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The LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 Discovery Book: A Beginner's Guide to Building and Programming Robots Paperback – June 14, 2014

by Laurens Valk (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 511 ratings
See all formats and editions
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LEGO MINDSTORMS has changed the way we think about robotics by making it possible for anyone to build real, working robots. The latest MINDSTORMS set, EV3, is more powerful than ever, and The LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 Discovery Book is the complete, beginner-friendly guide you need to get started.

Begin with the basics as you build and program a simple robot to experiment with motors, sensors, and EV3 programming. Then you'll move on to a series of increasingly sophisticated robots that will show you how to work with advanced programming techniques like data wires, variables, and custom-made programming blocks. You'll also learn essential building techniques like how to use beams, gears, and connector blocks effectively in your own designs.

Master the possibilities of the EV3 set as you build and program:
  • The EXPLOR3R, a wheeled vehicle that uses sensors to navigate around a room and follow lines
  • The FORMULA EV3 RACE CAR, a streamlined remote-controlled race car
  • ANTY, a six-legged walking creature that adapts its behavior to its surroundings
  • SK3TCHBOT, a robot that lets you play games on the EV3 screen
  • The SNATCH3R, a robotic arm that can autonomously find, grab, lift, and move the infrared beacon
  • LAVA R3X, a humanoid robot that walks and talks
More than 150 building and programming challenges throughout encourage you to think creatively and apply what you've learned to invent your own robots. With The LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 Discovery Book as your guide, you'll be building your own out-of-this-world creations in no time!

Requirements: One LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 set (LEGO SET #31313)
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Previous page
  1. Reading age
    8 - 11 years, from customers
  2. Print length
    396 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Lexile measure
    1140L
  5. Dimensions
    8.6 x 0.88 x 10 inches
  6. Publisher
    No Starch Press
  7. Publication date
    June 14, 2014
  8. ISBN-10
    1593275323
  9. ISBN-13
    978-1593275327
  10. See all details
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From the Publisher

The LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 Laboratory The LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 Discovery Book The Art of LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 Programming The LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 Idea Book The LEGO BOOST Idea Book The LEGO BOOST Activity Book
The LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 Laboratory The LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 Discovery Book The Art of LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 Programming The LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 Idea Book The LEGO BOOST Idea Book The LEGO BOOST Activity Book
Customer Reviews
4.4 out of 5 stars
240
4.6 out of 5 stars
511
4.6 out of 5 stars
203
4.6 out of 5 stars
629
4.6 out of 5 stars
787
4.6 out of 5 stars
413
Price $15.74 $21.50 $17.68 $19.20 $13.79 $18.99
Author Daniele Benedettelli Laurens Valk Terry Griffin Yoshihito Isogawa Yoshihito Isogawa Daniele Benedettelli
Suggested age range 12+ 10+ 10+ 10+ 10+ 12+
Description Learn to build 5 cool robots that walk, drive, and dodge obstacles in this comic-filled lab guide. Beginner-friendly guide to 5 sophisticated EV3 robots. 150+ building and programming challenges to invent your own robots. Beginner-friendly guide to programming intelligent robots. Covers both the Home and Education editions of EV3. Visual guide to using the LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 set to build 181 simple machines and contraptions. Visual guide showcasing 95 ways to build simple robots using the LEGO BOOST set. Hints and ideas included for creating your own models. Illustrated, step-by-step guide to the LEGO BOOST set. Program cool robots and test your robotics knowledge.
Builds include Wheeled robot, steering car robot, walking defense robot, and walking dinosaur Vehicles, animal robots, and humanoid robots Robots that react to different environments, navigate a maze, display drawings, and play Simon Says-style game Cars with real suspension, steerable crawlers, ball-shooters, and grasping robotic arms Robots that walk, crawl, use wheels, shoot objects, grip objects, and lift things Rover robot, BrickPecker, and CYBOT
Production description 432 pp. full color book; paperback 396 pp. full color book; paperback 276 pp. full color book; paperback 232 pp. full color book; paperback 264 pp. full color book; paperback 272 pp. full color book; paperback

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 6 Up—A tome for fans of robotics and LEGO Mindstorms EV3 Kits. Hyper-detailed instructions—with full color, easy-to-read and understand illustrations—help budding enthusiasts navigate EV3 Kits with clear language and step-by-step directions. Readers learn the basics of assembling a simple robot before being introduced to various programming tricks to be used on the EV3 Brick, the colloquial term for the Mindstorms mini-computer. Be forewarned that in order to take full advantage of the programming functionality of the kit, including the ablity to create and edit programs, users must have a computer to connected to their EV3 Brick (though basic programming on the EV3 Brick can be done without one). Each chapter contains several short challenges, dubbed "discoveries," which are cleverly accompanied by a legend: whimsical gear wheels represent the estimated amount of building time; tiny Microsoft Windows-esque blocks show the expected level of programming expertise; and a small clock estimates the length of time it should take to solve the challenge. Later chapters describe building intricate robots with fun objectives: a racing robot, ANTY (a robotic ant), and the SNATCH3R (complete with a robotic arm that grabs). Readers who are intimidated by the discoveries can skip these and instead focus on the building projects and the programming tricks that do not involve the use of a computer. The size, advanced vocabulary, and organization of the book evokes a science or physics textbook, which is warranted due to the amount of complex and detailed programming information contained within. However, colorful images keep it from feeling too academic. VERDICT This book will find a home in libraries with makerspaces and/or those that offer robotics or science clubs, LEGO teams, or other STEM-oriented groups.—Amy M. Laughlin, Darien Library, CT

Review

"Hyper-detailed instructions—with full color, easy-to-read and understand illustrations—help budding enthusiasts navigate EV3 Kits with clear language and step-by-step directions."
—School Library Journal

"Directions are mostly in the form of vivid and distinct images and diagrams...will definitely appeal to readers who like to learn by handling and tinkering with parts."
—VOYA Magazine

"Whether you’re new to the EV3, a FLL coach, on a FLL team, or maybe your robot has been sitting for a while and you’re looking to breath new life into it, The LEGO Mindstorms EV3 Discovery Book is for you!"
—GeekMom

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ No Starch Press; 1st edition (June 14, 2014)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 396 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1593275323
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1593275327
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 8 - 11 years, from customers
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1140L
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.38 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.6 x 0.88 x 10 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 511 ratings

About the author

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Laurens Valk

Laurens Valk

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Laurens Valk is a robotics engineer based in the Netherlands, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Delft University of Technology. He is a member of the MINDSTORMS Community Partners (MCP), a select group of MINDSTORMS enthusiasts who help test and develop new MINDSTORMS products. He started building robots with the EV3 system a year before its 2013 release, and one of his designs appears on the EV3 packaging as an official bonus robot.

Laurens enjoys designing robots and creating tutorials to build and program them, so that robot fans around the world can re-create the designs and learn more about robotics. He has worked on several LEGO robotics books, including the best-selling LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT 2.0 Discovery Book (No Starch Press, 2010). He blogs about robots at robotsquare.com.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
511 global ratings
Worked wonders for my child
5 Stars
Worked wonders for my child
Big Thanks to the author, Laurens Valk. I bought the Mindstorms EV3 #31313 and this book at the same time. The day this came in, my 9 yr old girl spent a couple of hours by herself one night and made the EXPLOR3R without any help. She never had any prior experience, I was thinking I might need to study this with her to help, but I was blown away by what I saw in the morning. This quick leap would not have been possible without this book as reference. She is progressing day by day using the book, learning the programming. Illustrations and pictures are spot on. Quite happy it turned out the best for a beginner child. I’d recommend it to every parent.
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Top reviews from the United States

Chelsea Flitton
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for Homeschool Families!
Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2014
Verified Purchase
I just got this book in my hands today and I am so glad I made the purchase. I have an 11 year old son who is STEM oriented and while I find the subject fascinating I have absolutely no experience with robotics. I really felt I was going out on a limb when I purchased the EV3 kit. The plans that come with the kit are impressive, but left me feeling lost. I want my son to understand how the components work together and then challenge him to solve problems and make him work for it a bit. This book is exactly what I was looking for!

It starts out at the very beginning - preparing your LEGO set for use (even tips for aligning the stickers), installing the software, etc. Then it moves on to building a simple first robot. And this is where the book goes from useful to fantastic. After presenting a concept there are discoveries (or a series of them) which challenge the reader to use his or her knowledge to create a program to meet a specific goal. An early example is this:

"Discovery #4:
ROBOSPELLER!
Use Move Steering blocks to make a program that enables the EXPLOR3R to drive as if it were drawing the first letter of your name. How many blocks do you need for that letter?"

The discoveries get progressively more challenging and are rated for difficulty (based on the presumption that you started with no knowledge and are moving chronologically through the book) and time estimates.

Lest anyone mistake this for a simplistic book for beginners, I will include a portion of a later discovery (#132) which claims to be challenging and I can only presume is since it's still entirely Greek to me:

"TAMAGOTCHI!
Can you turn LAVA R3X into a lifelike robot with different moods and behaviors? Use the infrared remote to command the robot to walk, talk, eat, and sleep. Create Numeric variables to keep track of the robot's health by monitoring its hunger level, energy level, and happiness.

Make the energy level decrease with each step the robot takes, and make it increase when you command the robot to sleep..." and so on.

I hope to update my review as we work through the book. If you are just getting started with LEGO robotics and are looking for something that walks you through learning while still challenging you, this book looks to be a stellar choice.
29 people found this helpful
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ProlificShopper
5.0 out of 5 stars A must have for EV3 programming
Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2014
Verified Purchase
The best book out there is for learning Mindstorms EV3 programming. Purchased EV3 last year, and based on the included booklet and downloadable instructions (for the 5 out-of-the-box models, of which Laurens' is one - that says a lot about the author), able to build and operate the robot with basic block programming on the brick, or the included demo programs. But if you are to venture out of that comfort zone, that's where Laurens' book comes in handy (and is an essential read in my opinion). They should include his book as part of the kit!

Lego messed up my EV3 order last year (they were convinced that their automated assembly line wouldn't have missed since they weigh each piece/packet and there are multiple levels of quality control that it's impossible to mess up the order - though you can find on youtube people posting instances where they got multiple parts of some nice accessories - lucky them), I posted my comment on Amazon, and Laurens happened to notice it, and help get the message through to Lego's QA, and things started moving, and after a month, got the missing pieces.

He maintains an awesome site (robotsquare.com) that I scoured to compare between buying an education edition or the retail one, prior to buying my kit. I was aware of the site, but didn't pay much attention to the author until after I had had the issue with my EV3 order, and I ordered this book right after it was released to the public. My kid and I go through the chapters, and are in the process of working through the exercises. So far, everything looks good - and will update this thread once I've gotten a chance to go through it completely.
2 people found this helpful
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Andrew Colyer
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect intro to Lego robotics
Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2014
Verified Purchase
I got the EV3 for my 7 year old son as soon as it came out. By accident, we ended up with the educational version. The instructions provided were not clear enough to get us easily up and running. I started buying other EV3 books. They generally assumed that one had done Mindstorms previously. I just did not have time to help my son figure the thing out, and it sat in a box for months.

Then this book arrived. We are up and running, and my son is engrossed and so am I. The author gives terrific detail, and has small projects scattered through each chapter to help develop understanding of each of the features. We work through a few pages each evening, and do one or two projects (e.g., program the EV3 to do a figure 8). These projects are perfect.

As to the educational version vs the home version..... I splurged and got the expansion set. It turns out that this just has a lot of Technics-type structural pieces. It does not have new motors or sensors. The educational packs has all of the motors and sensors of the home version with two exceptions: the remote control sensor and related beacon. I got those thru the lego site. There may be a few add'l pieces that we'll need in the future to build all of the projects in this book, but we are 1/4 the way thru and haven't found them.

I'd also refer you to the book's website, which has a lot of useful information. The author has also kindly responded to specific questions (relating to education vs home versions), and has been quite helpful. So...can't recommend this more enough. I recommend it to all home users as well as school clubs.
106 people found this helpful
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J. Nelson
4.0 out of 5 stars Thorough Book, Needs an Update
Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2020
Verified Purchase
My daughter is diving into using her Lego Mindstorms set and I thought this book would help get a general understanding on how to build, program, and operate the robot. I was surprised and impressed by how dense with information it is. Depending on the age of your child, it will likely need a parent to help work through some of the more detailed parts. Her first build was easy to follow, she did most of that part on her own, and was able to do some basic programming, making the robot move, turn, and talk. My one complaint is that it was published in 2014, and since, the Lego EV3 software has evolved. It works in a somewhat similar way, but looks different than the diagrams displayed in the book. I think it's time for an updated version to help avoid confusion for new users.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Moro45
5.0 out of 5 stars Molto bello
Reviewed in Italy on May 13, 2023
Verified Purchase
Gran bel libro su Lego Mindstorm 31313. Un must se avete il set
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Maddy
5.0 out of 5 stars Good book to learn ev3 properly
Reviewed in India on February 7, 2022
Verified Purchase
This is a must buy if you want to use the EV3 to full potential. The book is easy to read and attractive to look at. Children can use it comfortably. It has glazed pages and excellent print quality (hence expensive).
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Edivaldo Javaroni
5.0 out of 5 stars Robótica
Reviewed in Brazil on February 13, 2019
Verified Purchase
Muito bom, boas ilustrações, vários projetos.
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Carlos Duart
5.0 out of 5 stars Muy buen libro
Reviewed in Mexico on November 23, 2017
Verified Purchase
Excelente material de referencia para adentrarse en el mundo de Lego, muy bien ilustrado las referencias son muy buenas y el material es de excelente calidad, lo recomiendo ampliamente.

Gracias
One person found this helpful
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David
5.0 out of 5 stars A good reference
Reviewed in Australia on August 6, 2021
Verified Purchase
A good introduction to the EV3
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