Lego Mindstorms NXT is a programmable robotics kit released by Lego on August 2, 2006.[1][2][non-primary source needed] It replaced the Robotics Invention System, the first-generation Lego Mindstorms kit. The base kit ships in two versions: the retail version[3] and the education base set.[4] It comes with the NXT-G programming software or the optional LabVIEW for Lego Mindstorms.[5] A variety of unofficial languages exist, such as NXC, NBC, leJOS NXJ, and RobotC. A second-generation set, Lego Mindstorms NXT 2.0, was released on August 1, 2009, with a color sensor and other upgrades. The third-generation EV3 was released in September 2013.
The kit's main component is the NXT Intelligent Brick computer, which can accept input from up to four sensors and control up to three motors with a modified version of RJ12 cables (similar to, but incompatible with, RJ11 phone lines). The plastic pin to hold the cable in the socket is moved slightly to the right. The brick has a 100×64 pixel monochrome LCD and four buttons that can navigate a user interface with hierarchical menus. It has a 32-bit ARM7TDMI-core Atmel AT91SAM7S256 microcontroller with 256 KB of FLASH memory and 64 KB of RAM, an 8-bit Atmel AVR ATmega48 microcontroller, and Bluetooth support. The kit has a speaker, and can play sound files at sampling rates up to 8 kHz. Power is supplied by 6 AA batteries (1.5 V each) in the consumer version of the kit, and a rechargeable Li-Ion battery in the educational version.
Lego has released open source firmware for the NXT Intelligent Brick and schematics for all hardware components.[6]
Several developer kits are available with documentation for the NXT:
Simple programs can be created using the menu on the NXT Intelligent Brick. More complicated programs and sound files can be downloaded with a USB port or Bluetooth. Files can be copied wirelessly between two NXT bricks, and some mobile phones can be used as a remote control. Up to three NXT bricks can communicate simultaneously via Bluetooth when user-created programs are run.
The kit's retail version includes software for writing programs that run on Windows and Mac OS personal computers. The software, based on National Instruments LabVIEW, provides a visual programming language for writing simple programs and downloading them to the NXT Brick; instead of requiring users to write lines of code, they can use flowchart-like blocks to design their program.
The Lego Mindstorms NXT base kit includes:[32]
Other parts may be bought separately.[37] Third-party companies manufacture sensors such as a compass, gyroscope, infrared tracker, RFID reader and accelerometer sensors sold by Lego. The temperature sensor can measure in Celsius or Fahrenheit.
Sensors are connected to the NXT brick with a six-position modular connector with analog and digital interfaces. The analog interface is backward-compatible (using an adapter) with the older Robotics Invention System. The digital interface is capable of I2C and RS-485 communication.
Lego Mindstorms NXT 2.0 is the second set in the Lego Mindstorms series, introduced on August 5, 2009, at the Lego Shop in the U.S. The set contains 619 pieces, including a sensor that can detect colors. It was followed by the Lego Mindstorms EV3.[38]
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