ROBOTMAK3RS Blog

Ralph Hempel, the creator of the original EV3 bonus model printer . Ralph created software to control the WEDO usb hub with a EV3. unfortunately this is not an easy added new sensor block in EV3-G but he used a more complex way in creating the code with EV3DEV . What is EV3DEV? The ev3dev distribution is a full Debian (jessie) Linux distribution running on the 3.16.x kernel that has been customized for the LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 controller. Rather than use custom language bindings that use direct access to mmap’ed files, this distribution aims to allow as many programming languages as possible to access the EV3 peripherals using simple Linux file access. If your favorite programming language is available as an ARM port, and it can read and write files, you can use it to program the EV3. Currently the ev3dev distribution includes the following languages: bash/dash awk/gawk perl Lua guile ruby python Google Go (golang) Node.js If your favorite language isn’t listed, yo...

Day 3; I first took a LEGO bath, but the bricks were a bit cold... Then later that day ROBOGATOR was hungry and found a WeDo alligator just around the corner. Also today we gave away 2 NXT2.0 Boxes Hope to see you tomorrow (last day)... Martyn

Geekdad , the online magazine for tech geeks, has published an article on LEGO®'s WeDo set that has come out this year. WeDo is meant as a robotics set for the most youngest tinkerers (aged 7 to 9) for whom the NXT set is too advanced yet. Read the article here and do not hesitate to comment.

Recently, I got a WeDo set and played around with it. One of the results that have been spinning off is this little video that provides some initial overview:

The LEGO WeDO set - discussed in previous posts - was made for the classroom, but it comes with two little sensors that can be used in NXT robots too. The set includes a tilt sensor as well as a proximity sensor. With a converter cable, it is possible to read the sensors using the NXT brick. The video below illustrates the two sensors. Based on the (analog) sensor value, a tone is played. The signal from the tilt sensor is rather discrete - it only tells you wether it points up, down, left, right or wether it is held parallel to the ground. The proximity sensor responses to changes in relative distance quite fast, making it a good solution for movement detection Here's a diagram of the converter cable by Daniel Wittenaar (MCP): Caution: Do not use this cable to connect a battery pack to your NXT. This will damage your NXT instantly. Other than that, you can safely use this cable to connect PF sensors and Motors to the NXT.

As an addendum to yesterday's post on WeDo: the according LDraw parts are available now, again provided by Philo : the USB hub the tilt sensor the distance sensor

I don’t normally blog about something without trying it out first. However, I could not resist this one: At last LEGO has released the WeDo range of products via the LEGO Education channel.  Many of us here at TheNXTStep blog are very passionate about the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT. However, we also work with the community and schools – and well aware of the challenges faced by educators when working with the NXT kits in a classroom type environment. So the WeDo offering has a lot of significance to us. If you are involved with a school that has already invested in MINDSTORMS NXT, the WeDo kits are an excellent addition to leverage that investment even further. I personally think this is a fantastic learning aid for 7 – 15 year old school children – especially given we have three children of our own in this age range. The activity pack (which can also be bought separate) allow children to explore four different themes – Amazing Mechanisms, Wild Animals, Play Soccer, and Adventure Stories... S...

I was lucky enough to have a close up look at the new WeDo robotics platform from LEGO Education. It is essentially a basic introduction to robotic concepts, aimed at younger kids (7-11 years old officially). As such, there are only a few robotic elements included; a motor, motion sensor and tilt sensor. Control is done via the computer and a special USB hub which connects to the various elements. This means that it stays tethered to a computer permanently, but has the upside of not needing batteries. The software is extremely easy to use, and resembles a significantly stripped down version of NXT-G. There are blocks for making the motors move and blocks for interfacing to the sensors. Drag and drop allows you to quickly put together simple programs. There are instructions for 12 different models out of the one kit, but just like all LEGO products, your imagination is the limit. LEGO Education are really pushing it as more than just 'robotics', encouraging kids to ...