Tutorial: Manty

Manty is an official Mindstorms NXT 2.0 Bonus Model

This shy little robot is a 6 legged Mantis that walks around and shows emotions. It’s one of the official LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT 2.0 Bonus models and it appears on the NXT 2.0 package. This page will show you how to build and program your own Manty.

Requirements:

Building:

Click the picture to go to the instructions

Important: While building, pay special attention to the motor position and the orientation of the cams (those pieces that will push the touch sensor). You should build the robot exactly as indicated in the instructions, or the robot may not walk well.

Programming:

Click to download the NXT-G Program for Manty. Download and run! If the robot has problems walking straight, check the note above.

A version of the Manty Program

More pictures:

Video:

42 Responses
  1. a;ldkfj;aksd;fja;skldfj

    what websites can you find to help you program the nxt generations 2.0…. there is nothing on here that said anything

    1. KiddEagle

      If u click the blue link that is under programming you can download the program for manty, if you are trying to make your own you can use that one for reference, or just put that program straight into your nxt.

  2. Sambot

    I made manty and it is an amasing robot but it never sees me and puts its head down and walks away, is there anything i could try fixing?

    Thank-you

    1. You might want to check if the cable of the Ultrasonic Sensor is on port 4. Also, make sure that the cable does not prevent the head from moving down completely. Maybe the head is stuck due to the cable?

    1. Keisuke

      Hello Paul!Congratulations on the Lego Forklift challenge! It was diitnfeely fun compared to other labs in our other modules (no prizes if you guessed which)!Your picture above really shows the cultural diversity of your group. The way your group overcame whatever difficulties that were due this diversity is worth commending. I like how you brought up the “listening eyes”. It just shows how many different ways we can communicate as humans.Building connections and closing gaps is very important in intercultural communications. To successfully complete the task at hand, it does not matter what race or culture, communication within the team is essential.For my case, I am thankful to be fluent in both mandarin and the english language. It makes communication that much easier between cultures as we have a common language. Nonetheless, I am very happy to be able to interact with other cultures through the use of effective communications.CheersQinxian

  3. Zach

    Is there some way I can subbstitute the peices that touch the button because I lost one and I know that’s a vital part of the robot?

  4. some random person

    when ever my manty moves, when the part gets to the touch sensor it stops because its in the way, and if I remove it only one leg moves, please help

    1. Only one leg moves because it tries to synchronize the two legs. It can’t do that without the cam elements. It does this because the left leg set must always move half a rotation behind the right set. If you position them this way manually, you can just make it move with regular move blocks.

      You may have placed the cam elements incorrectly – please go back to the according steps and retry.

  5. Justin Notarianni

    Let me tell you something, laurens. This little dude is probably the best nxt robot I have ever made. He’s cute and can easily scare my cats. Nice job on this model.

  6. Somebody with a question

    yo Laurens
    Als ik Manty neerzet, beweegt ie alleen de rechterpoot. verder werkt alles
    help me!

    in English

    yo Laurens
    If i set down Manty, it only moves his right leg. all other things work
    help me!

    1. Make sure you’ve connected the cables correctly, and that the cam elements that press the Touch Sensor are connected correctly. Each motor should press the Touch Sensor each time it goes round.

    1. Well, you can download the ready made program from this page. Try running only the Synchronize block and then a Move block to move straight forward.

      If this does not make the robot walk straight forward as in the video, you’ll know that there’s something either incorrectly connected on your robot, or a cable is missing or incorrectly connected.

      Laurens

        1. Great, so now we’ve narrowed down the problem a bit. Now manually put the legs on the left exactly in the same position as the ones on the right. For example, place the middle legs on both sides fully down.

          Now, do the elements that press the Touch Sensor point in the same direction, and are they in the same position? They should be, so move one of them if they’re not. I think one of these cam elements is misplaced in your robot 🙂

  7. Somebody with a question

    now i build an another robot, every time my robot works (or a robot i copy form internet :)) i start an another project
    almoast all of my robots i copy from internet. you learn realy much from it (if it is a difficult robot)
    so thank you for all Laurens
    laterz!

  8. Peter Jancik

    I bought NXT 2.0 on craigslist without CD. Is it possible to buy your book, download your programs and use them in EV3 software? I have a hard time to get the NXT 2.0 software. Any advice how to get quickly started?

  9. anoniem

    Hoi,
    het hoofd van mijn manty werkt niet zoals het hoort, meer bepaald de ultrasonic sensor. Ik heb die sensor ook al met andere zaken getest; en dan werkt ie wel.
    Weet iemand hierop raad?
    MVG

  10. Carol Horner

    Just getting started teaching a robotics class. Is there any more explanation to the program. I don’t really understand the Logic block at the beginning of the program. What is it reading as True or False?

    1. Saleh

      Not a problem. I’ve leenrad that when it comes to blogs, if you take a side on an issue, comments tend to start popping up on the side-issue and ignore the original purpose of the blog (which in this case, is all things NXT).I hope you’re enjoying the information AND looking forward to NXT’s release.jim

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