I recently picked up about 80 more 1×15 thick liftarms. While sitting around contemplating things to build I decided to see just how tall a tower I could build using all of those Legos. Turns out its more complicated than I would have imagined. Buildling the four main columns was extremely easy of course. However trying to tie them together in such a manner that wouldn't use too many more bits, and still provide a stable structure was quite difficult. So click on the jump to see just how tall I was able to get with this pile of parts.
Archive for November, 2006
How tall a tower can you build?
November 30th, 2006NXT Books
November 28th, 2006
Just in time for christmas two books are being published on the Lego Mindstorms NXT. In addition one book is already out, and another two are due out early in 2007. If someone you know already has a ton of Legos and you're looking for a good christmas gift, one of these books would certinly be a good idea. After the jump, I'll give a little blurb on each of the books that are being released soon so read on!
BiPed 2
November 27th, 2006
I've been trying for awhile now to build my own Center-of-Gravity (COG) shifting BiPed, and have slowly been making progress. My earlier creation walked about as well as the Alpha Rex did, that is, not really at all. This new one though actualy walks and at a fairly decent rate. Currently only one of the legs is powered, and I could probaly double the rate of movement, as well as prevent it from curving as it walked by moving the other leg as well. I'm also planning on adding a "knee" to the bot so that it can take larger steps as well as walk over small objects. More pictures of all of my BiPed attempts can be seen in the gallery!
Interview with LEGO CEO
November 27th, 2006
Todayonline.com has a nice intreview with Jørgen Vig Knudstorp the CEO of the LEGO Group. He talks about trying to redfine Lego in the new "computer" age. The MIndstorms NXT seems to be a big part of this. He also talks a bit about his childhood, as well as his own household, which not suprisingly has quite the abundance of Legos. Read the interview here.
Dynamic Block Update
November 20th, 2006
Brian Davis over at The NXT Step posted about the new Dynamic block update over on the Mindstorms Software update page. The Offical description is:
The Dynamic Block Update allows the MINDSTORMS NXT Software to import new blocks to the Complete palette. These blocks include the Mini Blocks, the Legacy Blocks, 3rd party sensor blocks or any other blocks developed using the LabVIEW Toolkit for LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT.
Hopefully this will open up a slew of new possibilities for the NXT-G software!
Brickfest PDX
November 15th, 2006
For all the Lego fans up in the Northwest US, Brickfest PDX 2007 has been announced. I've never been to a Brickfest before but they look like a great time, with all sorts of contests, panels, and exhibits. The details are still in work, but the location has been announced as the Oregon Convention Center. I'd guess there will be some NXT specific events for eveyone to participate in. Check out their website for more info, and we'll keep you updated of any further details.
Hailfire bot
November 13th, 2006
Saw this guy over on the NXTLog. Not a particularly complicated design but it does look very cool. Its a modification of the Hailfire droid (from Star Wars Ep 2) that has been adapted to use the NXT for power as well as the US sensor to give it some eyes. Those big hoop wheels have lots of potentiol for intresting uses, unfortunatly they are also going for quite a bit on bricklink, as they were only ever in the one set.
Alpha Biped walking… sorta
November 10th, 2006{youtube}fosNd6P1Ikw{/youtube} In this short clip you can see the Alpha kinda shamble along. He doesn't take very big steps, nor very fast, but they are steps! Hopefully Beta will work much better.
» Read more: Alpha Biped walking… sorta
Alpha BiPed
November 10th, 2006
My first successful attempt at a Biped is rather sad. It does actualy walk, and can drag the NXT brick along behind it. However it can't support the NXT Brick itself, and can only walk a little bit faster than the Alpha Rex bot. The biggest difficulty with my current design is balance. The bot needs bigger feet, that are placed farther apart so that it doesnt fall over. The next issue will be the distance that the legs move. To overcome this I think i will need to add a knee to the bot, which will increase its complexitiy significantly, but should allow it to take much longer smoother steps.
Consumer Reports Reviews the NXT
November 9th, 2006
The reviews continue to come in on the Lego Mindstorms NXT set. The latest comes from Consumer Reports, and can be viewed in print or on thier website (currently the article is free, although that might change after the issue leaves the news stands). It's not a long review, but since so many parents read Consumer Reports it can be highly influencial. I personaly can't stand the magazine, however I realize that they have a significant amount of influnece, so there "thumbs up" of the NXT is a good thing, although they do mention that its probaly too advanced for your average 10-year old. The toy article can be found here.
» Read more: Consumer Reports Reviews the NXT
