated that a robot was “a machine capable of carrying out a complex series of actions
automatically.” A good example from real life would be a mechanical arm on an assembly line designed to place specific
parts on a product, but that would be all it would do. A second definition for robot is “a machine resembling a human
being and able to replicate certain human movements and functions.” These are the robots that we see in speculative
fiction worlds that are mechanical creations made by a human to resemble a human or other organic creation.
The robots in this book are not the kind that have a computer “mind.” Sadly, you will not be able to create a robot
that can do your housework. These will be robotics that you can take control of with LEGO Power Functions and use
for work or play, and you will find that they are capable of a lot of things. If you want programmable robots that will do
things for you, I recommend
Mindstorms NXT,
which I mention later in this Introduction.
A Brief History of Robots
The idea of a robot stems from ancient civilization, and it is very interesting to see how our imagination has led
to actual creations. Since their mental conception, robots have delighted us in fictional literature as well as in
actual reality.
I’m not certain whether the goal of robotics is to create a mechanical creation indistinguishable from a human
being, but I think it is interesting that we have never actually succeeded in creating one, even with our modern-day
technology. The thing that I find most interesting is that societies that predate the first century A.D. tried to imagine a
sentient automaton.
The idea of creating more than just an automated robot has thrived in literature, and the development of
realistic robots and robots from fantasy went hand and hand. Some say that Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel
Frankenstein
was essentially “the first robot story,” even though it seems to imagine the monster (who is never referred to as
“Frankenstein”) as a flesh creation.
As literature inspired the creation of robots, robots began to inspire the idea of teaching a machine to essentially
“think,” which in turn led to the development of modern computing.
I am not certain what draws us to these machines. Perhaps it is that we humans enjoy creating, and want to take it
to the next step and create something that actually has the ability to create.
Isaac Asimov coined the term “Frankenstein Complex” to describe the fear of mechanical men. I suppose that
the takeover of a mechanical race is merely hypothetical with our present robotic technology. Fortunately, I can
promise that none of the robots described in this book, which you can create, will ever try to kill you!
Why a LEGO Technic Book on Robots?
Looking at our history, both literal and literary, we, as humans, have been completely fascinated with robots. Even
though we may not ever create a sentient one like Data from
Star Trek: The Next Generation,
we can’t seem to shake
the desire to do so. I would imagine that some of you are reading this book while iRobot’s Roombas zip around your
carpet and suck up excess debris. No doubt that you have other technological creations in your home that were
originally constructed by robots working long hours on the assembly line.
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IntroduCtIon
LEGO Technic is most famous for its very realistic LEGO vehicles, but some of their sets focus on using Technic
pieces to build some very interesting robotic creations. That changed in 2006, when LEGO introduced their LEGO
Mindstorms NXT collection. I have tried out the Mindstorms NXT sets for myself and discovered that it is easier to
make robots with pieces that seem specifically designed to be robot heads or arms and are completely programmable.
So I don’t think the question is why write a book about how to create LEGO robots, but rather why write about
how to create LEGO robots using nothing but LEGO Technic pieces and Power Functions. I don’t feel any need to
conceal that you could probably make robots easier and better with Mindstorms NXT kits, and Apress has several
books on this subject. In the interests of full disclosure and displaying other good books from Apress, I recommend
you go to
www.apress.com
and search for either LEGO or Mindstorms books.
If you want a Mindstorms book, you can find some there. If you want to, you could buy one of them, plus a
Mindstorms kit, and start building. In this book I am focusing on LEGO Technic because I want you, the builder, to
learn the basic building techniques so you can understand and perfect more advanced techniques. If you are reading
this book, then you are a DIY person who doesn’t mind doing some hands-on work. So yes, you could buy a toy robot
that might do something better than the models I am describing here, but here you can actually learn how to make
them. This is why I am going to spend a large part of Chapter 1 outlining how to use basic pieces from LEGO Technic.
My goal as an author isn’t that you just imitate the models in this book, but rather that you improve on them and
create better robots.
LEGO Technic Robotics
will teach you the basics, and understanding these basics of LEGO building will enable
you to create better creations. You can then use the Mindstorms kits to simplify your work in the future.
How This Book Is Structured
I am not certain what level of LEGO builder you are. You may be just starting out and may never have put two LEGO
pieces together. You might be someone who has been playing (or, if you prefer the adult term, building) with LEGO
Technics for years. If you are the former, then this book is really going to help you out. If you are the latter, then you
will enjoy creating the models in this book and discovering new techniques (or should I say Technics) for creating
better creations.
Chapter 1: Where to Begin with Your LEGO Technic Robot Kit.
This chapter is as simple as it
gets as I talk about basic Technic pieces and how they are used in creations. I also discuss how
to purchase these pieces from popular sites like Brickfactory and LEGO’s Pick a Brick, and
I explain some techniques and tricks that are good to know when you work with them.
I will also talk about software that will allow you to construct 3-D digital models of your LEGO
Technic creations.
Chapter 2: Creating a Robot Body.
Using principles of geometry, this chapter talks about how
to create a robot that can have squares, rectangles, and even triangles on its structure. This will
be very helpful before creating robot arms and legs.
Chapter 3: Bring Your LEGO Technic Robots to Life with Power Functions.
I discuss the
LEGO Power Functions and how they can bring LEGO Technics to life by allowing them to
move. This chapter also explains how to create a wheeled base for a robot with four-wheeled
steering, four-wheel drive, and suspension. Many of the concepts from my earlier LEGO
Technic book are also reviewed here.
Chapter 4: Designing a Robot Arm.
Everyone wants a robot that can work its arms like a real
person, and this chapter shows you how to create a robot limb that can bend at the shoulder,
elbow, and wrist and even how to make an interesting artificial hand that can grip.
Chapter 5: Creating Robots with Extensions.
This chapter shows you how to make a robot
with an extendable limb or waist. Here I detail two forms of extension with the rack and pinion
and the scissorlift.
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