ROBOTMAK3RS Blog

Continuing on with the  series of posts  on creating a NXT motor Grader I started last week ... Today we are going to look at lighting. This is an important part of the NXT robot design that often gets overlooked. Motor graders are often used in winter to clear snow - so lighting is very important. I tried to create the large floodlight the big Cat graders have: When I started the project I was not sure what sort of lights to use - some are easier to use with NXT. Some are so bulky it simply does not go with the model. My first attempt used the LEGO lights that comes with the NXT Education version: They are easy to interface (using the cable that comes with the kit) and can be programmed using the NXT-G Motor block. However, I did not like the studded pieces so I discarded the design. The next lights I tried was the PF lights that came with the new LEGO TECHNIC off roader . The lights were very elegant and fitted neatly inside the standard hole. It was perfect. However I was not sure h...

Yesterday I started a new series of posts on creating a NXT motor Grader. In part 2 today I like to continue where I left off: designing the steering and wheel lean. The wheel lean is an important feature of the motor grader that sets it apart from other construction vehicles: Unlike some vehicle that uses wheel-lean to steer the vehicle (e.g. the Dodge Tomahawk ), the wheel lean is used to aid the operator achieve a perfect grading finish: when the blade is at an angle, it helps keeping the grader pulling in a straight line. The top of the front wheels are normally leaned in the direction that material comes off the moldboard. You can find out more from this site [Thanks to John Brost for the link]. video: [And please remember to press the new HQ button on the YouTube video to watch the video in high definition.] The Design process: My first attempt at creating the wheel lean used two PF motors and linear actuators and a single NXT servo motor in the middle for steering: The PF mo...

In the coming weeks, I will be making a motor grader based on a MINDSTORMS NXT kit and easilly available LEGO TECHNIC pieces. This is the first part of a five part series - and I will be updating everyone as the model takes shape over the next few weeks. Today we are going to look at the actual Motor Grader, and see how best to robotize it. This will involve making some compromises as we balance great looks (faithful to the actual vehicle) against NXT functionality and constraints imposed by the TECHNIC pieces. A new Motor Grader like the caterpillar M series (with joystick control) pictured above are extremely advanced and cost up to half a million dollars with all the attachments and add-on's. The add-ons such as AccuGrade (grade laser that takes away the need for survey stakes you see on road constructions sites) and other electronic kits (GPS, ATS, Cross Slope and Sonic kits) enable the vehicle operator reach perfect grade finish with least number of passes. Motor Graders are ...

Does anyone want to guess what I am making here with three NXT motors? BleToothKiwi