Robot Inspiration Series #6: Computer-Interacting Robots

This week's Robot Inspiration might sound a little advanced: make a robot that interacts with the computer. However, this can actually be quite easy, while opening up a host of new applications. As I posted about here and here, you can use RoboRealm to easily make robots interact with the computer in a variety of ways. Now RoboRealm has added more computer capability to their software.

Keyboard: Besides taking input from the keyboard, you can make a robot control the keyboard. In other words, I could have my robot write a post on this blog! In terms of taking input from the keyboard, here's a video of a "NXT Messenger" I made using RoboRealm. With the range of BT, I can type a message up here in my room, and my mom can read it in the kitchen, two floors down, on the NXT brick!

(sorry for the low quality of the NXT screen... putting the video in the blogger player made it much harder to read the text on the NXT screen)

Mouse: Now RoboRealm lets you get the coordinates of a computer mouse and even control the mouse. Here's a video of my computer mouse controlling a cursor on the NXT screen:

-Jonathan

EDIT: You can get the two .robo (RoboRealm) files here and here (to get them you'll need to right-click->Save Target As). You can get the two NXT-G programs here and here. Just to clarify what goes on, the .robo files read inputs from the computer and send the data to the NXT brick via BT, and the NXT-G files recieve the data and control the actual behaviors of the NXT Brick.

EDIT 2: You can get the My Block for the Keyboard NXT-G program here.

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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