Sunday, August 07, 2011

Lego NXT Mindstorm with Linux

There is a lot of documentation on the NXT and Linux on the Internet. A lot of it is very good, like this page showing Linux setup with NXT. Unfortunately it is scattered all over the place, making it difficult for a complete newbie to make headway with the Lego Mindstorms on Linux. This page links to the major steps and will enable you to set up Linux-Mindstorms communication and the programming environment.

Why Linux?

Linux is better suited for Lego programming. It is essential if you have a Linux machine, and don't want to install Windows (or MacOS) just for using the Mindstorm. But the advantages of Linux go beyond that. Linux is a great programming environment, and interfacing it with Mindstorms allows you to connect it to other devices. Linux machines have a good programming interface for Bluetooth, GPS, networking through the Internet, sound, display, and large-scale processing.  Connecting the NXT to a Linux device opens up a lot of possibilities.

Also, many netbook computers are ideal robot building blocks: they are small, light and lack fragile spinning disks. Linux is space efficient, and runs well on these devices.


Journey

These are the steps you need to be completely up and running with Linux and the NXT. These pages are listed in order, and each page builds upon the previous work.
  1. Setting up the Linux-NXT Bluetooth connection
  2. Setting up the Linux-NXT NXC programming environment
  3. Writing a program that demonstrates NXT Robot-Linux communication over Bluetooth 
With a little bit of setup, you can combine the flexibility and design of the Mindstorms with the power of Linux.