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Mindstorms NXT battle bot shoots bricks, breaks hearts (video)
There's so much to love about Martijn Hellemans' Mindstorms NXT battle tank: it sports independent suspension, cruise control, LED headlights, laser sighting, and a high velocity brick cannon. What's more, it's controlled by a PSP-Nx remote, but you know what we really love about this Mindstorms battle bot? It gets down to the smooth jazz -- and here we thought we were smitten with NXT Wall-E. Check out a video of our new Lego love, complete with quiet storm accompaniment, after the break.
NXTBee enables long-distance wireless for Mindstorms NXT, funny little RC cars (video)
Lego Mindstorms NXT is robotic democratization, DIY designing for the everyman, but being stuck with only Bluetooth or IR wireless can put a bit of a damper on your egalitarian goals. No more. Dexter industries (who previously brought us solar-powered Mindstorms) has created the NXTBee, which uses the an Xbee radio to send data much further: 300 feet for the base $55 NXTBee, up to a mile if you opt for the $78 NXTBee-PRO. You'll probably need two of the things, though, so make sure you budget appropriately. There's definitely some lag evident in the video of a long-range RC car below, but we're not sure if that's the wireless or the machine itself. Regardless, that's surely a design challenge that won't stop you from having fun with this one.
Lego bot built to test Kno's tablet textbook, human overlords watch gleefully (video)
Just because the first few tablet textbooks have shipped doesn't mean that members of Kno's development team are resting on their laurels. Product testing on the Kno tablet continues -- and it looks like Lego is doing the heavy lifting. They've put our favorite plastic building blocks to work by constructing a Kno stress tester out of Lego Technic parts. The robot checks both the Kno's ambient light sensor and the ability of its touchscreen to accurately track the system's pen swipes and flicks. Though not as intricate as a Lego replica of a 2000+ year old mechanical computer, the robot -- with its hypnotic pendulum-like motion -- is still a sight to behold. Check the video after the break.
DIY pinhole camera goes automatic with Lego Mindstorms (video)
As you may be aware, you can build a pinhole camera out of just about anything and, as we've seen, you can build just about anything with Lego Mindstorms -- so it makes sense the two should finally meet, right? Thanks to DIY-er Basil Shikin, they now have. He didn't just settle for a simple pinhole camera, though -- he created a fully automatic camera that's able to wind the film and control the shutter (and look good while doing so). Head on past the break to check it out in action, and hit up the link below for the complete details to build your own.
Pulito, the Lego Mindstorms swiffer-bot that seeks out electricity (video)
You could certainly buy a ready-made robot to sweep your hardwood floors, but doesn't building your own out of Lego bricks sound like loads more fun? That's what PlastiBots did with the Pulito pictured above, a Lego Mindstorms NXT sweeper with a host of sensors to navigate around furniture and a standard Swiffer pad to scrub. There's no fancy NorthStar or Celestial navigation packages to keep the bot on track, so it meanders about much of the time, but there is an fancy infrared beacon on the robot's charging dock to guide the creature home. When the Pulito's running out of juice from a long, tiring session of painstakingly traversing your floors, it's programmed to automatically seek out that invisible light and receive a loving 12 volt embrace from the station's brass charging bars. See it in action after the break, and hit our source link for more. [Thanks, Dave]
dSolar panels for Mindstorms bring green power to your Lego creations
When society collapses and the national energy infrastructure goes to pot, at least you'll still be able to run your fantastical Lego Mindstorms NXT creations. That's right: the fine folks at Dexter Industries are offering panels, batteries, and all the geegaws necessary to power your projects the old fashioned way: with the sun. The basic dSolar 2W System ($90) features a 9 volt solar panel with enough juice to power the NXt and a single motor in direct sunlight (about 250 mA). There is also a four watt system available for $100, as well as capacitor banks, parallel connectors for multiple panels, and more. Hit up the source link to get started -- but not before you check out the video after the break.
MakerLegoBot is made of Lego, makes things out of Lego, is so meta it hurts (video)
Building things out of Lego? Lots of fun. Building a thing out of Lego that itself builds other things out of Lego? That's totally mindblowing, and that's what Mindstorm master Will Gorman managed here with his MakerLegoBot masterpiece. The machine takes input from a PC running MLCAD, a sort of industrial design tool for blocknauts, and then churns out anything you like -- so long as it is comprised of 1x2, 2x2, 3x2, 4x2, and 8x2 bricks. These are fed by the machine and methodically placed in exact position, as shown in the video below. If you're hanging out in The Netherlands this upcoming weekend you can also see the thing in action at LegoWorld in Zwolle, or just build your own with the detailed plans at the source link below. But, before you start assembling, know that you'll need 2,400 bricks and nine Mindstorms NXT motors.
Lego Mindstorm NXT enlisted for shirt-folding robot
All we have to say about this shirt-folding robot is that it does a better job than we could ever hope to. And for that, we love it. Video is below.
Lego bipedal bot takes several small stairs for man, one big fall for robotkind (video)
Climbing stairs is one of the hardest physical tasks for a bipedal collection of motors and circuits, as Honda's ASIMO can relate, but one man's managed to achieve just that with this head-banging Lego Mindstorms NXT robot. After spending years tinkering with the plastic blocks, 222Doc's X-2 Chicken Walking Biped can autonomously walk up and down flights of small steps with relative ease, perform headstands and even scale five-inch cinder block cliffs if precariously pushed. The robot requires only seven Lego servo motors plus a touch sensor and gyroscope in each foot, but also uses a pair of third-party multiplexers (also spotted in that transforming Wall-E) for fine control of the extra motors. Watch it perform after the break, but stop the second video at 3:20 if pain makes you queasy -- the bot takes a pretty ugly spill.
Ask Engadget: best robot platform for under $400?
We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Ryan, who reckons it's about time he stopped playing with Lego blocks and began playing with a real man's robot platform. Just kidding about the Lego bit. If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com. "I am an aspiring roboticist who has been using Lego Mindstorms NXT for a few years and I am looking for the next step up. I have a budget of about $400. I am looking for something that has more motors, more sensors, and a way to have it live feed video back to a computer. I would also like a platform that has a large amount of building that can be done on top of it, such as adding an arm or another array of sensors, or a different drive base. I'm new to the world of robotics outside of the NXT, so any tips would be appreciated as well. Thanks!" Come on over, robot lovers. Toss those gloves and goggles aside for a moment and throw this guy some advice. What platform keeps you up in the garage at night?
Transformable Wall-E gets recreated with some love, Lego and DIY skills (video)
Sure, you'll have seen Lego-based Wall-E imitators before, but few recreate both the cuteness and the basic functionality of the drone quite like this one here. Programmed using Lego Mindstorms, this adorable little creation can transform itself into a box (like the real Wall-E!), pick up and carry objects, look up and down, and even produce and respond to sounds. It can be controlled remotely or left to do things by itself. Follow the break to see it on video.
Hacker creates Lego Mindstorms NXT-606 drum kit, just because he can (video)
If you've taken your Lego Mindstorms NXT kit to the Nerd Cup, created a 3D scanner to digitize your Precious Moments collection, and trained it to solve a Rubik's Cube, you might think you've run out of things to do. Perhaps this was the problem that Peter Cocteau faced -- or maybe he just wanted to make the most bombastic NXT project yet. He created an 8-bit sample drum machine with 24 sounds controlled entirely by two Lego rotation sensors. He did have to make a few augmentations to get the audio output working (and to add in that bitching DJ-style light to make it more club friendly). He's kindly provided all the source that you'll need to get your little blocks bumpin', but if you want yours to be just like his you'll need to do your own soldering.
Monster Chess supersizes Lego robots for ultimate geek synergy
This is like an Andre 3000 song. What's cooler than robots? Lego robots. And what's even cooler than that? Supersized Lego robots playing chess. Composed of more than 100,000 Lego Mindstorms parts, the above chess set occupies a 156-square foot playing area and took a four-person team "about a year" to create. Total retail cost is tallied up at $30,000, though you won't be surprised to hear there are no plans to make it available for purchase -- presumably because of its priceless awesomeness. See a game played out on video after the break.
Motorola Droid solves Lego-encased Rubik's Cube in 24 mind-melting seconds (video)
Oh sure, you've seen your disgustingly hairy cousin solve a Rubik's Cube in 3 minutes and 13.4 seconds, and we've seen quite a few sophisticated robots do it in far less time. But in the latest episode of "Yes, Droid Really Does," we've got Motorola's darling solving a Lego-encased Cube in just over 24 seconds. Let's recap: a Droid, a Mindstorms NXT monstrosity, a Rubik's Cube and faux techno. Is there any chance you aren't clicking through to watch this video? Update: Whoops -- had the wrong image in there somehow. Fixed now! Update II: Drats -- the video owner removed the clip. We'll keep it embedded should it return. Update III: It's back! Check it after the break.
Lego Cubestormer robot solves Rubik's Cube in sub-12 second whirlwind (video)
Robots born with the sole purpose of solving the Rubik's Cube are nothing new, but we're pretty sure we haven't seen one crack the code in under a dozen seconds before. The Cubestormer, which is built from a myriad Lego Mindstorm kits, recently took hold of the famous block and lined up every color without breaking a sweat. Oh, and did we mention that it took less than 12 seconds? It's worth noting again, either way. Hop on past the break and mash play to have your mind blown, not to mention your own intelligence insulted.
HTC Hero-controlled Mindstorms bot hints at Android uprising
Using a cellphone to control a robot -- or a pretty sweet helicopter -- isn't exactly a new idea, but there's something about the combination of Android and Lego Mindstorms that promises to break the possibilities wide open. Swedish tech company Enea Linköping is one of the first we've seen to directly link an Android app to the Mindstorms brain over Bluetooth -- they're using an HTC Hero to control two simple rover bots. Unfortunately, since Android 1.5 doesn't support the Bluetooth serial profile, there's a hack involved: the phone actually sends out commands over WiFi,which are passed through a WiFi-Bluetooth tunneling app on laptop before hitting the bots. That means there's a little lag involved, but now that Android 2.1 has serial Bluetooth support we're hoping things get a little more streamlined in the future. Video after the break.
G4 Cube given wheels, automation, the will to race Woz's Segway
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.
3D scanner made entirely from Legos
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]
Limited edition Lego Mindstorms NXT brings back a decade of memories
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
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]
