LEGO NXT Plays Nice with an iRobot Create

I recently picked up the Create Development platform from iRobot, and was able to get it working together & nicely with the LEGO NXT using a roboDNA dashboard. One of the main features of the Create is a payload bay with screw mounting points, which allows builders to add on custom hardware attachments. I chose the LEGO NXT Robo-Arm as my first test attachment, in order to demonstrate how the roboDNA dashboards can simultaneously control two robots of different types, and have them operate cooperatively.

To my surprised, it was easy to get the NXT attached securely to payload bay. The holes in standard LEGO beams match up almost perfectly with the mounting holes on the Create. The screws pass through a hole in the LEGO beam, and into the base of the payload bay. I modified the Robo-Arm's base to fit onto the beams. Mounting a heavier and larger LEGO NXT design such as a Crane is possible. ( Stay tuned ) No drilling or cutting required, just 4 or 6 screws from the hardware store.

The NXT and the Create make a great 'out of the box' combo for remotely operated robots, however there would need to be a simple link up via Bluetooth or serial to achieve functional autonomous behaviors as a team. The Create runs C code on an Atmel microcontroller, and can send/receive serial data but not using Bluetooth. ( There is a Bluetooth Adapter Module available for the Create. )

The new sample dashboards for both the LEGO NXT and iRobot Create are available for download at http://robodna.com

Celebrating MINDSTORMS with a Remix - Part 3

The ROBOTMAK3RS continued their celebration of the 25th Anniversary of MINDSTORMS through these Fall and Winter remix projects. Each ROBOTMAK3R was tasked with selecting one LEGO set of their choice and combining it with a MINDSTORMS set. Below are the five amazing models they came up with. Braill3 by Jerry Nicholls Braill3 is an EV3-based LEGO Braille bricks reader. This robot uses its fingertip, made from three touch switches, to read messages written using the LEGO Braille bricks and will speak out what it detected. If it sees a simple maths problem it will attempt to solve it and give the answer as well. To learn more about the process of creating this machine, read Jerry's blog . Braill3 can be viewed here . Set Review: The Braille Bricks set is well thought out. The ratios of the letters is suitable for general use and the addition of some punctuation and arithmetic operators is excellent. There is a card showing what bricks there are and their quantities, but no form of sort...

Celebrating MINDSTORMS with a Remix - Part 2

The ROBOTMAK3RS continued their celebration of the 25th Anniversary of MINDSTORMS through these summer and fall remix projects. Each ROBOTMAK3R was tasked with selecting one LEGO set of their choice and combining it with a MINDSTORMS set. Below are the five amazing models they came up with. Remote controlled material handle r by Jozua van Ravenhorst (aka Mr Jo) This remix combines the LEGO Technic Material Handler (42144) with MINDSTORMS EV3 (31313) It uses the power of pneumatic cylinders to move objects around. By using a bluetooth remote control, very precise movements can be made with this model. Touch sensors in the base chassis prevent the turret twisting the cables that go through the turntable to much. The program has several protections to prevent over pressurizing the system for each of the 3 individual pumps and valves that control the 2 booms and claws. The real version of this machine is mostly used in waste material sites to bring the material to machines that sort and...

Celebrating 25 Years of MINDSTORMS

In celebration of the 25th Anniversary of MINDSTORMS, we take a trip through history. Please also visit ROBOTMAK3RS Community every week as we highlight different projects all through 2023 in celebration of the anniversary. Some of the early history is based on the content shared by Coder Shah in our MINDSTORMS EV3 Community Group . Some of the text and links may have been edited from his original posts for consistency and clarity. 1984 - Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen watched a TV program called "Talking Turtle," where MIT professor Seymour Papert demonstrated how children could control robot "turtles" using LOGO, a programming language he developed. 1988 - The collaboration between MIT and LEGO resulted in LEGO TC Logo in 1988, which allowed students to control LEGO models using computer commands. The video shows Papert demonstrating TC Logo. 1990 - LEGO TC Logo was hampered since the robots you built had to be tethered to a personal computer. LEGO and MIT...

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