Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful approach for teachers!
Review: I used this book to teach a beginning robotics class this summer to Middle School students. It is a great book for introducing concepts of building as well as programming the Lego Mindstorm "brick" with either the language that Lego developed (Rcxcc) or NQC(a modified C language). The children were able to grasp the ideas of programming quickly because they could change qualities of the program and see the change immediately effect the behavior of the robot they had built.David Baum,s book is also very logical because he begins by telling you how to build and program the the basic "Tankbot". After that, the projects are the result of changes made to Tankbot so the child is not starting from scratch each time. Each new project introduces new concepts of programming that are discussed in the book. Therefore, it is a gradual growth of experience and knowledge that is not too overwhelming to the child. (Or the adult helping.) The disk which comes with the book contains the NQC compiler and is also full of program examples so that you can simply download the programs if you wish. The class was a hugh success because of this book. Next summer we will be offering two classes in robotics (beginning and advanced).
Rating:
Summary: A Must for New and Old Mindstorms Owners
Review: If you buy a LEGO Mindstorms buy this book. The construction information is excellent and very necessary for a useful robot. The book is good for an 11 year old (my son) as well as an adult. I have found using NQC, the programming language that comes with the book, to control the RCX was much more effective than either the software that comes with the Mindstorms or the ROBO LAB software from Dacta. Over a year ago my son started programs with the RCX with NQC, I wish I had the book then. This is a great way to introduce students to programming because it is fun. The true results of the programming along with the results of the construction techniques provide a great learning environment. The pictures make building much simpler that the books with the LEGO Mindstorms.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Really My Thing
Review: If your the kid that never grew up, have a bent for engineering, and want to take your Lego Mindstorms RIS beyond the limitations of Lego's RIS 1.5 graphical programming interface; this books is a must. Dave leads you through good construction tips and programming of several robot projects using both the RIS programming environment and his own NQC (Not Quite C) compiler. When RIS can't handle the job because of the complexity of the programming, NQC programs take over and it rocks!
Rating:
Summary: If you buy Mindstorms, buy this book!
Review: Out of the box, Lego doesn't teach you how to get the most out of your investment. This book does. I found many great insights from this book and have used them quite extensively with my robot building. Dealing with the real world of sensors and motorized outputs is harder than you think, and this book helps teach you practical ways of dealing with these challenges.
Rating:
Summary: A must have for MindStormers
Review: Simply excellent. From Lego Maths to complex and multitasking programming. A lot to learn for newbies and intermediate builders.
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Summary: Essential reading for any LEGO Mindstorms enthusiast
Review: There's no denying that LEGO Mindstorms robots are the hottest toys for kids, balding middle-aged engineers in shirt-sleeves, and everyone else with a penchant for the ultimate unification of autonomous hardware and software. And Dave Baum's book makes the entire experience better. Baum presents a series of original robots each demonstrating unique challenges in the physical engineering and programming of LEGO Mindstorms. He starts with basic concepts (frames, gearing, pulleys) and builds on those to develop a repertoire of construction and, later, programming techniques. Baum introduces his own language for LEGO Mindstorms, NQC, included on the CD-ROM that accompanies the book. NQC provides a traditional text approach to programming LEGO robots that's superior to LEGO's own graphic RCX language. For those who actually like RCX, Baum includes RCX versions of many of the programs in addition to NQC. The CD-ROM also includes a Windows version of RCX Command Center, giving a virtual "remote control" to the Mindstorms RCX brick. This makes experimentation with different building ideas a breeze since it requires no programming. Juvenile readers should have no problems approaching the material. Unfortunately, though, Baum writes in an unven style, often relying on passive voice. The conclusions to each chapter sound excruciatingly forced. An extra editing pass might've helped with consitency. There are certainly no lack of figures depicting step-by-step instructions of each robot. But I hope a future edition prints the figures in color; it's sometimes difficult to see what certain models require since many of the parts meld together in a sea of dark gray. Baum gives a nice section of obtaining additional interesting parts in an appendix, and leaves the reader with other new developments to explore in the LEGO Mindstorms universe. Overall, it's a great book.
Rating:
Summary: Something for everyone to like
Review: This book contains a wealth of information for beginning Mindstorms builders. Dave Baum demonstrates several principles for building Mindstorms 'bots in each project. The mechanical engineering part of the 'bots is carefully explained, as well as the programming part - using both the RCX code and Mr. Baum's own NQC language. The book provides several great "sub-assemblies" and tips and tricks that are useful in your own projects. As a programmer, the programming part was interesting to me, but not an eye-opener. Instead, I learned quite a bit on mechanical engineering. The book probably works the other way around for people familiar with mechanical engineering but not familiar with programming. However, the construction diagrams are not always clear. Because there is no list of parts to be added at each step (as is done in Lego's own construction diagrams), you run the risk of missing something. Because the diagrams are all black and white, it is often hard to determine the color of a particular piece - which sometimes makes it hard to find it. Perhaps the renders could be included in color on the accompanying CD-ROM in a future edition. The CD-ROM itself is excellent, since it contains everything to get you programming in NQC.
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Summary: Idiot to Pro
Review: To be completely frank... this book is a god send. I love Legos and I love robotics. My only problem was that I had no experience with Mindstorms so I couldn't really build much. I didn't really know what process to go through when trying to invent, build, and program a robot. The various example robots and programs in the book gave me great practice on the whole creative process. NQC (a new RCX programing language) comes with the book on a CD. That too was a god send. The programing software that Lego provides is quite limited. Now that the book has given me and taught me NQC I can build much more interesting and complex robots. This book really helps you get your money's worth out of Lego Mindstorms! I've already ordered his second book! BUY THIS BOOK!!! You won't regret it!
Rating:
Summary: Idiot to Pro
Review: To be completely frank... this book is a god send. I love Legos and I love robotics. My only problem was that I had no experience with Mindstorms so I couldn't really build much. I didn't really know what process to go through when trying to invent, build, and program a robot. The various example robots and programs in the book gave me great practice on the whole creative process. NQC (a new RCX programing language) comes with the book on a CD. That too was a god send. The programing software that Lego provides is quite limited. Now that the book has given me and taught me NQC I can build much more interesting and complex robots. This book really helps you get your money's worth out of Lego Mindstorms! I've already ordered his second book! BUY THIS BOOK!!! You won't regret it!
Rating:
Summary: A must have for MindStormers
Review: Very complete book. From Lego Math to multitasking programming.
Plenty of examples an very well explained. Worthful for newbies and intermediate builders. It well worth the money
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