Download high-resolution image

The LEGO MINDSTORMS Robot Inventor Idea Book

Author Yoshihito Isogawa

Paperback

$34.99 US

No Starch | No Starch Press

8"W x 10"H x 0.6"D | 27 oz | 20 per carton

On sale Nov 02, 2021 | 280 Pages | 978-1-71850-177-5

Reading Level: Lexile 990L

Add to cart Add to list Exam Copies

A follow-up to the best-selling LEGO® Technic Idea Book series by master builder and LEGO luminary Yoshihito Isogawa, readers learn to create their own robots from the LEGO MINDSTORMS Robot Inventor Set.

If you’ve had your fun building programmable, intelligent creations with the LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Robot Inventor set, it’s time to take your bot-building to the next level! With over 125 new models, the LEGO MINDSTORMS Robot Inventor Idea Book will unleash your imagination and open up limitless possibilities for unique robotic designs.

You’ll learn how to build basic mechanisms with motors and sensors, robots that can walk or drive themselves, and practical tools for lifting, opening doors, drawing, and even launching projectiles. Then, bring them all to life with the LEGO MINDSTORMS Robot Inventor App, which lets you program your bots to perform tasks and missions.

Each model is paired with an illustrated list of parts and multi-angled color photographs, so you can easily reproduce the projects without the need for step-by-step instructions. Best of all, you’ll also be inspired to combine various mechanisms into your own interactive inventions, toys, cars, games, and more!

To build the book’s models, all you need is the LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Robot Inventor set (#51515) and a smart device that can run the MINDSTORMS App.

"The LEGO MINDSTORMS Robot Inventor Idea Book is a building dictionary for beginners and experts alike. With easy to understand diagrams and programs, this book not only teaches but engages the builder to build something new with its models and contraptions. This a book that can and should be used by anyone who has a Robot Inventor set to see what the set can do!"
—Joe Meno, Brick Journal

"No Starch Press has done it again by combining LEGO eye candy with educational and fun content for the reader. Whether you are a MINDSTORMS pro, a beginner, or simply someone who wants to learn more about MINDSTORMS and LEGO robotics, this is a great, informative, and visual book to have in your LEGO book collection. A must-have if you like the robotic side of LEGO!"
—Dr. McBrick, YouTuber

"This book is not a basic introduction to the LEGO MINDSTORMS 51515 Robot Inventor set, but it uses the set to introduce a wide range of different mechanisms and related concepts, from simple gearing to reciprocating or oscillating motion. We get easy to follow instructions to build the contraptions demonstrating the concepts, and with the code blocks accompanying them, they are ready to be used in any custom MINDSTORMS project."
—Balazs, RacingBrick

"Yoshihito Isogawa has always inspired me. On his YouTube channel, he builds all kinds of small robots and contraptions. He always comes up with these ingenious building techniques and clever contraptions and in this book, he shows you 128 of them! You can learn so much from him and his book, so this is a must have for MINDSTORMS builders and aspiring robotic engineers!"
—Robotic Engineering, YouTuber

"The book is a real compendium of mechanisms and related topics. More than a 'manual' for owners of the LEGO MINDSTORMS Robot Inventor set, it is a real 'encyclopedia of movement:' ranging from the simplest mechanisms to those of oscillating or alternating motion, which combined together allow you to make even complex movements. Perfect for both beginners and experienced users."
—Francesco Frangioja, Certified LEGO Facilitator

"A well-made tutorial for all the components and a guide for mechanisms. Really good stuff for possible advanced constructions."
—Greta Galli, YouTuber

"For me, as an inexperienced MINDSTORMS user, the book is awesome. It is explained very clearly how the whole thing works and can be programmed."
—AustrianLegoFan, YouTuber

"As an IT professional I found myself using this much like cookbooks for programming... it gives such elegant and simple, reusable components that it enabled me to focus on what I was trying to do rather than solving each aspect individually. The true genius lies in the fact that it actually does require you to examine and understand the approach, which taught me how to make all manner of contraptions."
—Brian Mork, Advanced Reviewer

"The best way to level up your skills and learn the advanced MINDSTORMS techniques."
—JustJon.net

Yoshihito Isogawa of Tokyo, Japan, is a technical writer and LEGO® luminary. In addition to running Isogawa Studio, Inc., he gives LEGO workshops and lectures at schools and science museums, and creates LEGO models for events and exhibitions. He is the author of the popular The LEGO Technic Idea Book series, LEGO Power Functions Idea Book series, LEGO Technic Non-Electric Models series, The LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 Idea Book, and The LEGO BOOST Idea Book (all No Starch Press).

Yoshihito Isogawa View titles by Yoshihito Isogawa

Contents
Introduction
Warm-Up
PART 1: Basic Mechanisms
Rotating motors
Transmitting rotation with gears
Changing the angle of rotation by 90°
Oscillating mechanisms
Reciprocating mechanisms
Changing the angle of an axle
Transmitting rotation with rubber bands
Using cams
Using turntables
Lighting up the center button
Controlling the LED Matrix
Using the remote control
PART 2: Moving Mechanisms
Vehicles with one motor
Vehicles with two motors
Turning with a steering wheel
Walking robots
PART 3: Practical Mechanisms
Gripping tools
Lifting devices
Flapping wings
Using the projectile launcher
Shooting devices
Wind devices
PART 4 : Using Sensors
Using the Distance Sensor
Using the Color Sensor
Using the Hub’s built-in sensor
Vehicles with sensors
More ways to use sensors
PART 5 : Other Enjoyable Mechanisms
Various moving mechanisms
Spinning tops
Drawing devices
Automatic doors
Making fun games and toys
Bonus mechanisms