NXTLOG Explorer Bot Challenge

There are robot explorers all over the world and even on Mars! We are challenging you this summer to invent the NXT great generation of explorer robots with your MINDSTORMS NXT.

Will your robot explore the desert, the mountains, the city, the jungle, the depths of the ocean, the coldest space, or a place only you could imagine?
How will your robot sense obstacles in its environment?
How will it survive?
Will your robot do a job?
Will it collect data or samples?
Will it interact with new species?
Let us know!

Check out the Award Criteria below to see what type of Explorer Bot you want to create. There's no limit on amount of LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT sensors, LEGO MINDSTORMS RCX sensors, motors, NXT programmable bricks, HiTechnic sensors, Codatex RFID sensors, or Bluetooth communication you can use.

All entries must be tagged "explorerbot." and must be submitted by August 31, 2011.

JUDGING CRITERIA
Awards will be given in 4 areas. Award winners will be featured on LEGO MINDSTORMS News.

1) ALL TERRAIN EXPLORER: Can your Explorer Bot shift modes to tackle all types of tough terrain? Can it move just as well on snow and ice as it can through desert sands or a thick vegetation? Show us how flexible your bot can be!

2) THE SPECIALIST: We want to see an Explorer Bot that is the best in its field at exploring its specialty. What will your specialist bot focus on?

3) THE STEALTH BOT: Some Explorers need to do their observations and explorations without being detected. How quietly can your bot move? How can it camouflage itself to its environment? How does it collect its data?

4) DATA MINE: How does your Explorer Bot collect data about its explorations and share them with the world? How can you creatively us your MINDSTORMS NXT kit to do that?

read more

What will you make?

ROBOTMAK3RS Review: LEGO River Steamboat

I thought the LEGO River Steamboat would be an interesting set for a ROBOTMAK3R review for a few reasons. First, the LEGO designer of the model is Marina Stampoli, a long-time collaborator of the late ROBOTMAK3R Vassilis Chryssanthakopoulo s. From earlier collaborations with Vassilis, I knew Marina was incredibly talented, with an eye for aesthetics and functionality. Her background in architecture is particularly useful for her relatively new position at LEGO. Her other sets include the Magic of Disney (21352), Message Board (41839), and Red London Telephone Box (21347). Second, watching Marina's reveal video and reading her designer interview made this set even more tempting to build. The gearing mechanisms running through the model gave way to many opportunities for automation using LEGO robotics elements. Since ROBOTMAK3RS is all about adding interactivity and automation to LEGO brick, I thought it would be fun to see where and how LEGO robotics could be added to this s...

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...

Ghostbusters R.T.V Remix

Nino Guba is from Torrance, California, USA. He played with LEGO as a kid, but growing up in the Philippines, it wasn’t something he had easy access to. He only got reintroduced to LEGO when he moved to the US and had kids of his own. When his sons were younger, they received LEGO sets as gifts, but as they grew older, the sets got put into storage as their interest faded. Fast forward a few years, he started coming up with his own product ideas and thought about how he could quickly prototype them. That’s when he discovered LEGO MINDSTORMS—and was hooked! He raided his kids’ old collection, got everything organized, and now he's designing and building his own creations, blending his coding skills with LEGO robotics to bring ideas to life. Tell us about your Ghostbusters Remote Trap Vehicle (R.T.V) project. This project is a LEGO Technic adaptation of the Ghostbusters R.T.V.—a ghost trap converted into a remote-controlled vehicle. Its companion build is a prop replica of the Futaba...

ROBOTMAK3RS Blog

Search This Blog