Considering Mindstorm for Child

[lrobbinsva]

Hello,
I have a 11 year old who has been building Lego since he was 4 and I just learned about Mindstorm NXT 2 tonight while looking for a "remote control" robot for Christmas. Does the Mindstorm NXT 2 kit come with a remote control? I hope so, I think it will be a perfect start for my son as his goal is to go to VA Tech and become a Robotics Engineer. He is standing firm on the requirement of a remote.
Any information will be greatly appreciated
Thanks!

[jwiger]

Short answer: no. But is just as if not more fun and with some effort it can be RC'd...

If you have a computer with(or the ability to add) bluetooth, then yes it does. The heart of the NXT is what's called an intelligent brick, which has a processor, some memory and the ability to read input from sensors and or drive servos(motors). The kit comes with instructions for some models the first of which is a tank-tread driving robot that can shoot plastic balls at anything that moves too close. I (age 30) and my kids (ages 5 & 7) enjoyed this model a lot, and it is a very quick build. There is a great deal of potential of ways to remote control it, but at its core it is a robot that you program to behave/interact. Then see if it works the way you intended. As far as the remote control; some people use other NXTs, the IR controllers from the power functions line (probably the easiest to get into as the IR receiver is available on LEGO.com), some have success with android and iphones, one gentleman on this forum (mightor aka Xander) has been developing ways to remote control robots with body movement using the kinect system from Microsoft XBOX(this kind of work is for very advanced builders/programers).



Hope this helps

[lrobbinsva]

Thanks so much! I can add bluetooth to the computer and when he likes it I'll look into one of those IR controllers. I really appreciate your time and help!

[mattallen37]

I very highly recommend the PSP-Nx by mindsensors. It allows the NXT to read a wireless PlayStation2 controller. The user program can use the values for anything the programmer chooses, so RCing an NXT robot is very easy.

[inxt-generation]

There's a simple and free remote here.

I have been using MindStorms since the days of the RCX, and have learned a ton!! The only limit is your imagination, and your collection of bricks.

P.S. Check out the NXTLog, and see just some of the stuff that has been done with it.

P.P.S. Search for the names "Darthvader472" and "NeXT-Generation" to see some of my stuff.

[lrobbinsva]

I very highly recommend the PSP-Nx by mindsensors. It allows the NXT to read a wireless PlayStation2 controller. The user program can use the values for anything the programmer chooses, so RCing an NXT robot is very easy.

I really like the idea that he could actually use the PS2 controller for something other than a dust collector. It does seem like the programming might be a little "over my head", I'm not as computer literate as I'd like to be although, if I put my mind to it, I'm sure I could figure it out.
Thank you very much, I see this as a future option for a remote for my son as it seems more likely that Mindstorm will be his Christmas gift.
Thanks again for your help!

[lrobbinsva]

There's a simple and free remote here.

I have been using MindStorms since the days of the RCX, and have learned a ton!! The only limit is your imagination, and your collection of bricks.

P.S. Check out the NXTLog, and see just some of the stuff that has been done with it.

P.P.S. Search for the names "Darthvader472" and "NeXT-Generation" to see some of my stuff.

Thank you. I think I might be able to make this work during the hussle and bussle of Christmas Day, when I'm put "on the spot".
I am going to show my son some of the stuff that can be built with NXT, I think he will be impressed.
Thank you very much!