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Foreword

This book is the result of a lifetime exploring the world of LEGO. As a kid, I
loved taking mechanical things apart to figure out how they worked, then
either putting them back together or using the parts to invent something new,
so I really enjoyed playing with LEGOs—despite the fact that the things I built
often fell apart! Eventually, though, I grew out of them. Several years after I
grew out of this first LEGO phase, LEGO introduced the TECHNIC line of
LEGOs, a superior set of building parts allowing sturdy structures and compli-
cated designs with gears, levers, and all kinds of moving mechanics, and then
introduced the MINDSTORMS line. Two and a half years ago, my wife got me
the LEGO MINDSTORMS Dark Side Developer Kit for Christmas—I immedi-
ately built the AT-AT walker and was hooked on LEGOs all over again. A few
months later, I went out and got the Robot Invention System 1.5, and thus
began my second LEGO phase. LEGO’s TECHNIC and MINDSTORMS kits
have allowed me to pursue both my passion for building with LEGOs and my
interest in all things mechanical.
This book is a first for my co-authors, Syngress, and myself. I’ve really
enjoyed working with and getting to know the other authors (and the people at
Syngress) during the development of this book. The Internet has allowed
Syngress to gather a team of authors from many different countries, including
Britain, Holland, Denmark, Japan, and the United States. Before I began
working on the book, I’d met J.P. Brown in person when he was doing some
consulting work in St. Paul, Minnesota. I’d also had some contact with Miguel
Agullo (a.k.a. “Technic Puppy”) because he runs a Web page dedicated specifi-
cally to LEGO biped robots, which are my favorite type of robot to invent. I’d
heard of Soren Rolighed because he made it into the LEGO MINDSTORMS
Hall of Fame, and I’d also heard of Hideaki Yabuki (a.k.a. “Joda”, which is

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