Lego computers are about as old as the case mod scene itself, but while many have qualified as interesting, we've never seen a truly sexy Lego box before Luke Anderson's all-black "Lego Computer," which seems to distill all we've ever loved about high-end workstation boxen into lovable Lego form. Bonus points for full documentation of the project released under the Creative Commons license. Time-lapse vid is after the break.

[Via SlashGear]

There was a time when the world was more innocent and Lincoln Logs in elementary classrooms were a given, but now that teachers are looking to squash every ounce of fun between 8AM and 3PM (okay, so maybe we just had a rough experience or two), LEGO's taking the back door in. The WeDo robotics kit is marketed toward elementary schools and the younger kids within them, with each package containing 158 blocks, gears, levers, etc., a USB hub for connecting to your Mac / PC, OLPC XO or Intel Classmate, a motor, one motion sensor, one tilt sensor and a CD with a smattering of sure-to-be-riveting activities. Mum's the word on pricing for now, but considering your tax dollars will be paying for 'em, it's not like you'll really benefit from knowing.

[Via BoingBoing]

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.

Too busy to bother with external speakers for your iPod? Still can't shake that fascination with colored blocks after all these decades? Take heart, young buck, as the iPod building block speakers can keep that kid in you alive for a good bit longer -- though we aren't sure the audiophile in you will be too pleased. These non-powered "drivers" get amped after being plugged into an iPod's dock connector (sorry, iPhone users), but curiously enough, they only arrive in a single 2.5- x 1- x .75-inch form, which doesn't exactly fit flush against the last-gen nano. Nevertheless, those giddy about the notion of claiming a few as their own can pick 'em up in yellow, white, red, black, blue and green for $24.99 apiece.

[Via BoingBoing]

Toy blocks infused with LEDs aren't items that your youngster isn't familiar with, but implanting hints of light into existing LEGO kits just adds an element of satisfaction not bundled with pre-fabricated alternatives. Enter the Lifelites eLite kits, which enables builders to wire LEDs within LEGO models fairly discretely, and given the option, you can spring for models that actually let you control the flashing action. Available now, the kits range from $30 to $50 sans a 9-volt battery box and cell, and you can tempt yourself further by checking out a finished product after the jump.

[Via BoingBoing, video courtesy of BrickJournal]

We can't say that no one has ever doled out a USB flash drive with a hint of Lego before, but how could one ever complain about more? This go 'round, it's Solid Alliance doing the deed with its USB Brick Key. The device arrives doused in green, black, blue or red and offers up 1GB of internal storage space, but unfortunately, pricing is one detail it failed to divulge. Feel free to take one last peek after the jump, you know you can't resist.

[Via AkihabaraNews]

C'mon, be honest -- the unofficial cutoff age for playing with Legos sans kids is sometime way before puberty, but thanks to a new development from Carnegie Mellon University, we adults may soon be able to unashamedly indulge in those desires once more. Posey, hailed as a "hands-on way of interacting with computers," features a plethora of snap-together, sensor-laden parts that can communicate with PCs through ZigBee. When a user attaches a leg to a body, for instance, an on-screen representation immediately mimics the movement, providing hours of fun and some real promise for future applications. No word on whether these things are set to go commercial anytime soon, but we'd sure love to replace this aging (and seemingly busted) voodoo doll with one of these critters, pronto.

[Image courtesy of Posey Code Lab Wiki]

We've got to give credit where it's due, and there's no room to debate that David McNeel deserves quite a helping of kudos. Shortly after crafting a fully-functional Gibson Explorer Guitar Hero controller, this Lego modder extraordinaire has created yet another axe that totally outdoes the more traditional (read: factory built) alternatives. Modeled after a Fender Jazz Bass, this thing includes all of the electronics from an original axe, and it maintains every ounce of utility while attracting quite a few extra members for your ever-expanding fan club. Hit the read link to check out a couple more shots.

[Via Technabob]

What better way to complement your LEGO-fied Wii than to build a LEGO-based Zapper holster for your Wiimote? mrklaw managed to do just that with a colorful assortment of old blocks, and yes, he even left an opening in the rear for the nunchuck. There's also a finely crafted trigger depressor that mashes in the B button underneath, but we've no idea how well this thing would hold together after hours of flailing around while trying to peg on-screen baddies. Nevertheless, it's a whole lot cheaper (provided you've got the parts, and c'mon, you've got the parts) than the alternatives out there, and it's a darn good excuse to bust out the bricks your SO made you lock away after your 28th birthday.

[Via NintendoWiiFanboy]

Lying somewhere between the roboflusher and LEGO car-producing LEGO factory on the practicality scale, José Pino's Mindstorms NXT gramophone brings together all the fun and tinny sound of this antiquated music system with today's modern DIY sensibilities. Using little more than an off-the-shelf NXT kit running at 25% power, and, um, a fast food beverage cup, Pino was able rig together a very basic platform for spinning his vinyl, although scratching is probably not recommended on this rather delicate setup. Keep reading for a quick video walkthrough accompanied by those old-timey tunes so popular among today's seniors.

[Via Hacked Gadgets]

Believe us when we tell you that we've seen Legos used in ways its creators could have never, ever imagined. Thankfully, a team from the University of Illinois found a way to demonstrate a rather useful (read: not bizarre) technology with everyone's favorite building block. By setting up shop at the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers in Minnesota, students were able to show off an autonomous crop harvesting system that transferred heaps of BBs onto unloaders, which then hurried them away to meet artificial deadlines. The setup was configured using Robolab software, and aside from requiring the creators to dump BBs into the harvester, the entire show was put on sans human interaction. Granted, the idea behind all of this is far from fresh, but there's just something strangely satisfying about putting a stash of spare Legos to work for you.

We were always a little wary of bringing our Legos into the bathroom, but if you've got no such baseless fears, BattleBricks has published a handy how to on building one of those fancy auto-flushers you see in some of the finest washrooms worldwide. Using only parts from a standard NXT Mindstorms kit, Will Gorman rigged up a contraption that employs the ultrasonic sensor module to detect the presence and then absence of a bathroom-goer, and also features a dedicated button to perform a Rube Goldberg-esque manual flush. Keep on reading for a thankfully-SFW demo vid of the so-called "RoboFlush"...

The genius behind PodBrix never ceases to amaze, and the Young Woz and Jobs Playset might just be the best yet. Complete with a circa-1972 Steve Jobs thought bubble, the set goes on sale the 29th at 9:00PM EST. You can nab the Playset and relive your childhood fantasies for a mere $39.99, but you'd better act fast: PodBrix is only building 300 of 'em, and once they're gone they're gone.

[Via Gearlog]