Mindstorms -- Engadget

mindstorms posts

G4 Cube given wheels, automation, the will to race Woz's Segway

by Ross Miller, posted May 30th 2009 at 7:31AM

Not wanting the Allspark to beat them to the punch, the gang at thinkingbricks has given life to an Apple G4 Cube, complete with LEGO Mindstorms NXT-borne retractable wheels, a Bluetooth controller, automation via sensors, and a creepy red LED. That transparent base really makes the wheel deployment much more dramatic, a nice touch if we do say so ourselves. There aren't any step-by-step instructions, but there should be plenty of information at the page if you're thiking of making your own as a weekend project. Either way, be sure to check it out on video, located after the break.

Continue reading G4 Cube given wheels, automation, the will to race Woz's Segway

3D scanner made entirely from Legos

by Joseph L. Flatley, posted Mar 23rd 2009 at 11:01AM

We've seen some pretty kick-ass Lego creations over the years, and this one is no exception -- if anything, it gets bonus points for not only being a pretty sweet hack, but for enabling sweeter, more complex, hacks in the future. The 3D scanner was built by Philo Hurbain, who was looking for a way to model complex Lego parts for use in the LDraw CAD program. This bad boy -- including drive components and sensors -- is entirely made from the colorful plastic toy, except for the probe needle (an old school sewing needle, apparently). The "brain" of this thing is Mindstorms NXT. But that ain't all! Check out the device in action as it models a tiny Lego frog -- video after the break.

[Via Make]

Continue reading 3D scanner made entirely from Legos

Limited edition Lego Mindstorms NXT brings back a decade of memories

by Darren Murph, posted Feb 28th 2009 at 10:37PM

We'll just go ahead and warn you -- don't even think of giving the read link any attention if you're both a) a Lego freak and b) strapped for cash. Otherwise, you'll definitely be $169.99 further away from paying the light bill next month, as the limited edition Mindstorms Black NXT Brick is simply a must-have item for even amateur collectors. The device, which was created to celebrate ten years of Mindstorms, boasts four input ports, a trio of output ports for motors, a large dot-matrix display, USB 2.0, Bluetooth, a 32-bit microprocessor and a digital wire interface for third-party developments. We'd get in line now if you want to be assured of a piece come March 3rd, but that's totally your call.

[Via GoRobotics]

Lego safe is made from robot parts, will guard your mint condish Robocop figurines just nicely

by Samuel Axon, posted Nov 19th 2008 at 6:09AM

No, your eyes don't deceive: it's a Lego safe. Apparently Lego's computer-equipped Mindstorms NXT can be used for something more practical than launching robots into space (great as that was), and believe it or not, this box is actually kind of secure. Five double digit codes protect your valuables, and the dial goes both ways, so there's a left and right entry for each number -- hence, over 305 billion possible combinations. Moving the safe will trip motion sensors and set off an alarm, and bars inside strengthen the structure, so while master diamond thieves won't be deterred, surreptitious little siblings might. Video after the break, and check the right nav through the read link to dig up building instructions.

[Via Digg]

Continue reading Lego safe is made from robot parts, will guard your mint condish Robocop figurines just nicely

LEGO Mindstorms ready for Tuesday space launch

by Thomas Ricker, posted Jul 29th 2008 at 4:00AM

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of LEGO Mindstorms, a group of professors, middle-school students, and corporate nerds will be launching several Mindstorms robots into near-space. The High Altitude LEGO Extravaganza (HALE) project will set the robots aloft in an atmospheric weather balloon shortly before sunrise this morning outside of Reno, Nevada. At about 100,000 feet (30km) the balloon will burst and the robots will parachute back to terra firma collecting data and photographs along the way. One robot named Lil' Joe will attempt a world record free-fall decent before deploying its parachute on a pre-programmed schedule. Mind you, the world record is attributable to Mindstorms NXT free-fall, a title we expect is currently held by your little brother sleeping upstairs.

Read -- HALE
Read -- HALE launch tracking

Video: iPhone + LEGO robot = superfluous genius

by Thomas Ricker, posted Jun 4th 2008 at 4:25AM

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.

Continue reading Video: iPhone + LEGO robot = superfluous genius

How to build a toilet-flushing Lego robot

by Evan Blass, posted Sep 28th 2007 at 8:12AM

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"...

Continue reading How to build a toilet-flushing Lego robot

2007 Robot Hall of Fame Inductees: now 75% more real

by Nilay Patel, posted May 15th 2007 at 8:05PM

The Robot Hall of Fame has always struck as a little odd, what with their inclusion of fictional bots, but it looks like the class of 2007 might the one that turns the tide. For the first time in the four-year history of the Hall, the jury of 25 roboticists selected more real bots than fictional -- LEGO Mindstorms (pictured), the NAVLAB 5, the Raibert Hopper, and Mr. Data made the cut this year, making the final score three real to one, uh, television. While you know how we love Mindstorms, and we're glad to see Data finally make it, the two lesser-known inductees also seem pretty trick to us: NAVLAB 5, a robotic Oldsmobile Silhouette, was honored for driving itself from Pittsburgh to San Diego way back in 1995, while the Raibert Hopper one-legged hopper made it for containing the basic tech DNA that underlies all those two- and four- (and more) legged bots we've got running around these days. Congrats to the honorees, and here's hoping the real bots keep it up.

[Via SuicideBots]

LEGO Johnny Five is (kinda) alive; needs input

by Nilay Patel, posted May 1st 2007 at 5:56PM

While we're no strangers to the crazy robots people build out of LEGOs, Daniele Benedettelli's LEGO Johnny Five has got to be the most awe-inspiring brickwork we've seen in a while. The NXT-based 'bot actually contains two NXT units that communicate via Bluetooth to provide Mr. Five a full range of motion from his 6 motors and as much input as he can handle from up to 8 sensors. Benedettelli built the model after careful study of Johnny Five photos to determine his precise measurements, and two previous attempts. While we applaud all this effort, we can't imagine how much time it's going to take him to plate version 4 in gold. Check the read link for plans and videos of Johnny in action.

[Via MAKE: blog]

The 2006 Engadget Awards: Vote for Robot of the Year

by Ryan Block, posted Apr 10th 2007 at 1:22PM

Now's your chance to cast your ballot for the 2006 Portable Media Device of the Year! Our Engadget Awards nominees are listed below, and you've got until 11.59PM EST on Sunday, April 15th to file your vote. You can only vote once, so make it count, and may the best tech win! The nominees: Cornell's "conscious", adapting robot, Lego Mindstorms NXT, Manoi AT01, TMX Tickle Me Elmo, Whitebox Robotics 914 PC Bot, and Wowwee Robosapien RS Media.

Build your own WiigoBot, the Lego NXT Mindstorms Wii Bowling Robot

by Conrad Quilty-Harper, posted Apr 6th 2007 at 4:04AM

Other than causing excessive pain to people walking around carelessly with bare feet, there's a lot of things you can do with Lego bricks. We recently saw that it's possible to make a fully automated Wii Sports bowling machine using Lego NXT Mindstorms, and now the complete guide has been posted over at BattleBricks. The fun has to be in the construction here, because unlike previous efforts, about all you can expect to gain from completion is a machine that can repeatedly throw a virtual bowling ball. You'll need a fair amount of kit here too, so be prepared to scrounge around that box of bricks to find those eight "Technic Pins with Friction and Slots" which you swear you saw at the bottom the other day. In the end, we're left wondering how abstract all this can get: will someone end up building a real life bot that automatically flies virtual, long haul flights? If so, how enthralling.

WiigoBot melds Lego with Wii bowling, knocks down all 10 pins in our hearts

by Paul Miller, posted Mar 30th 2007 at 11:17AM

If a lowly blogger could die from awesomeness, we're pretty sure we'd be keeling over right about now. The Lego Mindstorms geekz0rs over at BattleBricks have managed to reach new heights of human ingenuity, melding a Mindstorms NXT kit, some clever programming and Nintendo's Wii to create an unstoppable bowling machine capable of tossing a perfect game without breaking a sweat, growing a nasty mustache, or sporting a beer belly. While the BattleBricks folks don't provide precise instructions on how to build this yourself, they've got plenty of evidence that it does, indeed, bowl like a champ. So peep the action video after the break, and then start plotting your own NXT creation conquer some other form of automated Wii Sports point inflation -- we never could quite get the hang of tennis.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading WiigoBot melds Lego with Wii bowling, knocks down all 10 pins in our hearts

Jin Sato describes his robotic MIBO pet on camera

by Darren Murph, posted Mar 25th 2007 at 11:30AM

Long before the NXT kits hit the mainstream, humanoid guru and robot designer Jin Sato was crafting a mechanical pet of his very own from original LEGO Mindstorm pieces -- not to mention the motors, motherboards, and gear trains to get MIBO movin'. Sure, Sato's rendition isn't nearly as smooth and sexy as Sony's AIBO, but we all know beauty is in the eye of the beholder, right? Going on six years (that's human years, by the way) now, MIBO and his five motors are still making out alright, and although a bit of expected arthritis takes its toll every now and then, it still manages to keep its owner company. So if you're interested in seeing just how MIBO was given life, or if hearing the voice of a renowned robotic genius simply makes you weep, click on through for a world-class lesson in fun.

[Via Robots]

Continue reading Jin Sato describes his robotic MIBO pet on camera

Lego Mindstorms NXTway-G much cooler than Segway

by Jeannie Choe, posted Mar 13th 2007 at 12:05PM

Since kits became available last year, there certainly hasn't been a shortage of clever robots over at the Lego Mindstorms NXT community, but Roy Watanabe's NXTway-G caught our collective eye. He took direct inspiration from similar self-balancing bots, the Legway and NXTway (basically NXT brick-controlled mini-Segways), but took it to the next level by using a gyroscopic sensor -- and from the looks of the video, it's a smooth operator. NXTway-G can stand in place, climb a slope, and take a modest shove. We say modest because of its one downfall -- if knocked flat, it'll find itself in one of those "I've fallen and I can't get up" situations -- and nobody wants a whiny bot on their hands.

Read - Mindstorms NXTlog
Read - NXTway-G in action

Continue reading Lego Mindstorms NXTway-G much cooler than Segway

Lego CakeBot lives to serve, envies your digestive system

by Paul Miller, posted Jan 30th 2007 at 1:23PM

Look at it serving diligently, not even a whimper or a grumble. Sure, you'll be sorry a few years from now as it bakes a cake from the remains of human civilization, but isn't it so cute in the fleeting present? The Lego CakeBot was built by Niclas and Isak for a birthday party and does its job well -- if only those kids knew the far reaching destruction that will soon be caused by their innocent little creation. Peep the video after the break.

[Via Hack-A-Day]

Continue reading Lego CakeBot lives to serve, envies your digestive system