Video tutorials

Tasks for STEM classroom and home exercise to get you used to using the LEGO Mindstorms Touch sensor.  Solve them, build a program, record a video and upload your solutions below. 

The way sensors and programs work in a robotics system is sometimes not-intuitive for a beginner, but nevertheless very logical. Building a program for a touch sensors for "Press->Go->Press->Stop" using the EV3-G software could be quite challenging at the beginning even for experienced teachers, students and robot builders.

We create a program for detecting when the Touch Sensor was Pressed/Released. Move until it is pressed, continue when it is released.

Complete introduction to the LEGO Mindstorms EV3 Touch sensors from the very first step. In this video tutorial we program the robot to stop on touch sensor pressed. Again, this is based on your feedback that much of our tutorials in previous years were a little more advanced and that we have never made a proper introduction. A few more videos on touch sensor will follow after this

One of the most interesting challenges in the series of FLL Competitions. Move a block and add additional floor on top of the block without damaging the construction. In this tutorial we would focus only this mission and we would achieve two movements with only one motor which makes the attachment quite powerful.

Robot tasks to exercize how to position on the field using only motors. STEM classes could use it to demonstrate mechanical imperfections in constructions and how important using sensors in this LEGO Mindstorms Robotics sets is 

The way you move the robot is always imprecise. Don't TRY to fight with this. Programming motors for competitions like the FIRST LEGO League (FLL) or World Robotics Olympiad (WRO) is not very different from programming the motors in the STEM classes. But there are a few things you should have in mind. 

Experiment with moving the robot in different geometrical figures. The tasks could be used in STEM classes for introducing students to geometry and math. 

Move the robot using the Move Steering block. We explore what the different values for Steering mean and how to use them. We also explore how the motor is configured to run for a number of rotations or seconds and what is the difference. 

First time programming the motors of the robot using the EV3-G software installed on a computer. We would explore how to move forward/backward and turn with the robot.

The LEGO EV3 Mindstorms brick can be programmed from the brick itself. The motors can be moved forward/backward and even simple programs could be implemented without even touching the EV3-G software at the computer

Tasks for introduction on building robots.

Based on your feedback we've build a course for introducing new students to the LEGO Mindstorms EV3 programming and construction. It is designed for school groups, competition teams and students alone in home that can get our feedback on their progress

With this series of videos we are looking at FIRST LEGO League 2013 Nature's Fury competition and we are building a robot for accomplishing some of the mission. It would be a tutorial with at least four parts and we are building a complex attachment that could catch, lift and release different parts with only one motor and rubber bands. Not one, not two, but three movements with only one motor. 

The attachment is now so advanced that we can do two tasks at once with it in order to solve the FIRST LEGO League 2014 World Class Search Engine Mission.

The third part of the series the goal is to extend the robot attachment so that we could solve the second part of the FIRST LEGO League World Class mission challenge - to take the loop.

In this tutorial of the series we would get into more details on how the flywheel works, what's its purpose and how the whole attachment is triggered with the first rubber band.

Let's try to integrate more of the things we have learned into a single attachment. One that could accumulate energy, conserve it and use it at the appropriate time. All this because of a Rubber Band and a Flywheel - and if you don't know what a flywheel is you should definitely watch this videos 

The Department of "throwing" is ruled by rubber bands. Impulsive power release in a short amount of time. In this video we are building an attachment that throws a ball and accomplishes the FIRST LEGO League 2012 bowling competition.

With this attachment we just share an idea. The attachment was build by an FLL team called Brother in Arms and they needed a way to turn two axles in different direction, one at a time. The attachment was not used in the final robot design and construction, but presents a nice idea.

Enchansing a previous attachment, but only this time we are solving the FIRST LEGO League 2012 Medicine mission. There is a lever and a rubber band. When the lever is released the rubber band activates the attachment. 

In Episode 58 we introduced you to an LEGO Mindstorms EV3 Modular robot. Mic Lowne wrote to us and had that robot remade, because it used too many blue lego pins and could not be build using one EV3 kit.

As an extension to the previous video we talk about the Hi Technic Color Sensor again.

Based on a request from Abdulah we decided to build a tutorial on how to use Hi Technic Color Sensor and EV3-G Software. There is a special block imported in the software that helps you use the sensor.

The attachment builds on previous episodes this time using two LEGO rubber bands. When a lever is released the rubber band exerts pressure on it and moves it in a circular motion. As an example we are solving the 2012 FIRST LEGO League, Senior Solutions, stove mission (which was quite interesting as a mission)

Rubber bands in the LEGO Mindstorms sets are very handy when it comes to collecting objects, especially loops. The mechanism most of the time could work like this - an axle is pushed, a rubber band is released and a lever collects the loop. 

The previous rubber bands video showed a way to trigger the rubber band without a motor. This video gives one more idea on how to lift an axle and in this way release the rubber band. Use the idea for you LEGO Mindstorms robot constructions.