So quiet you can hear a pin drop...

19 DAYS... and counting...

I've emailed my various contacts (Lego, Education NXT blog, HiTechnic, etc.) with questions on news and/or updates... right now, it's a desert out there in terms of new information.

I'll keep checking my reference sites daily, but I think between today and May 1st, you shouldn't expect too much. So today, I'm going to actually "BLOG" - that is, voice some opinions on various things.

First...

I have received many emails asking if I have received any "secret information" that I won't release... the answer is no. I get my information from public websites (such as the Education NXT blog) or by emailing my contacts directly with questions (and a request in the email to allow me to post the response). If someone does reply with permission, I try to post the information as quickly as possible... in some instances (previous posts), I have broken up email responses and spread it out over a few days to keep my blog posts from being too long. But right now, I am not sitting on any un-released information (with the exception of my MDP participation which is a completely different subject).

Second...

One reader (who requested me to NOT post his/her identity) pointed out that LEGO needs to do a better job of updating its website. While I agree that the site doesn't seem to change that often, I do understand that LEGO is using the MDP to test and improve the product... this means information on the offical LEGO site may be extremely limited until the MDP program is over OR until LEGO decides to take the community page live...

(That said, the Lego Education NXT blog does update regularly... so I'll thank them for that here.)

Third...

After May 1st, I may begin to invite some of my readers to help contribute to the site. If you are interested, let me know... I've already suggested this to a few of my readers, but I'd like to open it up for discussion.

Finally...

(I don't think I'll get in trouble with the MDP for this)

I've now been playing with the NXT for a month, and this thing is awesome. Building and programming with it is enjoyable and I really think people are going to be very happy with the redesign. This really is an improvement over RIS/RCX and LEGO (in my opinion) has definitely taken its robotics kit to a higher level.

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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