Rating: 
Summary: One of the Best
Review: As an Associate Professor in higher education I have had some great experiences introducing LEGO Mindstorms to adult learners as we explore mechanical design concepts. What was missing in the classroom was a text that could inspire and teach the students. I have finally found that text. Ben Eriwin's text is the best text for use in a classroom environment (home enthusiast will enjoy it as well). Covering every aspect of LEGO Mindstorms, this is a text that will develop skills not only in LEGO design, but in product and enginerring design as well. If you like Mindstorms, you must buy this text.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best
Review: As an Associate Professor in higher education I have had some great experiences introducing LEGO Mindstorms to adult learners as we explore mechanical design concepts. What was missing in the classroom was a text that could inspire and teach the students. I have finally found that text. Ben Eriwin's text is the best text for use in a classroom environment (home enthusiast will enjoy it as well). Covering every aspect of LEGO Mindstorms, this is a text that will develop skills not only in LEGO design, but in product and enginerring design as well. If you like Mindstorms, you must buy this text.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Lego Mindstorms Book I've Read
Review: I am a teacher in the Midwest and I run an after school robotics team for around 20 5th & 6th graders. We use the Lego Mindstorm RIS kits in our club. After using the ideas from the Constructopedia that comes with each Mindstorm kit, I started looking to other areas for inspiration and ideas. What Ben Erwin's book offers is more than just a "How to" synopsis of each creation. Instead, he includes introductions, inspirations, building designs, programming [in multiple languages], and extension ideas for each project. I've bought a few of the other available Mindstorm robotic books in the past and most were either 'way over my head' or 'very simplistic'. This is definitely the perfect book for any teacher or professor who uses the Mindstorms kits in their class instruction. It is also perfect for any parent or family who creates using the Mindstorm kit in their home! As a bonus, I also believe that it is the first Mindstorm book that is printed in full color!
Rating: 
Summary: Geared towards a younger audience
Review: I've read both this book and Dave Baum's Definitive Guide and both are excellent. I enjoyed Baum's book more because it caters to an older audience: Baum seems to be writing to an older reader, there's an emphasis on the programming aspect of Mindstorms, and there are more semi-advanced projects.
Erwin's book is a thousand times better for children. The brilliant full-color pictures blow away Baum's black and white book. Erwin is a genuinely interesting author and obviously loves teaching.. Anyone who wants to teach a class with Mindstorms should take a look at the book, because it's full of great "this didn't work, but THIS did" anecdotes.
Ultimately, this never really goes above that level. Teachers and younger students should purchase this book, because it's a beautiful guide and will inspire quite a few youngsters. For the robotics engineers, programmers, and older geeks who wish that they'd had Mindstorms as a child, check out Baum's Definitive Guide - it's definitely more of what I was looking for.
Rating:
Summary: Geared towards a younger audience
Review: I've read both this book and Dave Baum's Definitive Guide and both are excellent. I enjoyed Baum's book more because it caters to an older audience: Baum seems to be writing to an older reader, there's an emphasis on the programming aspect of Mindstorms, and there are more semi-advanced projects.
Erwin's book is a thousand times better for children. The brilliant full-color pictures blow away Baum's black and white book. Erwin is a genuinely interesting author and obviously loves teaching.. Anyone who wants to teach a class with Mindstorms should take a look at the book, because it's full of great "this didn't work, but THIS did" anecdotes.
Ultimately, this never really goes above that level. Teachers and younger students should purchase this book, because it's a beautiful guide and will inspire quite a few youngsters. For the robotics engineers, programmers, and older geeks who wish that they'd had Mindstorms as a child, check out Baum's Definitive Guide - it's definitely more of what I was looking for.
Rating:
Summary: Projects that require the solution of complex problems
Review: In the fall semester of 2003, I taught a special topics course in robotics at Mount Mercy College with two students. A Lego Mindstorms kit was purchased and in the first segment of the class, the students built a robot and programmed it to move around the halls. We then moved on and used a more advanced robot in the remainder of the class, because I did not consider the Lego kit to be sophisticated enough. From some of my professional communications, I learned that entire college classes are being taught using only Lego Mindstorms kits.
After reading this book and evaluating the projects, I am now completely convinced that Mindstorms kits are all you need to teach a robotics class. Some of the projects in the book are a giraffe that simulates feeding, a flashlight follower, a robot painter, robots that communicate with each other, a machine that makes bubbles in response to stimulation, an infrared fax machine and even a submarine. To get these projects to work, it is necessary to solve some of the standard problems in Artificial Intelligence (AI). For example, the giraffe and all other animals require that the standard problem of getting a robot to walk be solved. The flashlight follower requires that the robot be able to dynamically process sensor input, using it to make decisions. Standard problems in machine-to-machine communication must be solved when the actions of a robot are in response to what another has told it.
The robots can be programmed using visual basic, robolab or NQC (Not Quite C). Robolab is a visual development environment where many of the actions are coded by connecting icons. The visual basic and NQC languages have many differences from their true counterparts, basically, they are stripped down versions with altered syntax.
Legos are one of the most mind-expanding toys that children can use. Applying some of the concepts in this book, they can be used as learning tools for some of the most complicated tasks that we can try to do, making a machine do intelligent tasks.
Rating:
Summary: Great for FIRST LEGO League Teams!
Review: Last year I coached a FIRST LEGO League team of 4th and 5th graders we took 2nd place in California State, as well as the Rookie All Star award. I used a large variety of materials pulled from various sources, but I was really frustrated by the lack of a book that would be directly accessible to kids as well as adults. I discussed my frustrations on LUGNET and was *thrilled* to find out that Ben Erwin was in the final stages of just such a book. I used a pre-press version of the book with my team in the late stages of the competition and they all loved it and wished they'd had access to it earlier. When it finally got through the publication process, I snapped it up immediately! All I can say is WOW! The pre-press was pretty nice, but the final book is absolutely *gorgeous*. While there are lots of great mindstorms books out there (most notably Dave Baum's) this is the *only* one that covers ROBOLAB, the standard for RCX programming in educational scenarios as well as the standard LEGO-provided programming environment. If you're an adult needing inspiration for your own robots, or if you have kids who like mindstorms, this book belongs in your collection!
Rating:
Summary: Great for FIRST LEGO League Teams!
Review: Last year I coached a FIRST LEGO League team of 4th and 5th graders we took 2nd place in California State, as well as the Rookie All Star award. I used a large variety of materials pulled from various sources, but I was really frustrated by the lack of a book that would be directly accessible to kids as well as adults. I discussed my frustrations on LUGNET and was *thrilled* to find out that Ben Erwin was in the final stages of just such a book. I used a pre-press version of the book with my team in the late stages of the competition and they all loved it and wished they'd had access to it earlier. When it finally got through the publication process, I snapped it up immediately! All I can say is WOW! The pre-press was pretty nice, but the final book is absolutely *gorgeous*. While there are lots of great mindstorms books out there (most notably Dave Baum's) this is the *only* one that covers ROBOLAB, the standard for RCX programming in educational scenarios as well as the standard LEGO-provided programming environment. If you're an adult needing inspiration for your own robots, or if you have kids who like mindstorms, this book belongs in your collection!
Rating:
Summary: Delivers what it promises.
Review: Mr. Erwin's book delivers what the title promises, "Creative Projects." From cool ideas for the kids like a giraffe or the "Tickle me Lego" toy, to fun things for adults like "Machine with Minifig," there is something for everyone here. PROS: Plenty of project ideas for all levels of builders. Tips for building and programming. Ideas are open-ended to allow plenty of do-it-yourself experimentation. I especially liked the internet resources listed in the back. CONS: Projects are not laid out in step-by-step detail in the book. (They are on the CD-ROM).
Rating:
Summary: Delivers what it promises.
Review: Mr. Erwin's book delivers what the title promises, "Creative Projects." From cool ideas for the kids like a giraffe or the "Tickle me Lego" toy, to fun things for adults like "Machine with Minifig," there is something for everyone here. PROS: Plenty of project ideas for all levels of builders. Tips for building and programming. Ideas are open-ended to allow plenty of do-it-yourself experimentation. I especially liked the internet resources listed in the back. CONS: Projects are not laid out in step-by-step detail in the book. (They are on the CD-ROM).
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