Move Block

Use this block to set your robot to go forwards or backwards in a straight line or to turn by following a curve. Define how far your robot will go by using the Duration property.

Image of block, data hub closed

The letters at the top right corner of the block show which of your NXTs ports will be controlled.
This icon shows which direction your robot will go.
This icon shows the power level. Your robot’s speed may also be affected by other conditions, like the surface it is moving over or whether it is moving up or down a slope.
This icon shows whether you have set the Duration property to unlimited, degrees, rotations, or seconds.

Image of block showing stop icon

This icon shows that the Direction property is set to "stop". This setting will stop all motors.

Configuring the Move Block

Image of configuration panel

Select the motors you would like to control. If you choose to control two motors (Example: B & C), the motors will be synchronized, going forward or backwards at exactly the same power. If you select three motors, motors B & C will be synchronized.
Choose whether the motors will go forward, go backwards, or stop. Selecting Stop will also reset the motors. (See also the Reset Motor Block file.)
If you’re using two motors to drive a vehicle (with one on each side), the Steering slider will appear with the chosen port letters indicated at each side. Move the slider to set a curved path for your robot. With the slider all the way to either side, your vehicle will spin in place.
This slider and the editable input box will let you set the power level [0-100%].
Using the Duration pull-down menu, you can set the motors to run for an unlimited interval or for a set number of seconds, rotations [default] or degrees. By choosing Time, Rotation or Degrees you can control how far your robot will travel. (See the Tip below.)
Choose whether the motors will brake or coast after they’ve finished their action. If you want your robot to stop precisely at an exact location, set the motors to brake. Setting your motors to brake will also keep your robot from slowly rolling backwards on a slope but the setting will wear out the NXTs batteries quicker because the motors are doing work to keep the robot in place.
The feedback boxes will count how many degrees or full rotations your motors turn. Press the reset button to return the values to zero. (To receive feedback, make sure that the motors are connected to the chosen ports and that communication has been established with the NXT.)

Tip: How do I get my Robot to Travel a Certain Distance?

You’ll do this by looking at the feedback boxes (7).

For Wheeled or Tracked Vehicles:

First press the feedback box’s reset button. With either the USB cable still connected or an active Bluetooth connection, place your robot at a starting point and roll it forward with your hand. You’ll notice that the feedback box will count how many rotations or degrees your motors turn. (The Duration property must be set to Rotation or Degrees for this to work.) At your desired finishing point, stop rolling your robot and note the displayed number of rotations or degrees. If you type this value into the Duration property’s input box, and download and then run your program, your robot will drive the distance you measured.

For Robots with Legs:

Here you’ll have to begin a process of trial and error, choosing a set number of rotations or degrees and checking to see how close you come to your target destination. Make sure to press the reset button before beginning.

Other Uses of Duration

When programming a tool like a grabber, it is a good idea to set a time in the Duration property. This will save you from having to measure the exact number of degrees to operate your tool and allow you to complete your program.

Note: Setting the motors’ duration to anything other than "Unlimited" will cause the program to wait until the robot completes the set duration; only then will the program continue.

Motor versus Robot Direction

When you set a Move or Motor blocks' direction, you are specifying the direction the motor will spin. This may be different than the direction your robot actually moves. Depending on how you build your robotic invention, setting the motors to go forwards may cause your creation to move backwards. The image below shows a motor spinning in the default, forwards direction.

Image of a Mindstorms servo motor with forwards (clockwise) direction indicated with arrows

Configuring the Move block’s Data Hub

You can control the Move block dynamically by connecting data wires (from other blocks’ data hubs) to the Move block’s data hub.

Open a block’s data hub by clicking the tab at the lower left edge of the block after it has been placed on the work area.

Image showing unopened tab on a generic block

Data wires carrying input information to a block are connected to the plugs on the left side of its data hub. Data wires carrying output information are connected to the plugs on the right side.

Image of data wires

[A] Input plug
[B] Output plug
[C] Number data wire (yellow)
[D] Logic data wire (green)
[E] Text data wire (orange)
[F] Broken data wire (gray)

Passing data from the input plug to the output plug

If an input plug has a corresponding output plug (see A above), the input data will pass through from the input plug to the output plug without being changed. In this case, you can only use the output plug if the input plug is connected to an input data wire; connecting an output data wire to such an output plug without a connected input data wire will cause the output data wire to be "broken" (and colored gray).

Data wires carry specific types of data

Each data wire carries a specific type of data between blocks. For example, if a data wire is dragged from a logic plug on a block’s data hub, it can only be connected to a logic plug on another block’s data hub. The chart below shows what kind of data each plug can accept or send out.

Data wire colors

Data wires are identified with specific colors: wires carrying number data are colored yellow, wires carrying logic data are colored green, and wires carrying text data are colored orange.

"Broken" data wires

If you try to connect a data wire to a plug of the wrong data type, the data wire will be broken (and colored gray). You will not be able to download your program if a data wire is broken.

If you click a broken wire you can read why it is broken in the small help window in the lower right corner of the work area.

Data must be within the possible range of the plug

If an input data wire transmits a value outside the possible range of the plug it is connected to, the block will either ignore the value or change it to a value within its range. For plugs that allow just a few input values (example: just 0, 1, or 2), the plug will ignore the input if a value arrives outside its range.

For plugs that accept larger input ranges (example: 0 – 100), the plug will force any input outside its range to fit. For example, if a Move block’s Power plug receives an input value of 150, the block will change the input value to 100 (i.e., a number within the Power plug’s range).

This chart shows the different characteristics of the plugs on the Move block’s data hub:

Plug	Data Type	Possible Range	What the Values Mean	This Plug is Ignored When...
Left Motor	Number	1 - 3	1 = A, 2 = B, 3 = C
Right Motor	Number	1 - 3	1 = A, 2 = B, 3 = C
Other Motor	Number	1 - 3	1 = A, 2 = B, 3 = C
Direction	Logic	True/False	True = Forwards, False = Backwards
Steering	Number	-100 - 100	< 0 = Steer towards left motor, > 0 = Steer towards right motor
Power	Number	0 - 100
Duration	Number	0 - 2147483647	Depends on Duration Type: Degrees/Rotations = Degrees, Seconds = Seconds	Duration Type = Unlimited
Next Action	Logic	True/False	True = Brake, False = Coast	Duration Type = Unlimited. Steering not equal to zero (this may only be temporary. pending firmware fix for this not to be ignored)