Summary

The RWTH - Mindstorms NXT Toolbox provides several MATLAB functions for controlling

• Bluetooth and USB connections,
  
• the NXT sensors (e.g. touch, sound, light and ultrasonic sensor),
  
• further digital NXT sensors (e.g. infrared seeker, accelerator and compass sensor),
  
• the NXT servo motors and
  
• additional NXT system features (e.g. get battery level, play tone).
  

Also some helper functions for an effective programming experience are implemented.

Unique features

The following features make the RWTH - Mindstorms NXT toolbox state of the art in languages which control the NXT from a computer:

     Precise and fast motor movements of ±1 degree accuracy, thanks to the special hybrid technology MotorControl

     Easy-to-use high level commands that don't require knowledge of the underlying NXT communication protocol

     Multi-NXT support to control and mix as many USB or Bluetooth devices as your hardware supports

     Comprehensive documentation with descriptions and examples for every function

     Performance optimized functions to get the fastest results possible

     Well tested and stable - used by almost 400 students each year

Advantages of using the RWTH - Mindstorms NXT Toolbox

(compared to programming languages operating directly on the NXT brick)

• Huge increase in available CPU power and memory
  
• Virtually unlimited program size (compared to classic NXT programs)
  
• Control multiple robots from within one single program (only limited by hardware)
  
• Run remote MATLAB programs to observe sensors etc. while classic NXT programs are executing at the same time
  
• Use additional common hardware, e.g. webcams, joysticks, etc.
  
• Advanced debugging features are fully supported, i.e. breakpoints, step-by-step execution, on-the-fly variable inspection
  
• Enjoy the advantages of networking and internet in your robot applications
  
• Impressive and well-documented 2D- and 3D-visualization capabilities for data representation
  
• Use existing programs, toolboxes or libraries, e.g. neural networks, image processing, databases
  
• Easy-to-use MATLAB profiler to detect bottlenecks of your programs
  
• Use MATLAB's GUIDE® to easily design applications and forms using drag and drop
  
• The RWTH Mindstorms NXT Toolbox is stable and was successfully tested by over 380 students using about 200 NXT robots and 200 computers running various operating systems