ROBOTMAK3RS Blog

HiTechnic is just about to launch their new IR-Link sensor. For more details about the IR-Link, checkout the full review of it in BrickJournal #9. For many people with legacy MINDSTORMS RCX bricks, the new product will enable creation of robots with both an RCX and NXT that communicate with each other. For some it will be a means of automating and controlling various home appliances in the house from NXT by mimicking their Infra red remote control. See comments under this post from early this year. However, for me the most interesting thing about the new HiTechnic IR-Link sensor is how it can be used for robotizing LEGO TECHNIC creations. The picture below shows a bulldozer 'robototized' by adding a MINDSTORMS NXT brick and a NXT IR-Link (made by HiTechnic) to a TECHNIC bulldozer 8275. In the video below, you can see it scanning the environment with the Ultrasonic sensors and then flattening anything in its path using the Ripper and the blade: If you want to learn how to robo...

I have spent a big part of this month robotizing the new LEGO® TECHNIC bulldozer that came out early this month. My children and I have had great fun adding a LEGO® MINDSTORMS NXT brick to the bulldozer and managed to control the Power Function motors with the NXT and adding sensors to the bulldozer so it can be semi autonomous. [View previous blog ]. I am really impressed by the attention to detail that has gone into the Bulldozer design. Today I came across this brand new video on the LEGO® Bulldozer web site that has just been posted there: It is an excellent in depth look at the design process that happens when a new TECHNIC model (i.e. Bulldozer) is dreamt up. Click here to view it. The following still from the video shows various alternate designs of the bulldozer that never made it. This must be a dream job! What will you design if you have 6,500 different LEGO elements to chose from? Edit (following DAG's comments): Sketch models: Thank you David, for your comments. I hav...

In the last few weeks we have seen LEGO® introducing new kits with the Power Function elements. Right now the PF elements ship with the LEGO® Creator Dinosaur, LEGO® creator Ferris Wheel and of course the incredible LEGO® TECHNIC Bulldozer 8275 that has just hit the market a few weeks ago. The Bulldozer comes with four PF motors in total, two receivers, and one transmitter. I been playing with the new PF motors. They are absolutely fantastic - it is easy to attach to the beams, and have incredible torque. They are smaller than the NXT motors (see the LDRAW sketch of it below in last week's post from Matthias) - in fact it comes in two sizes - the smaller one with slightly less power and the XL version with more grunt. Currently you need the Infrared remote to control the motors. However, soon you would be able to control the motors directly from the NXT using third party IR bridge sensors when they become available. The motor comes with its own power pack (with space for 6 AA batte...