SimLearn

Having learned the NXT programming environment, the next step in the project was to become familiar with Bluetooth. My endeavor in to the realm of the Bluetooth world started very promising, as I was able to connect my computer to the NXT brick despite receiving a warning message that my Bluetooth radio was incompatible with the NXT. With the Bluetooth working, I decided to send a copy of the grabber program to the device. This worked flawlessly.

Since I ultimately was looking to use Bluetooth as a method to remotely control the robot, I began exploring this possibility. I started by looking in the user manual that came with the NXT software. As my query, I typed in “Bluetooth”. I soon discovered that Bluetooth can be used in one of two ways: to send a program wirelessly from your computer to the NXT brick or to send messages between other NXT bricks. Because of the limited information about Bluetooth, I decided to move my search to the internet.

In doing so, I started by looking at the Lego Mindstorms website, http://mindstorms.lego.com/. I quickly came to the conclusion that the information provided on this site was extremely limited. As such, I moved my query to the web. When searching on the web, I came across a few blogs that briefly mentioned Bluetooth. I also found some experiments that were centered on the use of Bluetooth as a means of controlling an NXT robot wirelessly. However, most of the information I found dealt with the fact the people were having trouble getting their computer and the robot to connect using Bluetooth. After enduring much frustration, I decided to turn off the robot and my computer and come back to it the next day.