LEGO MINDSTORMS has changed the way we think about robotics by making it possible for anyone to build real, working robots. The latest MINDSTORMS set, EV3, is more powerful than ever, and The LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 Discovery Book is the complete, beginner-friendly guide you need to get started.

Begin with the basics as you build and program a simple robot to experiment with motors, sensors, and EV3 programming. Then you’ll move on to a series of increasingly sophisticated robots that will show you how to work with advanced programming techniques like data wires, variables, and custom-made programming blocks. You’ll also learn essential building techniques like how to use beams, gears, and connector blocks effectively in your own designs.

Master the possibilities of the EV3 set as you build and program:
–The EXPLOR3R, a wheeled vehicle that uses sensors to navigate around a room and follow lines
–The FORMULA EV3 RACE CAR, a streamlined remote-controlled race car
–ANTY, a six-legged walking creature that adapts its behavior to its surroundings
–SK3TCHBOT, a robot that lets you play games on the EV3 screen
–The SNATCH3R, a robotic arm that can autonomously find, grab, lift, and move the infrared beacon
–LAVA R3X, a humanoid robot that walks and talks

More than 150 building and programming challenges throughout encourage you to think creatively and apply what you’ve learned to invent your own robots. With The LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 Discovery Book as your guide, you’ll be building your own out-of-this-world creations in no time!

Requirements: One LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 set (LEGO SET #31313)

Laurens Valk is a member of the MINDSTORMS Community Partners who help test and develop new NXT products. He has been inventing robots with the MINDSTORMS NXT sets since their introduction, and one of his robot designs appears on the NXT 2.0 packaging. Valk is a co-author of LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT One-Kit Wonders (No Starch Press) and a contributor to The NXT Step Blog. He lives in the Netherlands where he teaches robotics.

Part I: Getting Started
Chapter 1: Preparing Your EV3 Set
Chapter 2: Building Your First Robot
Chapter 3: Creating and Modifying Programs
Chapter 4: Working with Programming Blocks: Action Blocks
Chapter 5: Waiting, Repeating, My Blocks, and Multitasking
Part II: Programming Robots with Sensors
Chapter 6: Understanding Sensors
Chapter 7: Using the Color Sensor
Chapter 8: Using the Infrared Sensor
Chapter 9: Using the Brick Buttons and Rotation Sensors
Part III: Robot­-Building Techniques
Chapter 10: Building with Beams, Axles, Connector Blocks, and Motors
Chapter 11: Building with Gears
Part IV: Vehicle and Animal Robots
Chapter 12: Formula EV3: A Racing Robot
Chapter 13: ANTY: The Robotic Ant
Part V: Creating Advanced Programs
Chapter 14: Using Data Wires
Chapter 15: Using Data Operations Blocks and My Blocks with Data Wires
Chapter 16: Using Constants and Variables
Chapter 17: Playing Games on the EV3
Part VI: Machine and Humanoid Robots
Chapter 18: The SNATCH3R: The Autonomous Robotic Arm
Chapter 19: LAVA R3X: The Humanoid That Walks and Talks
Appendix A Troubleshooting Programs, the EV3 Brick, and Wireless Connections
Appendix B Creating On-Brick Programs