The International Space University (ISU) in Strasbourg, France uses MINDSTORMS NXT Robots to assist with learning about space exploration concepts. Through a generous donation of MINDSTORMS NXT kits from The LEGO Company, students at ISU developed a robotic rover to pick up a number of small stones on a surface with obstacles. Students were awarded points based on the number of stones collected as well as on the number of successful avoidance manoeuvres. The MINDSTORMS NXT rovers fulfilled their tasks successfully.

The ISU postgraduate program covers all aspects of space activities. Besides the obvious scientific and technical areas of space exploration, topics such as space commerce, space law, business and management and policy, and even space and art and philosophy are also studied to ensure that the broadest possible spectrum is covered.

Robotics is one of the key elements in space exploration. The risk to send humans to planetary objects is generally preceded by robotic missions, where rovers explore the surface and perform the necessary measurements. It is therefore of paramount importance to all ISU students to have some insight in robot technologies.

Finding the right basic kit for this activity is a challenge, as teams are composed of students with extensive robotics experience but also with students who have had little contact with technology in their undergraduate studies. LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT provides ISU with the right compromise. The elements are easy to combine in a way that even non-specialists will be able to follow, and can, on the other hand, be made sufficiently sophisticated to also satisfy technically experienced students.

So you can use LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT to prepare yourself for a field in space exploration!

Learn more about ISU at their website:
http://www.isunet.edu
The International Space University (ISU) in Strasbourg, France uses MINDSTORMS NXT Robots to assist with learning about space exploration concepts. Through a generous donation of MINDSTORMS NXT kits from The LEGO Company, students at ISU developed a robotic rover to pick up a number of small stones on a surface with obstacles. Students were awarded points based on the number of stones collected as well as on the number of successful avoidance manoeuvres. The MINDSTORMS NXT rovers fulfilled their tasks successfully.

The ISU postgraduate program covers all aspects of space activities. Besides the obvious scientific and technical areas of space exploration, topics such as space commerce, space law, business and management and policy, and even space and art and philosophy are also studied to ensure that the broadest possible spectrum is covered.

Robotics is one of the key elements in space exploration. The risk to send humans to planetary objects is generally preceded by robotic missions, where rovers explore the surface and perform the necessary measurements. It is therefore of paramount importance to all ISU students to have some insight in robot technologies.

Finding the right basic kit for this activity is a challenge, as teams are composed of students with extensive robotics experience but also with students who have had little contact with technology in their undergraduate studies. LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT provides ISU with the right compromise. The elements are easy to combine in a way that even non-specialists will be able to follow, and can, on the other hand, be made sufficiently sophisticated to also satisfy technically experienced students.

So you can use LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT to prepare yourself for a field in space exploration!

Learn more about ISU at their website:
http://www.isunet.edu