Video: iPhone + LEGO robot = superfluous genius

It's not always a question of why -- sometimes why not will suffice. The rolling bot above relies upon the Mindstorms NXT light sensor's ability to read the contrasting colors on the iPhone display. After some simple programming and DIY tomfoolery you can drive the robot from the comforts of your WiFi-enabled web browser. Overkill? Oh hells yeah, but at least now your iPhone will serve a purpose after Monday. See how the kids at Battlebricks did it in the video after the break.

[Kip HT @ Jun 4th 2008 4:32AM]

Cool!

I wish I still had my mindstorms!

[dervheid @ Jun 4th 2008 5:06AM]

Finally.
A decent use for the iPhone.

[Rynth @ Jun 4th 2008 5:25AM]

*passes dervheid a Apple fanboy retardant suit*

[dervheid @ Jun 4th 2008 9:07AM]

No need.
I eat those baby's for breakfast!
(dunno why, as there invariably tasteless!)

[Steffen Jobbs @ Jun 4th 2008 9:52AM]

He could have used a HTC Touch Diamond, however.....

[Anonimouse @ Jun 4th 2008 6:07AM]

This can just as easily be done using _one_ iPhone, since the lego brick has bluetooth. In fact, it would likely result in a faster response time.

[Dracorius @ Jun 4th 2008 6:22AM]

@Aninimouse: Indeed. Since the brick has Bluetooth, you can pretty much program any Bluetooth-enabled cell phone to controll a robot like that. Hell, you'd hardly have to program anything, since the NXJ API already has the necessary functionality that creates the connection, and sends the commands to the brick...

I'm not impressed...

[obiang @ Jun 4th 2008 7:08AM]

Maybe for something further than the 200m range of bluetooth.

[Vince @ Jun 4th 2008 8:29AM]

The guy programmed it and built the app himself. Show some respect instead of comparing it to the easy way to do it.

[Jaque-o @ Jun 4th 2008 9:32AM]

@ Vince

Why? It's like reïnventing the wheel
*Hops on the "not impressed" wagon*

[dj-kenpo @ Jun 4th 2008 9:37AM]

wifi is WAY cooler than simply using bluetooth. come on.

this can be controlled from another country.
he did soemthing himself instead of relying on the API, and it'll allow him to do more (IE webcam enabled robot that can be controlled while he travels in another country or whatever. just one example..) stuff you can't do with bluetooth.

the easy way is usually the lame way too.
the whole idea of lego is creativity. not just doing what the instructions tell you too.

[Jaque-o @ Jun 4th 2008 10:48AM]

Well, I have to admit, it could be handy when you're in another country and you really want to control it when... Errrr.. Wait... Why would you use this again?

It's a toy, it's been build by an expert, it prolly functions perfect, yet its utterly useless if you ask me..

Try build an iPhone shell that can get me a beer out of the fridge and i'll be siked!

(Note, i'm not bashing the creator, what he did wasnt easy, but pointless seems to fit in the context)

[dj-kenpo @ Jun 4th 2008 11:09AM]

when has lego ever been anything but 'pointless'?

sorry did I miss out on a previous lego creation curing cancer?

was that last week?

he learned something and did something. which is better than people who do nothing or sit on their ass watching tv.

[Dracorius @ Jun 4th 2008 12:14PM]

Ok, he might have taken a more creative approach. And, true enough, the thing could be controlled from across a country. But to me he's still making things needlessly difficult.

And even so. What he did can be programmed in like, one page of code. (I've worked with lego mindstorms, checking the sensorvalue and performing the assigned action is not that hard.) So i don't get why it is so great.

[Brian @ Jun 4th 2008 1:41PM]

As noted, using the light sensors to control a Mindstorm robot is straight forward. How is this overly complicated?

Am I the only one who sees this as an elegant and simple solution?

[Dracorius @ Jun 4th 2008 3:06PM]

Elegant? How is using 2 300$ iphones and a robot 3 times the size he could have been an elegant solution to make a mindstorms robot drive around?

[Lucas Arruda @ Jun 5th 2008 8:55AM]

There just a "small" difference. You can access this application from anywhere in the world. He could have used sensors for doing any other job.

[AMc @ Jun 4th 2008 6:35AM]

"Look a remote control toy!" You've got to admire the amount effort expended to do something so mundane

If only their brain powers could be harnessed for good :)

Next on engadget ... sledgehammer used to "unbox" a nut.

[imon9 @ Jun 4th 2008 6:35AM]

LOL..iphone on a life-support wheelchair...

[virain @ Jun 4th 2008 6:39AM]

When a cat has nothing to do, it licks its balls

[Amol @ Jun 4th 2008 4:27PM]

When virain has nothing to do, we get comments like these

[XO101 @ Jun 4th 2008 6:46AM]

There is an symbian OS program out "there" that let's you do the excact same over bluetooth.

Works a lot faster to ;)

[Bones3D @ Jun 4th 2008 6:49AM]

Wow... and just when you thought cell-phone based bombs were scary enough by themselves. Now they're mobile? All you need as an iPhone app that can both drive this beast *and* send real time video data from its camera to someone controlling it from miles away, and you've got terror in a tiny package with no immediate suspects nearby.

[Technex @ Jun 4th 2008 11:21AM]

Yeah, I don't think no one is going to spot this roaming along next to them... :)

[Scout @ Jun 4th 2008 7:05AM]

Now, let's see how this thing up against ze "Ballmer bot"

http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/microsoft/archives/140308.asp

[iEye @ Jun 4th 2008 7:17AM]

Neat!

[Astral @ Jun 4th 2008 8:34AM]

The guy forgot that bluetooth is present natively for controlling mindstorms Lego Suite... LOL

[PDubNYC @ Jun 4th 2008 10:42AM]

ya, i'm sure he forgot. LOL LOL LOL

f'n laughing monkey

[4honor @ Jun 4th 2008 9:01AM]

Great, I already have the NXT, now I just need to get the iPhone...

[Takato @ Jun 4th 2008 12:14PM]

Like others have said, he should have used the iphone's bluetooth system. But he should also use the built in camera for the video feed.

[LOL @ Jun 4th 2008 2:25PM]

Actually what others have said is that the iphone and light sensor are both useless to accomplished what he did, he really just wasted a shit load of time writing the code. Unless he plans to stream a live video feed from the built in camera.

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius -- and a lot of courage -- to move in the opposite direction."
-- Albert Einstein

[PeterF @ Jun 4th 2008 2:26PM]

iPhones bluetooth system sucks, it is only for headsets and nothing else.
Windows Mobile on the other hand, wouldn't need some stupid contraption that reads colors off the screen but rather just bluetooth.

[sinai @ Jun 4th 2008 5:12PM]

i never thought i'd ever see iphone and "superfluous" in the same sentence.

....