A REPORT ON BUILDING AND PROGRAMMING EV3STORM

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Building Ev3storm (robotics)

Introduction

EV3RSTORM is the name of Lego Mindstorms EV3‘s signature humanoid robot… as in, the
one that decorates the front of a rather pricey package. It goes without saying, then, that
Lego put a lot of work into the model. To know on how the EV3 moves around, we must first
learn how it’s made, the functionality and how it can be programmed. According to the
EVR3STORM we saw in class, it was so amazing and astonishing on how it moved. It can
show how fast technology moves to replace many laborious things man can do.

It can perform many things as moving until it finds an object in front and spin the
blades; shoot balls whenever the touch sensor is pressed (firing up if the brightness is
low, and shooting down if there is too much light); and finally seek the infrared beacon
(again, with very funny props) and when it finds it, shoots!

Lego Mindstorms EV3 is the third generation robotics kit in Lego's Mindstorms line. It
is the successor to the second generation Lego Mindstorms
NXT 2.0 kit. The "EV" designation refers to the "evolution" of
the Mindstorms product line. "3" refers to the fact that it is the
third generation of computer modules - first was the RCX and
the second is the NXT. It was officially announced on January
4, 2013 and was released in stores on September 1, 2013.

The robot is humanoid, with rolling tank-tread feet and scary looking
appendages on its arms. It’s got a Mohawk and squinting red eyes.
One cool aspect of the robot is that it uses a huge percentage of the
beams and connectors from the set, so you really feel like you’re getting the most out of the set.

Actually building the model involves launching the Mindstorms software, which can be
downloaded from Lego.com. The instructions for five robots total, including a snake-
bot, a forklift-like gripping robot, a line-follower, and a ball-flinging robot. Selecting
EV3RSTORM, you are given six “missions” — basically, stages of building.

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Building Ev3storm (robotics)

The first consists of simple the legs (the most complicated modules) and the EV3
microcontroller brick as the body. The model definitely front-loads the challenge. The first
thing you build are the legs, which feature servo-powered tank treads on a framework that
sways somewhat–EV3RSTORM doesn’t roll around woodenly, the legs move with the
friction of the tank treads starting and stopping, giving the illusion of

ambulation.
The second mission adds on the right arm, which is mostly cosmetic — a thumb-turned

screw drive adjusts the bend of the arm, and rubber-band-tensioned grippers look cool but

don’t do much. The shoulder has a touch sensor, which is used to wake up and put the

robot to sleep.
The third mission shows how to build a scary-looking spinning blade for the robot’s left hand.
This mission enables the use of both the touch sensor and the color sensor to control the

bot’s motions. The remote will be used later, but this bot does not yet have the

infrared sensor in place.

Mission 4 adds the infrared sensor as an additional set of eyes. The program uses the

infrared sensor, along with the touch or color sensor, to sense and avoid objects in front

of it, so you can wave your hand in front of the bot to change its direction.
Now, on Mission 5, you swap out the blade hand for a ball shooter and attempt
to shoot targets. I suggest lining up plastic dinosaurs or other toys to see
whether your Ev3rstorm can sense and shoot them.

Mission 6, shown in Figure below, is the same build as

in Mission 5 but you add a decorated remote beacon,
like you did in Mission 5 of Spik3r. The Ev3rstorm will
attempt to find and shoot the infrared beacon.

EV3RSTORM is a reasonably complicated build, but nothing as hard-core as some of the

adult-focused Technic sets–certainly within the abilities of the average teenager.
Programming is a breeze — either upload their program if you just want to have a working
robot, or you can follow the steps to recreate the program and actually learn how it’s done.

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Building Ev3storm (robotics)

Device specs

EV3 has a more powerful ARM9 CPU running Linux. A USB connector and Micro SD
slot (up to 32GB) are new to the EV3. It comes with the plans to build 5 different robots:
EV3RSTORM, GRIPP3R, R3PTAR, SPIK3R, and TRACK3R. Lego has also released
instructions online to build 12 additional projects: ROBODOZ3R, BANNER PRINT3R,
EV3MEG, BOBB3E, MR-B3AM, RAC3 TRUCK, KRAZ3, EV3D4, EL3CTRIC GUITAR,
DINOR3X, WACK3M, and EV3GAME.

The EV3 Home (31313) set consists of: 1 EV3 programmable brick, 2 Large Motors, 1
Medium Motor, 1 Touch Sensor, 1 Color Sensor, 1 Infrared Sensor, 1 Remote Control,
cables, USB cable, and 585 TECHNIC elements.

The Education EV3 Core Set (45544) set consists of: 1 EV3 programmable brick, 2 Large

Motors, 1 Medium Motor, 2 Touch Sensors, 1 Color Sensor, 1 Gyroscopic Sensor, 1

Ultrasonic Sensor, cables, USB cable, 1 Rechargeable battery and 547 TECHNIC elements.

Display Main Memory USB Wi-Fi Bluetooth Connects to

Apple
Main Processor Host devices
178×128 pixel 64 MB RAM Port Optiona YES YES
TI Sitara AM1808 YES
Monochrome (ARM926EJ-S core 16 MB Flash l dongle
LCD ) microSDHC Slo via USB
@300 MHz t port

Functionality

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Building Ev3storm (robotics)

EV3RSTORM can perform different functions as moving until it finds an object in front
and spin the blades; shoot balls whenever the touch sensor is pressed (firing up if the
brightness is low, and shooting down if there is too much light); and finally seek the
infrared beacon (again, with very funny props) and when it finds it, shoots!

All NXT sensors, motors, and building elements work with EV3 and
are recognized as NXT sensors/motors when plugged in. EV3
sensors do not work with the NXT, but EV3 motors do. The NXT
brick can be programmed with the EV3 software, but lacks some
software features. When you use the EV3 software to program the

NXT, you must download extra programming-blocks, such as the Ultrasonic sensor
(which is included in the standard NXT kit, but not the standard EV3 kit). The EV3
brick cannot be programmed with the standard NXT software, but some third party
software supports both systems.

The program for some EV3 is controlled by the infrared beacon. It is undoubtedly a
complex robot, with the interesting system to move, like roller skating and not the
two legs moving up equally, almost like tank!

Programming Ev3storm

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Building Ev3storm (robotics)

Learning programming will enable one to handle several operations in the EV3storm,
one should develop solution algorithms to each challenge and mini-challenge problem
before implementing them as code, one should download the software of this
programming. These operations are listed below;

If you want a robot to do something, you need to communicate that idea with

mathematical and logical precision, or it won’t quite be what you intended.

Data from sensors gives a robot information about its environment. A

program uses that data to make decisions, and the robot Acts on those

decisions. Data underlies the core of the entire process.

To understand the way something works, construct a mental “model” of it

in your head that captures the important features and rules of the system.

This helps you make sense of it, and also gives you a tool to “play out”

(similar) new scenarios in your head to predict what would happen.

To solve a difficult problem, try breaking it down into smaller problems. Then,

solve the smaller problems, building up toward a solution to the big problem.

These skills – mathematical and logical clarity, using data, systems

thinking with mental models, and problem solving – are not just for

robotics. They are key to solving many problems in the world.

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Building Ev3storm (robotics)

Conclusion

Working with EV3storm is easy and pretty fun. This have helped to show how advanced our

technology in the world today is moving. EV3RSTORM can perform different functions as moving

until it finds an object in front and spin the blades; shoot balls whenever the touch sensor is pressed

(firing up if the brightness is low, and shooting down if there is too much light); and finally seek the

infrared beacon (again, with very funny props) and when it finds it, shoots!

Reference

Sherrard, Ann; Rhodes, Amy (October 2014). "Comparison of the LEGO Mindstorms
NXT and EV3 Robotics Education Platforms". Journal of Extension. 52 (5).

"LEGO MINDSTORMS® EV3 Frequently Asked Questions". Lego.com. The LEGO Group. 15
March 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2013. Q: Is EV3 backwards compatible with NXT hardware?
A: Yes. You can program your NXT intelligent brick using the new EV3 software. However not
all software features are supported by the NXT intelligent Brick. You cannot program your EV3
programmable brick with the NXT Software.

"Development of an improved firmware for the Lego EV3. Technical report.". ICube laboratory.
University of Strasbourg. July 2014.

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Building Ev3storm (robotics)

Gindling, J., A. Ioannidou, J. Loh, O. Lokkebo, and A. Repenning., "LEGOsheets: A Rule-Based

Programming, Simulation and Manipulation Environment for the LEGO Programmable Brick,"

Proceeding of Visual Languages, Darmstadt, Germany, IEEE Computer

Society Press, 1995, pp. 172–179.

Crook, Jordan. "LEGO Mindstorms EV3: The Better, Faster, Stronger

Generation Of Robotic Programming". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2015-05-
22.