Bot Buddies
Thursday, August 17th, 2006
An article over at New Scientist digs into research in Sweden to develop robots that can “remotely tap into each other’s sensors and computers in order to perform tricky tasks”. Örebro University’s Robert Lundh says his robots do not use hard-coded cooperative behavior. Rather, he tells New Scientist, the robots “plan for themselves how to draw on their capabilities and those of others.”
In one experiment, two robots were tasked to carry a fixed length of wood on their heads. Relaying information about the other’s speed and direction allowed them to keep the wood beam balanced. Another experiment demonstrated how two robots with limited vision could help each other through a doorway.
The article is a good read, so check it out. No mention of the LEGO Mindstorms NXT, but with multiple sets, similar experiments are certainly possible.
Posted in general, news | 2 Comments »
NXT LEGO Icons v1.0
Wednesday, July 19th, 2006
MacUpdate has a sleek set of icons for OS X inspired by the LEGO Mindstorms NXT kit. Customize away!
Posted in general | No Comments »
Storage Solutions
Wednesday, July 12th, 2006
If I had another NXT kit, I think I’d build a robot purely for the sake of sorting and storing my robot parts. Because according to this great essay on the evolution of LEGO sorting, I have now reached step 10 (the author lists a total of 27):
“You give up and decide to sort your parts by type rather than by color. You go get more bins or tackle boxes or whatever your container of choice is, you dedicate an evening or a weekend or a month to it, and you split by type.”
Posted in general, hardware | 38 Comments »
Got Juice?
Saturday, July 1st, 2006
My NXT loves juice. Lots of it. I guess it’s because I love chasing the dogs around the house with my robots. I’m pretty sure you’ll need lots of juice, too. Well, RadioShack has a deal that ends today for a 40-pack of AA Enercell Alkaline Batteries for $16.99. That’s 3 bucks off regular price, my friends! Hurry and stock up!
Don’t want to invest in that much juice? Maybe an external power supply is more your fancy. Since the official LEGO power supply has yet to be released, why not make your own? Word of caution - try not to fry your NXT, ok?
Posted in general | 86 Comments »