Press releases

LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Thinking Robots--New from No Starch Press: New book shows how to build robots that solve a Rubik's Cube and play tic-tac-toe

Press release: December 14, 2009

LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Thinking Robots San Francisco, CA, December 15, 2009—For years No Starch Press has led the market with the best-selling titles on the LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT sets, most recently with The Unofficial LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Inventor's Guide.

Next up is their latest offering, LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Thinking Robots (No Starch Press, Dec 09, 224 pp., $29.95, ISBN 9781593272166), an intriguing new title that shows how to build a tic-tac-toe playing robot and one that actually solves a Rubik's Cube®. Readers will find detailed, step-by-step instructions for building each model with either the original NXT or the NXT 2.0 set, as well as a discussion of how each robot works, how they "think," and how to play with them.

While these robots play games, they're not child's play. "LEGO can be pretty serious," said No Starch Press Founder Bill Pollock. "The two robots in this book are captivating, complex, and challenging, but I'm sure that any effort expended will be amply rewarded."

In addition to the book's step-by-step building instructions, readers learn how to:

  • Control, calibrate, and troubleshoot their robots for best performance
  • Understand the game theory behind tic-tac-toe
  • Solve a Rubik's Cube with the book's One-Armed Wonder
  • Better understand artificial intelligence as it relates to robotics, problem solving, and game theory

LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Thinking Robots is serious fun that promises hours of intrigue and challenge. Whether readers are casual builders or serious robotics hobbyists, they're sure to find excitement in LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Thinking Robots.

For more information or to request a review copy of LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Thinking Robots, contact Travis Peterson at No Starch Press (nostarchpr@oreilly.com, +1.415.863.9900, x300), or visit www.nostarch.com.

Sample pages from LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Thinking Robots: book spread

About the Authors
Daniele Benedettelli is known worldwide for his original LEGO robots, including the LEGO Rubik Utopia (a Rubik's Cube solver) and JohnNXT 5 (based on the robot in the movie Short Circuit). He is a member of the MINDSTORMS Developer Program (MDP) and the MINDSTORMS Community Partners (MCP), groups that help the LEGO Company test and develop new NXT products. He holds a master's degree in Robotics and Automation from the University of Siena (Italy) and is the author of Creating Cool MINDSTORMS NXT Robots (Apress, 2008). In his spare time, Benedettelli enjoys composing music.

Additional Resources

LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Thinking Robots LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Thinking Robots
by Daniele Benedettelli
December 2009, 224 pp
ISBN 9781593272166, $29.95 USD
order@oreilly.com
1-800-998-9938
1-707-827-7000

Available in fine bookstores everywhere, from www.oreilly.com/nostarch, or directly from No Starch Press (http://www.nostarch.com, orders@nostarch.com, 1-800-420-7240).

About No Starch Press
Founded in 1994, No Starch Press is one of the few remaining independent computer book publishers. We publish the finest in geek entertainment—unique books on technology, with a focus on open source, security, hacking, programming, alternative operating systems, and LEGO. Our titles have personality, our authors are passionate, and our books tackle topics that people care about. Visit http://www.nostarch.com for a complete catalog.

About O’Reilly

O’Reilly Media spreads the knowledge of innovators through its books, online services, magazines, and conferences. Since 1978, O’Reilly Media has been a chronicler and catalyst of cutting-edge development, homing in on the technology trends that really matter and spurring their adoption by amplifying “faint signals” from the alpha geeks who are creating the future. An active participant in the technology community, the company has a long history of advocacy, meme-making, and evangelism.

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