Mindstorms EV3 is LEGO's 3rd generation robot building kit — now with a complete Linux OS on the programming brick. Think of it as a Raspberry Pi on wheels (or tracks!), that can shoot balls, grab things, play sounds, sense its surroundings and connect to mobile phones, arduinos and micro:bits. In this session you'll learn the basics of hacking Mindstorms robots and see some examples of controlling robots using voice commands (using Google Voice or Apple's Siri), wearables and microcontrollers, computer vision (face detection) and web browsers!

1. http://etsy.me/1KraLA8
R O B O T S I N T H E C R Y P T
A d a m C o h e n - R o s e @ a d a m c o h e n r o s e

2. W H A T D O Y O U K N O W A B O U T L E G O
R O B O T S ?
• love LEGO but never built robots before
• seen videos and would love to build something
• played with previous version (RCX? NXT?)
• EV3 robotics ninja

3. W H A T I S M I N D S T O R M S E V 3 ?

4. W H A T I S M I N D S T O R M S E V 3 ?
programmable
LEGO robotshackable

5. W H A T I S M I N D S T O R M S E V 3 ?
sensors
behaviourmotors

6. W H A T C A N Y O U B U I L D ?

7. W H A T C A N Y O U B U I L D ?
• talking robots and voice-controlled robots
• immersive 3D telepresence (first person robot vision)
• useless machines
• a simpler rubik’s cube solver (with just a single EV3 set)
h t t p s : / / f l i c . k r / p / 7 k K S s i

8. • new IR sensor & beacon
• medium motor (smaller & faster)
• frame pieces: quicker to build
• faster, more powerful
programming brick
N E W I N M I N D S T O R M S E V 3
• 48Mhz ➡ 300MHz ARM9 processor
• 64K ➡ 64Mb RAM
• microSD card slot
• USB port — supports Wi-Fi dongles
• works with iOS Bluetooth
• runs Debian Linux!

9. S O H O W D O Y O U
P R O G R A M I T ?
• LEGO EV3 drag and drop visual
programming
• ev3dev:
shell script, Python, node.js,
C++, Lua, Go, Clojure
• leJOS:
Java, remote from Android,
behavioural programming
Easily switch by booting from microSD

10. # turn the left green LED off
$ echo 0 > /sys/class/leds/ev3:green:left/brightness
# find out what the maximum brightness value is
$ cat /sys/class/leds/ev3:green:left/max_brightness
255
# turn the left green LED back on
$ echo 255 > /sys/class/leds/ev3:green:left/brightness
# dim the left green LED 1/2 way
$ echo 127 > /sys/class/leds/ev3:green:left/brightness
S O H O W D O Y O U
P R O G R A M I T ?
• LEGO EV3 drag and drop visual
programming
• ev3dev:
shell script, Python, node.js,
C++, Lua, Go, Clojure
• leJOS:
Java, remote from Android,
behavioural programming
Easily switch by booting from microSD

11. # run a large EV3 motor for 3 seconds
>>> import ev3dev
>>> m = ev3dev.large_motor('outA')
>>> m.connected
True
>>> m.run_timed(time_sp=3000,
duty_cycle_sp=75)
# run remotely with IPython-Notebook
# or use RPyC:
>>> import rpyc
>>> c = rpyc.classic.connect("10.0.1.2")
>>> ev3dev = c.modules.ev3dev
S O H O W D O Y O U
P R O G R A M I T ?
• LEGO EV3 drag and drop visual
programming
• ev3dev:
shell script, Python, node.js,
C++, Lua, Go, Clojure
• leJOS:
Java, remote from Android,
behavioural programming
Easily switch by booting from microSD

12. // Require the module
var ev3 = require('ev3dev');
// Create the motor on port A
var motorA =
new ev3.Motor(ev3.MotorPort.A);
// Run the motor at 60% power
// for five seconds, and then
// hold it in place
motorA.startMotor({
targetSpeed: 60,
time: 5000,
stopMode: 'hold'
});
// only runs node-0.10 (needs arm-v5)
S O H O W D O Y O U
P R O G R A M I T ?
• LEGO EV3 drag and drop visual
programming
• ev3dev:
shell script, Python, node.js,
C++, Lua, Go, Clojure
• leJOS:
Java, remote from Android,
behavioural programming
Easily switch by booting from microSD

13. // use Eclipse plugin to build & upload
// automatically when connected over USB
import lejos.hardware.lcd.LCD;
import lejos.utility.Delay;
...
LCD.drawString("Plugin Test", 0, 4);
Delay.msDelay(5000);
RegulatedMotor m =
new EV3LargeRegulatedMotor(MotorPort.A);
m.rotate(60);
// supports Java RMI for remote access
// loads of examples on the leJOS blog:
// https://lejosnews.wordpress.com/
S O H O W D O Y O U
P R O G R A M I T ?
• LEGO EV3 drag and drop visual
programming
• ev3dev:
shell script, Python, node.js,
C++, Lua, Go, Clojure
• leJOS:
Java, remote from Android,
behavioural programming
Easily switch by booting from microSD

14. // connect to EV3 remotely by IP
RemoteRequestEV3 =
new RemoteRequestEV3("10.0.1.2");
RegulatedMotor left = ev3.createRegulatedMotor("A",
'L');
left.forward();
// ready-made example:
// http://git.io/vn8YB
// Always disconnect before you
// rebuild and re-connect!
// leJOS leaves ports open on the brick,
// requiring a lengthy reboot.
S O H O W D O Y O U
P R O G R A M I T ?
• LEGO EV3 drag and drop visual
programming
• ev3dev:
shell script, Python, node.js,
C++, Lua, Go, Clojure
• leJOS:
Java, remote from Android,
behavioural programming
Easily switch by booting from microSD

15. S O H O W D O Y O U
P R O G R A M I T ?
• LEGO EV3 drag and drop visual
programming
• ev3dev:
shell script, Python, node.js,
C++, Lua, Go, Clojure
• leJOS:
Java, remote from Android,
behavioural programming
Easily switch by booting from microSD

16. A D D Y O U R O W N
S E N S O R S …
• several types of sensor supported:
analog, I2C, UART
• sensors identified using resistors
LEGO provide hardware spec
• cable can provide power as well
• ev3dev provides raw analog values
• build a micro:bit ➡ EV3 cable?
h t t p s : / / y o u t u . b e / 5 5 f B E U U h 6 M 4

17. G E T B U I L D I N G !
• Please share your ideas and creations
hashtag #MINDSTORMS
• facebook.com/groups/legomindstorms
(8000 people ready to help!)
• j.mp/mindstorms-facebook
LEGO official page
• All links available from
http://j.mp/ota15-robot-notes
(add your own too!)
h t t p s : / / f l i c . k r / p / 7 k K S s i