Open Source Robotics with LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3

Speaker: Xander Soldaat

Abstract

For those who prefer to use Linux as their preferred development platform, there are many embedded platforms out there that will suit your needs. However, for quick and easy prototyping, very few systems come close to the virtually unlimited building possibilities of Technic LEGO and LEGO MINDSTORMS. Ev3dev is a Debian Jessie Linux distribution tailor made for the LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 system. With an easy to use file based kernel interface, you can control motors, read sensors and more.

Currently, there are bindings for C++, Lua, Node.js and Python, but you can just as easily program your robot in bash, if you’d like! The talk will cover what you can do with ev3dev, how easy it is to get started with it and how you can make your robot do simple things using little more than a shell!

Biography

Xander Soldaat began using Linux in 1994 and worked as an IT infrastructure engineer and architect for 20 years. He kicked off his robotics hobby in 2007 and has since worked with many robotics and sensor companies. He was involved with LEGO during the development of the LEGO EV3 platform. A year ago, he quit his job in the IT industry and is now working as a software engineer for one of the world’s leading educational robotics programming software and curriculum companies called Robomatter, based in Pittsburgh, PA, USA.

In his spare time, he likes to write drivers and build robots. He manages several online robotics communities and is a member of a few educational robotics companies’ test and feedback panels.

Najaar 2015

2023-05-27
 
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