LEGO Mindstorms - Whats New

NEW BONUS MODEL FOR LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT 2.0 (8547)

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 08:00:00 GMT

#3 Manty - made by Laurens Valk.The third bonus model is made by Laurens Valk, who is a young builder from the Netherlands. Laurens has a good and prominent track record with designing, building and programming robots, and also writing books about them! Laurens is contributor to the blog The NXT Step, and participated in book projects with the fellow bloggers, and will soon release his own book about LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT robots.'As part of the Junior MINDSTORMS Developer Program (JMDP), I was given a parts list of the new MINDSTORMS set, late 2008, and started on building models with the elements I had available at the time.The name for the robot came after designing it. It had six legs and a long neck, and the closest insect I could find was a Praying Mantis. And, because of its behavior (it's a shy robot), a logical name was Manty.I hope you enjoy building and programming the robot. I have put a lot of effort into making it easy to follow the building steps, so you should not have much trouble assembling it. Play well!Here you can download (right click "save as"):[...]

NXTLOG Snap Bot Building Challenge

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 08:00:00 GMT

We are all awed by enormous robotic creations made up of 100’s or even 1000’s of LEGO elements that take days or even weeks to build, but we are also amazed by simple models you can build in a snap!

In this challenge you must create a LEGO MINDSTORMS robot that uses the minimum amount of LEGO bricks possible. Can you create a simple robot that someone can build in a snap?

Snap Bots can be built in the following categories:

Animals
Humanoid
Machines
Vehicles

You may enter from Tuesday September 1, 2009 – Saturday October 31, 2009

See this NXTLOG for more details:

NXTLOG Snap Bot Building Challenge

Good luck!

What will you make?We are all awed by enormous robotic creations made up of 100’s or even 1000’s of LEGO elements that take days or even weeks to build, but we are also amazed by simple models you can build in a snap!

In this challenge you must create a LEGO MINDSTORMS robot that uses the minimum amount of LEGO bricks possible. Can you create a simple robot that someone can build in a snap?

Snap Bots can be built in the following categories:

Animals
Humanoid
Machines
Vehicles

You may enter from Tuesday September 1, 2009 – Saturday October 31, 2009

See this NXTLOG for more details:

NXTLOG Snap Bot Building Challenge

Good luck!

What will you make?

News flash from the midway for the NXT generation of games...
The winners of the NXTLOG Arcade Game Challenge are in!

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Thanks to NXTSTORMER and mindstorms-teen for submitting the inspirational idea for this NXTLOG Arcade Game Challenge! Almost 100 NXTLOGgers joined in the fun to build a robot based on an arcade game. There were many pinball machines, skee-ball players, car races, and even "test your strength" robots that made you imagine you were on the midway on a hot summer's day. NXTSTORMER and mindstorms-teen set the judging criteria for this challenge and you can see them below. There were many amazing robots entered in this challenge, so please visit, comment, rate, and get inspired by all the robots entered by searching the tag "arcadegame." Here are the winners:HIGH SCORE AWARD This award goes to the user who best replicates the arcade game that they chose. Space Pinball Created by: legothom There were LOTS of pinball games entered in the arcade game challenge, but legothom's Space Pinball is an exceptional work of LEGO Robotics art and construction. The entire game console is made from LEGO, and has spectacular details like a world map, a rocket, a spaceship, the stars, the name of the game built on the side, and working lights and sounds! legothom clearly documents the project with great pictures, diagrams, and video even though English is a second language. This is legothom's first project on NXTLOG and we hope to see more from this extraordinary builder. Space Pinball wins the High Score Award! CREATIVE AWARD This award goes to the recreation of a video arcade game in a new inventive way. NXT Console w/Car game Created by: quy quy took a simple concept of a classic car race computer arcade game and recreated it as a LEGO experience! The object of the game is to get your car to the other end of the track before the opponent's car does, using the touch sensor controls on a NXT console. For an amazing LEGO recreation of video arcade game, the NXT Console w/Car game wins the Creative Award. SOUND EFFECTS AWARD This award goes to the entry that makes great use of sound. NXT Pick a Brick Arcade Game Created by: rozan rozan's second creation for NXT Arcade Game Building Challenge (the first is the amazing NXT Ring The Bell), the NXT Pick a Brick Arcade Game is a target shooting game. In this version you have two minutes to shoot as many LEGO bricks as you can on a moving lane. There are fun sound effects when you hit and miss a target, as well as other random sounds and "Game Over" of course. For a fun and lively game that makes a lot of noise, we give rozan the Sound Effects Award. BEST DOCUMENTATION AWARD This award goes to a project with great pictures and a thorough description. FFFRR! Created by: yloz FFFRR is the Fantastic Fun Fund-Raising Robot! In this game you have two and a half minutes to score as many points as possible by using a remote control train to move balls around a track full of traps. yloz clearly describes the game play, has posted amazing pictures, .rbt and .ldd files, as well as a great video showcasing the project. yloz also makes recommendations on how you can use this game in your community. For an awesome arcade game and clear communication, the FFFRR gets the Documentation Award. Thanks for sharing so well yloz! HONORABLE MENTION(S) The projects that inspired this challenge: Arcade Car Avoider 3000 Created by: NXTSTORMER People's Choice: Build an Arcade Game Created by: mindstorms-teen Other Honorable Mentions: Dance Dance Revolution Created by: lyxmaya Future vs. past Created by: LuckyLuke11 Crystal Climber Created by: DylanThilds "BUSTED!" Created by: nxtcreator6604 Lego Hero Created by: chocolatelover2014 Thanks to NXTSTORMER and mindstorms-teen for submitting the inspirational idea for this NXTLOG Arcade Game Challenge! Almost 100 NXTLOGgers joined in the fun to build a robot based on an arcade game. There were many pinball machines, skee-ball players, car races, and even "test your strength" robots that made you imagine you [...]

NEW BONUS MODEL FOR LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT 2.0 (8547)

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 08:00:00 GMT

#2 NXT Llama - made by Fay Rhodes.

Fay Rhodes is a freelance designer, living in Perry, Oklahoma, USA, who is particularly interested in the artist possibilities, and general education opportunities, offered by the NXT robotics system.

She is a member and contributor of the NXT Step Blog and has been part of the LEGO MINDSTORMS Community Partners (MCP) group.
She was a contributor to the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Idea Book and has recently authored the book, LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Zoo which has inspiration and instructions for children on how to build and program robotic animals!
Please note that all building instructions for the 10 bonus models will be available as LEGO Digital Designer (LDD) files, as they are posted.
Fay has made the building instructions for her model, with the use of another program. Her model will also be available in an LDD format in the near future.

Here you can download (right click "save as"):

Building instructions

Bio of the robot

NOTE: In the building instructions Fay has included an explanation of how to create the program for the NXT Llama.

The LEGO MINDSTORMS team
#2 NXT Llama - made by Fay Rhodes.

Fay Rhodes is a freelance designer, living in Perry, Oklahoma, USA, who is particularly interested in the artist possibilities, and general education opportunities, offered by the NXT robotics system.

She is a member and contributor of the NXT Step Blog and has been part of the LEGO MINDSTORMS Community Partners (MCP) group.
She was a contributor to the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Idea Book and has recently authored the book, LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Zoo which has inspiration and instructions for children on how to build and program robotic animals!
Please note that all building instructions for the 10 bonus models will be available as LEGO Digital Designer (LDD) files, as they are posted.
Fay has made the building instructions for her model, with the use of another program. Her model will also be available in an LDD format in the near future.

Here you can download (right click "save as"):

Building instructions

Bio of the robot

NOTE: In the building instructions Fay has included an explanation of how to create the program for the NXT Llama.

The LEGO MINDSTORMS team

BONUS MODELS FOR LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT 2.0 (8547)

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 08:00:00 GMT

#1 M.O.R.P.H. – made by Kirk Backstrom.As part of the development of the new NXT 2.0 set a group of both children and adults have been involved in the process since 2007, and have given their inputs to the new set, and have helped with new ideas and inspiration for models.Fans of LEGO from across the globe have been working with the LEGO MINDSTORMS development team in a closed forum, getting to see elements, hardware and software early on.These fans have been part of MINDSTORMS Community Partners, which is the group for adult fans, or the JMDP, which stands for Junior MINDSTORMS Developer Program. And they have created some special models that will be made available here on MINDSTORMS.com. The first 10 models will have building instructions and programs to go with it.The first model to be featured is made by Kirk Backstrom, from Saskatchewan, Canada. Please look at the video and materials that Kirk has put together for you to see!Please note that all building instructions for the 10 bonus models will be available as LEGO Digital Designer (LDD) files, as they are posted. Kirk has made the building instructions for his model, with the use of another program. His model will also be available in an LDD format.Here you can download (right click "save as"):[...]

MOONBOTS CHALLENGE!

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 08:00:00 GMT

“MOONBOTS” CHALLENGES PARENT-CHILD TEAMS TO CONDUCT GOOGLE LUNAR X PRIZE MISSIONS WITH LEGO ROBOTSMajor technology companies join forces to inspire the next generation of innovators, thinkers and engineers AUSTIN, TX – NIWeek (August 4, 2009) –The X PRIZE Foundation, Google Inc., LEGO Systems, National Instruments, and Wired’s GeekDad will announce “MoonBots: A Google Lunar X PRIZE LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Challenge” today at National Instruments NIWeek 2009. The new contest will challenge small teams comprised of children and adults to design, program, and construct robots that perform simulated lunar missions similar to those required to win the $30 million Google Lunar X PRIZE, a private race to the Moon designed to enable commercial exploration of space while engaging the global public. To further this purpose, the X PRIZE Foundation and Google have now joined forces with three other well known technology companies to offer a competition that will stimulate learning of robotics and team building while exciting students and their families about their potential roles in the new Moon race. “The Google Lunar X PRIZE is helping to open a new era of lunar exploration that will involve much broader participation than the first Moon race,” said William Pomerantz, Senior Director for Space Prizes at the X PRIZE Foundation. “We want students and their parents to understand that they can tackle difficult engineering problems and generate important new ideas regardless of their age or their background—and that they can have fun doing so. This contest is quite accessible for even very young children, but still demands creativity, intelligence, and hard work. It’s a perfect starting point for the next generation of rocket scientists!” Once registration for the contest opens, teams will be asked to submit designs illustrating how they will build, program and operate their robots using LEGO MINDSTORMS robotic kits. There will be no charge to enter the contest and registration will be open to teams across the globe. The competition will encourage the participants to use free software tools such as Google’s SketchUp, LEGO’s Digital Designer, National Instruments LabVIEW, and Google’s YouTube platform to delineate how their entry will be constructed and how their team will function. From these submissions, a select group will be chosen as finalists and provided with free LEGO components to construct a large Moonscape that will serve as the competition’s ‘playing field.’ Finalists will then construct, program and demonstrate their robots to be judged. For more than a decade, the LEGO MINDSTORMS robotics toolkits have given children of all ages the best of both the physical and virtual world, combining LEGO bricks with state-of-the-art hardware and easy-to-use programming software. LEGO MINDSTORMS empowers users to conceive, build and program robotic inventions for both play and learning purposes. In just 30 minutes, young robot creators can build and program their first working LEGO robot. “Thanks to the many thousands of users in the LEGO MINDSTORMS community, we have an impressive track record when it comes to amazing, imaginative robotic inventions and applications,” said Steven Canvin, Marketing Manager for LEGO MINDSTORMS. “Users have in the past decade created LEGO MINDSTORMS robots that have been into space twice, so creating the MoonBots contest together with the partners around the Google Lunar X PRIZE is a natural choice”. The teams of children and adults around the world will be challenged to use their imagination and problem-solving skills to develop a robot for a complex mission, and we hope that their work will encourage and inspire others to explore their creativity”. “The mission of the LEGO Group is to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow, and we hope that the MoonBots Challenge can be part of fulfilling that mission”. "We hope com[...]

Small correction for the NXT 2.0 User Guide

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 08:00:00 GMT

In the User Guide for the new LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT 2.0 (article no. 8547) a little printing error has unfortunately slipped through our final check procedure.

In the section with building instructions for the Quick Start model, the final step #20, on page 15, two cables have been marked in-correctly. The cable going from port B has been marked to go into the middle motor on the model and the cable going from port A have been marked to go into the motor on the right side of the model [as seen on the picture].

This would cause your robot to not work as expected, and could be mistaken to be a fault with the construction or the software. This is not the case.

The correction connections are to connect the cable coming out of port A to the middle motor, the cable coming out of port B to the motor on the right [as seen on the picture], and lastly the cable coming out of port C must be connected to the motor on the left [as seen on the picture].

The correct colour markings are shown in the picture here.

A big thank you goes out to all the users who have contacted us to tell us about this error.

The LEGO MINDSTORMS teamIn the User Guide for the new LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT 2.0 (article no. 8547) a little printing error has unfortunately slipped through our final check procedure.

In the section with building instructions for the Quick Start model, the final step #20, on page 15, two cables have been marked in-correctly. The cable going from port B has been marked to go into the middle motor on the model and the cable going from port A have been marked to go into the motor on the right side of the model [as seen on the picture].

This would cause your robot to not work as expected, and could be mistaken to be a fault with the construction or the software. This is not the case.

The correction connections are to connect the cable coming out of port A to the middle motor, the cable coming out of port B to the motor on the right [as seen on the picture], and lastly the cable coming out of port C must be connected to the motor on the left [as seen on the picture].

The correct colour markings are shown in the picture here.

A big thank you goes out to all the users who have contacted us to tell us about this error.

The LEGO MINDSTORMS team

People’s Choice Building Challenge Winner!

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 08:00:00 GMT

NXTLOGgers love to get inspiration for building their NXT robots and in this challenge we had lots of it! There were proposals for challenges based on ancient defenses, hovercrafts, artists, earth defending robots, contraptions, tiny tanks, carnival bots, storytelling robots, household gadgets, geared tools, NXTheads, unusual motion, labor saving robots, realistic space robots, bulldogs, throwing robots, and even a second Sumo Challenge! All the entrants could be contenders for an upcoming NXTLOG challenge, but only one could be chosen for this summer’s competition.And the winner is… NXTLOG Arcade Game Challenge!Two NXTLOGgers submitted inspirational ideas for the Arcade Game Challenge:Arcade Car Avoider 3000by: NXTSTORMER(inspired by NeXTSTORM’s The Avoider robot)andPeople's Choice: Build an Arcade Gameby: mindstorms-teenIn this challenge users must invent a robot based on an arcade game. It could be a pinball machine, a tic-tac-toe playing robot, a new type of skee-ball, a bumper car, or any other game you would see at an arcade.You may enter from Wednesday July 1, 2009 – Monday August 31, 2009See this NXTLOG for more details: NXTLOG Arcade Game Building ChallengeGood luck!What will you make?PS: If you have an idea for a future building challenge – see this NXTLOG for more info: Peoples Choice Building Challenge and tag your project: “peopleschoice”NXTLOGgers love to get inspiration for building their NXT robots and in this challenge we had lots of it! There were proposals for challenges based on ancient defenses, hovercrafts, artists, earth defending robots, contraptions, tiny tanks, carnival bots, storytelling robots, household gadgets, geared tools, NXTheads, unusual motion, labor saving robots, realistic space robots, bulldogs, throwing robots, and even a second Sumo Challenge! All the entrants could be contenders for an upcoming NXTLOG challenge, but only one could be chosen for this summer’s competition.And the winner is… NXTLOG Arcade Game Challenge!Two NXTLOGgers submitted inspirational ideas for the Arcade Game Challenge:Arcade Car Avoider 3000by: NXTSTORMER(inspired by NeXTSTORM’s The Avoider robot)andPeople's Choice: Build an Arcade Gameby: mindstorms-teenIn this challenge users must invent a robot based on an arcade game. It could be a pinball machine, a tic-tac-toe playing robot, a new type of skee-ball, a bumper car, or any other game you would see at an arcade.You may enter from Wednesday July 1, 2009 – Monday August 31, 2009See this NXTLOG for more details: NXTLOG Arcade Game Building ChallengeGood luck!What will you make?PS: If you have an idea for a future building challenge – see this NXTLOG for more info: Peoples Choice Building Challenge and tag your project: “peopleschoice”[...]

Elijah's report from FIRST World Festival in Atlanta

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Hi, my name in Elijah, I am in the 4th grade at the Packer Collegiate Institute in Brooklyn New York. We have a FIRST LEGO League team called the Packer Climate Institute (but we change the name every year). I am also a member of the JMCP (Junior MINDSTORMS Community Partners) where I get to test the new version of LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT before it comes out. Here is my report on the FIRST LEGO League World Festival in Atlanta, Georgia.On April 16th, I went to the FIRST (FIRST Lego League, First Robotics Competition, and First Tech Challenge) World Festival where 82 teams from dozens of countries all around the world competed. I had a lot of fun and I’m sure everyone else did too.One of the cool things was the MINDSTORMS NXT 2.0 booth. That’s where LEGO displayed the new version of MINDSTORMS NXT. The robots in the new set are an alligator, a humanoid, and a ball shooter. Other neat robots at the booth were a pinball machine (my favorite by the way) designed by the same guy who made NXTprograms.com [Dave Parker, ed.], and a tic-tac-toe player. Here’s how some of the robots worked. The pinball machine had two touch sensors for the flippers and served balls using the ball shooter method where the ball shooter pulls the cannon back and an axle shoots the zamor sphere out. A zamor sphere is smaller than the old version of the NXT ball, but weighs the same. After the zamor sphere is released the cannon moves forward and the next zamor sphere rolls in the firing position. The alligator acts just like one and only attacks if he has the nerve (which most alligators do). The humanoid senses color and tells you what color it is sensing. It also walks and feels using touch sensors. This is an improvement over the old Alpha-Rex because I had difficulty making it walk forward then turn around. Alpha-Rex 2.0 did this without a problem. The tic-tac-toe player senses color and knows if you cheat!Also, there weren’t just new version NXTs, but the LEGO MINDSTORMS team also made wireless RC cars, musical instruments, and a giant wireless RC tank. The wireless RC car was the Batmobile and it was controlled by a joy-stick.At the end of the first day of the festival, there was a multi-cultural show of skits, songs or dances all performed by the robotics teams who were competing. My favorite was when the team from Spain pretended to play the robot game with one kid as the robot, two as the robot users and a fourth as referee. As a LEGO MINDSTORMS ambassador, I was not expecting to compete, but because the team from Columbia could not make it, our team got to fill in to even things out. Actually competing was cool. You could talk with opposing teams while waiting your turn at the table. Before the round began, you would shake hands with your opponent. Plus, it took place in the Georgia dome, which is a football stadium. So the first thing you think when you enter is this place is huge!I also got to meet Scott Evans. Scott Evans works for FIRST and designs the robot game board every year. So to me meeting him was a big deal. My team showed him our “Wizard Of Oz theory” mini clip. A few months ago at practice, we noticed that a majority of things on the board reminded us of the movie The Wizard of Oz, so we put together a clip about it, and showed it to him. He really liked it. Then after that, I got his autograph on my team shirt.That’s pretty much what happened in Atlanta this year. I had lots of fun, and I hope to go there again. I would like to go as a competitor with my team and we are going to try really hard to make it next year. But it would be amazing to go as a LEGO ambassador and work at the booth again.Hi, my name in Elijah, I am in the 4th grade at the Packer Collegiate Institute in Brooklyn New York. We have a FIRST LEGO League team called the Packer Climate Institute (but we change the name every year). [...]

The New LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT 2.0 is coming!

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

There has been much talk about the new NXT 2.0 toolkit since it was first revealed at the toy fairs at the start of the year, and now it is finally coming!The NXT 2.0 set has a bigger and revised element assortment of 619 elements, 16 building and programming challenges for 4 new fun and action-packed robotic models complete with building instructions. The new hardware mix consist of an NXT micro-controller, 3 Interactive Servo Motors – with built-in Rotation Sensors, 1 Ultrasonic Sensor, 2 Touch Sensors and the new Color Sensor with triple functionality; it acts a Colour Sensor – detecting different colours, as a Light Sensor – seeing different light intensities and also works as a Colour Lamp.The 4 new models have been optimized to be easy to build with ranging complexity, going from the Quick Start model that you can assemble and program in under 30 minutes, to the ultimate Humanoid – which is also easy to assemble and all models are designed for easy battery change.Shooterbot, a moving vehicle robot that can guard your room and will shoot balls at intruders!Robogator is an animal robot that acts and moves like an alligator. It will protect its area and jumps forward and snap at anything that comes too near. Watch out!Colour Sorter is a robotic sorting machine that can sort different coloured objects and dispense them as you please. It can easily be modified with a catapult mechanism that can precisely shoot the different colours where you like.Alpha Rex is your ultimate robot. It is a humanoid robot, easy to assemble and with multiple functions; it walks and turns, dances, talks, can see and avoid obstacles, can grab and distinguish between different coloured objects.Note: 10 extra bonus models with building instructions will be made available on this website after the launch of the NXT 2.0!Among the new software features there will be applications that makes it possible to make your robot display the images and play the sounds you want it to!Sound Editor: is a new application that makes it possible to customize and personalize your robot by importing sound files – or record your own via a PC microphone (not included in set) and loading them onto the NXT micro-controller, making the robot speak with your own voice or a funny sound.Picture Editor: is a new application that makes it possible to import picture files – or for you to draw your own and load them onto your NXT, to be shown in the display when you want!Remote Control: allows for instant and direct control of your robot without any special programming needed. Just create a model that can move and you have direct control over it. Pack and Go: the Pack and Go function makes it easy for you to share your programs with other users, as it packs the program with the images and sounds used in the program, so you do not have to think about it! (Requires that the other users to have NXT 2.0 software).Bluetooth Contact Block: Now you can get your NXT to connect and dis-connect to multiple NXTs while running a program The block allows the NXT to choose between many different NXTs, making it possible to make complex machines. Your NXT can be connected to up to 3 other NXTs at any given time.Over the coming weeks more features will be shown and stories from users will be told here on mindstorms.com!The new #8547 NXT 2.0 set will be launched from August 1 and onwards.Pre-selling will start on July 1 on Shop@Home, Amazon.com and TRU.comThere has been much talk about the new NXT 2.0 toolkit since it was first revealed at the toy fairs at the start of the year, and now it is finally coming!The NXT 2.0 set has a bigger and revised element assortment of 619 elements, 16 building and programming challenges for 4 new fun and action-packed robotic models complete with building instructions. The new hardware mix consist of an NX[...]

A building challenge where you build it?

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

NXTLOG has had biped, quadruped, sumo and video challenges. We’ve even challenged you to build robots to celebrate holidays and summer sports. But now it’s time for YOU to design what the NXT building challenge will be in the NXTLOG People’s Choice Building Challenge!

To enter you must create a building challenge theme, a sample robot, and rules and judging criteria. Winners of this challenge will have their competition posted on NXTLOG!

You have until Tuesday June 30, 2009 to enter.

See this NXTLOG for details: NXTLOG People's Choice Building Challenge

What will you make?
NXTLOG has had biped, quadruped, sumo and video challenges. We’ve even challenged you to build robots to celebrate holidays and summer sports. But now it’s time for YOU to design what the NXT building challenge will be in the NXTLOG People’s Choice Building Challenge!

To enter you must create a building challenge theme, a sample robot, and rules and judging criteria. Winners of this challenge will have their competition posted on NXTLOG!

You have until Tuesday June 30, 2009 to enter.

See this NXTLOG for details: NXTLOG People's Choice Building Challenge

What will you make?

Come visit Brickworld!

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

What is Brickworld?

Brickworld is an event created by Adult Fans of LEGO (AFOLs). The public portion of the event provides an opportunity to view the wonderful creations of the attendees. You can also see MINDSTORMS robots and competitions throughout the event. The event is driven by the motto:
Share - Learn - Explore - Discover

On Saturday and Sunday of the event, the registered attendees put their creations on display in 25,000 square feet of ballroom for people to see. There are also LEGO MINDSTORMS contests for the public to watch. Creations include train layouts, tall buildings, sculpture, towns, mosaics, futuristic battle scenes, replicas of many things, castles, things that move, things that are stationary, space displays, animals, architecture, artistry, history, and much much more.

If you or your kids are fascinated by LEGO or if you are just looking for a way to broaden your imagination, then Brickworld is for you.

When is Brickworld?

Brickworld is held the third week in June. This year Brickworld will be open to the public on June 20 & 21.

Where is Brickworld?

Brickworld is held at the Westin Hotel in Wheeling, IL in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago.What is Brickworld?

Brickworld is an event created by Adult Fans of LEGO (AFOLs). The public portion of the event provides an opportunity to view the wonderful creations of the attendees. You can also see MINDSTORMS robots and competitions throughout the event. The event is driven by the motto:
Share - Learn - Explore - Discover

On Saturday and Sunday of the event, the registered attendees put their creations on display in 25,000 square feet of ballroom for people to see. There are also LEGO MINDSTORMS contests for the public to watch. Creations include train layouts, tall buildings, sculpture, towns, mosaics, futuristic battle scenes, replicas of many things, castles, things that move, things that are stationary, space displays, animals, architecture, artistry, history, and much much more.

If you or your kids are fascinated by LEGO or if you are just looking for a way to broaden your imagination, then Brickworld is for you.

When is Brickworld?

Brickworld is held the third week in June. This year Brickworld will be open to the public on June 20 & 21.

Where is Brickworld?

Brickworld is held at the Westin Hotel in Wheeling, IL in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago.

NXT is the new green. Check out the winners of the NXTLOG Climate Connections Challenge!

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 08:00:00 GMT

NXTLOGers old and new entered the FLL Climate Connections Challenge to honor the 2008-09 FIRST LEGO League (FLL) World Festival and Earth Day. Roboteers were asked to design an NXT robot that could complete any of the missions from the Climate Connections Challenge. Some entered robots and missions from their FLL teams, and some invented their own! Please visit, comment, rate, and get inspired by all the robots entered in this challenge by entering the tag "climateconnections" Here are the winners: CHAMPION'S AWARD Climate Connections Robot- Legonauts Created by: rohanoman This entry has every element of a Champion Robot. A beautifully built robot, excellent pictures, a thorough NXTLOG description, and an assortment of LDD and program files shared. This robot was also created by a rookie FLL team who scored 320 points - a huge feat for a first year team. For a truly exceptional robot and NXTLOG documentation, we award rohanoman and The Legonauts the Champion's Award. Good luck next season! ROBOT DESIGN AWARD Team Cafe Bob Lego League Hexapod Created by: MisterTux Team 'CAFE BOB' created this next robot and winner of the Robot Design Award. Two NXTLOGgers (Mister.Tux and Dahari1) and a 3rd team member collaboratively built this robot. What's surprising about its design as an FLL robot is that insetad of being a vehicle, this robot is a walking hexapod! This 6-legged robot was able to complete all the Climate Connections missions except the oil rig. It also has a pnuematic lever, a bucket as a carrier, a scoop, as well as a few additional attachments (we want pictures of them please). Congratulations Team 'CAFE BOB' on winning your second Robot Design Award (they won their first at an FLL tournament)! ROBOT PERFORMANCE AWARD NX-YZ Created by: NatoNX NX-YZ is a small, simple robot that currently does seven of the eighteen Climate Connections missions, scoring 130 points in under two minutes and thirty seconds. Not all robots need to perform at the maximum point value to be a great performer! What makes this NXTLOG entry remarkable is that NatoNX recreated the entire Climate Connections mission mat and models from scratch (and it's an amazing replica). NatoNX also includes excellent pictures, detailed documentation, and a video that shows NX-YZ completing the missions in two and a half minutes without edits. This project is a gem and represents the true spirit of FLL. Keep up the great work NatoNX and start your own team next season! CREATIVE USE OF NXTLOG AWARD The Climate bot Created by: legohenrique1234 The Climate Bot is another homemade entry and legohenrique1234 creatively recreates a few official Climate Connections missions and invents some too. Our favorite is the Soda Can Challenge where the robot must recycle the soda can by delivering it to the recycle station for 10 points. Keep up the creative work legohenrique1234, FLL needs more minds like yours! HONORABLE MENTION(S) FLL Bot 3 Created by: TR24EM FLLBot 2r Created by: TR24EM MMS Created by: legoking11196 Nxt WildCats Created by: LeoBello The no trash bot! Created by: pspking55567 MUR-E Created by: Dr_phantom Technobotts 3 Climate Connections Robot Created by: TechnoBottsNXTLOGers old and new entered the FLL Climate Connections Challenge to honor the 2008-09 FIRST LEGO League (FLL) World Festival and Earth Day. Roboteers were asked to design an NXT robot that could complete any of the missions from the Climate Connections Challenge. Some entered robots and missions from their FLL teams, and some invented their own! Please visit, comment, rate, and get inspired by all the robots entered in this challenge by entering the tag "climateconnections" Here are the winners: CHAMPION'S AWARD Climate Conne[...]

Roll out the red carpet! The MINDSTORMS Academy has voted and the video winners are in...

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 08:00:00 GMT

Smile, robot, smile! The results of the NXTLOG Video Challenge are in. There are lots of projects to enterain you besides those chosen by the MINDSTORMS Academy. So roll out the red carpet and enjoy watching some amazing robots in action. Please visit, comment, rate, and get inspired by all the robots entered in this challenge by entering the tag "videochallenge" Here are the winners: FAN FAVORITE AWARD Model NXT Created by: NXTdude The most popularly rated entry, NXTdude's Model NXT, is a masterfully created MINDSTORMS car equipped with power steering, a rear-axle differential, automatic braking and steering, sound start-up, auto-warning, and a convertible roof. The vehicle also has a one-motor steering mechanism, which enables the robot to make sharp and smooth turns. The NXTLOG documentation is well detailed and humorous. Most importantly, NXTdude's video is a clever commercial for the 2009 Model NXT (buy yours today!). NXTdude did not need votes to make this exceptional project a Fan Favorite. (NXTdude has 14 projects on NXTLOG) JUDGES AWARD The Dealer Created by: sebiseb89 Everyone on the judging panel agreed that this was the coolest all around project amd it has a great video that clearly showcases this robot's capabilities. The dealer, does just what its name implies, it rotates around a table and deals cards! In the video, the robot deals cards for 5 players. Each player then selects how many more cards they want by pushing a touch sensor and the robot responds. For an incredible robot design, perfomance, and excellent video, we award sebiseb89 the Judges Award. (This is sebiseb89's 1st robot on NXTLOG). BEST TECHNICAL PERFORMANCE TYPE-BOT Created by: jayko543 Can the Type-Bot do my homework for me? This "type" of robot is one of the coolest we have seen. Seeing the robot on video gracefully move on gear tracks along a computer keyboard makes you wonder what will this smart MINDSTORMS robot type? Why "LEGO" of course. Congratulations Type-bot on the Technial Award. (This is jayko543's 17th robot on NXTLOG.) ARTFUL DESIGN Pianist Created by: Funbat In this NXT project a humanoid pianist plays a grand LEGO piano before a minifig audience. The arms are powered by two motors and all the music comes from the NXT. The best part is the end of the video where the pianist faces the audience's applause and says, "thank you, thank you." Funbat gives credit to a sister who helped compose the music and run the camera. For a artfully imagined and well-crafted project, we give the Pianist the Artful Design Award! (This is Funbat's 1st project on NXTLOG.) MOST CREATIVE The Duel Created by: STARMAN71 In this mini western video called "The Duel (Shoot-out at the Old Brick Coral)" staring Sheriff Walter, and two bipeds Dexter Junior, and Big Bad Dexter. Big Bad Dexter has robbed Dexter Junior of his only set of spare batteries. Junior challenges Big Bad to a duel and they shoot it out LEGO style. The three robots STARMAN71 features are all well designed and programmed, and the video and NXTLOG documentation are creativly executed. This project well deserves the Most Creative Award! (STARMAN71 has 8 projects on NXTLOG and this is STARMAN71's third win in this category.) HONORABLE MENTION(S) Sam the Ventriliquism Dummy Created by: roboguy210 Master and two slaves (3NXT) Created by: Per_and_Emil Camera Car Created by: legominifig1322 GROOVY-The dancing robot Created by: deveshmohan Night Bot With... Head Tickler(NOW LDD!) Created by: mindstorms-teen Smile, robot, smile! The results of the NXTLOG Video Challenge are in. There are lots of projects to enterain you besides those c[...]

NXTLOG Climate Connections Building Challenge

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 02:00:00 GMT

In honor of the FIRST LEGO League (FLL) World Festival this April 16th -18th in Atlanta Georgia, USA, and Earth Day (April 22nd) we are hosting an online FLL Climate Connections Challenge.

Your goal is to design an NXT robot that can complete any of the missions from the FLL Climate Connections Challenge see all missions here.

But... you can add more to your robot!

There's no limit on amount of LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT sensors, motors, NXT programmable bricks, HiTechnic sensors, Codatex RFID sensors, or Bluetooth communication you can use.

If you have not competed in FIRST LEGO League or the Climate Connections Challenge, here is your chance. But, you will need to study the missions and rules of the robot game from the FLL website carefully so you know what to do:

Don’t worry if you don’t have the official FLL mission mat or LEGO Models, you can make your own!

How will your robot make the right climate connections?

You have until Thursday April 30, 2009

See the NXTLOG Climate Connections Building Challenge project for details In honor of the FIRST LEGO League (FLL) World Festival this April 16th -18th in Atlanta Georgia, USA, and Earth Day (April 22nd) we are hosting an online FLL Climate Connections Challenge.

Your goal is to design an NXT robot that can complete any of the missions from the FLL Climate Connections Challenge see all missions here.

But... you can add more to your robot!

There's no limit on amount of LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT sensors, motors, NXT programmable bricks, HiTechnic sensors, Codatex RFID sensors, or Bluetooth communication you can use.

If you have not competed in FIRST LEGO League or the Climate Connections Challenge, here is your chance. But, you will need to study the missions and rules of the robot game from the FLL website carefully so you know what to do:

Don’t worry if you don’t have the official FLL mission mat or LEGO Models, you can make your own!

How will your robot make the right climate connections?

You have until Thursday April 30, 2009

See the NXTLOG Climate Connections Building Challenge project for details

LEGO MINDSTORMS 10 Year Anniversary Exclusive: The Black NXT Limited Edition

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 08:00:00 GMT

Now you can be the proud owner of one of the Limited Edition Black NXT micro-controllers that we have produced to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of LEGO MINDSTORMS!The first LEGO MINDSTORMS products came out in the year 1998 and have since then continued to bring fun and active building and programming experiences to millions of robotic builders across the world!Only 1998 exclusive units will only be available through our online shop shop.LEGO.com and www.amazon.comWhy a Black NXT? Well, because it is cool! And looking around in the LEGO MINDSTORMS community we noticed that a Black NXT was high on the wish list among users. Also, talking to the LEGO MINDSTORMS Community Partners, the closed web forum of adult fans collaborating with the LEGO MINDSTORMS development team, it was very well received and suggested as a must-have!Once you have bought and received your new Black NXT you will get access to additional materials like a special-made program for the Black NXT, a personal certificate of ownership, wallpapers, as well as building instructions for special models.In the coming weeks we will show what other users have already made with their Black NXT – here’s a first peek.Please note that this is an exclusive item in a limited edition and there will not be produced any extra black NXTs other than the number listed above – so, if you want to secure yours go online at www.amazon.com or shop.LEGO.com now!The LEGO MINDSTORMS TeamNow you can be the proud owner of one of the Limited Edition Black NXT micro-controllers that we have produced to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of LEGO MINDSTORMS!The first LEGO MINDSTORMS products came out in the year 1998 and have since then continued to bring fun and active building and programming experiences to millions of robotic builders across the world!Only 1998 exclusive units will only be available through our online shop shop.LEGO.com and www.amazon.comWhy a Black NXT? Well, because it is cool! And looking around in the LEGO MINDSTORMS community we noticed that a Black NXT was high on the wish list among users. Also, talking to the LEGO MINDSTORMS Community Partners, the closed web forum of adult fans collaborating with the LEGO MINDSTORMS development team, it was very well received and suggested as a must-have!Once you have bought and received your new Black NXT you will get access to additional materials like a special-made program for the Black NXT, a personal certificate of ownership, wallpapers, as well as building instructions for special models.In the coming weeks we will show what other users have already made with their Black NXT – here’s a first peek.Please note that this is an exclusive item in a limited edition and there will not be produced any extra black NXTs other than the number listed above – so, if you want to secure yours go online at www.amazon.com or shop.LEGO.com now!The LEGO MINDSTORMS Team[...]

NXTLOG Video Challenge

Mon, 02 Feb 2009 08:00:00 GMT

Lights, camera, action! We want you to make your LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT robot the star of the show. This NXTLOG contest challenges you to direct the most creative and innovative video that shows off your NXT creation!

You have until Tuesday March 31, 2009 to enter.

Happy building and movie making!

See this NXTLOG for more details:

NXTLOG Video Challenge
Lights, camera, action! We want you to make your LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT robot the star of the show. This NXTLOG contest challenges you to direct the most creative and innovative video that shows off your NXT creation!

You have until Tuesday March 31, 2009 to enter.

Happy building and movie making!

See this NXTLOG for more details:

NXTLOG Video Challenge

The NXTLOG Holiday Building Challenge Winners are in!

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 08:00:00 GMT

‘Twas the season to be building Fa la la la la la la la la Robots to help with holiday gilding Fa la la la la la la la la Many posted projects on NXTLOG… Fa la la la la la la la la Alas, not one robotic yule log! Fa la la la la la la la la Many NXTLOGgers entered the Holiday Building Challenge with robotic creations celebrating Christmas, Veteran’s Day, Diwali, and even Sea Turtle Awareness Day! There are robotic Christmas villages, Santas, reindeer, gift guarding bots, tree decorators, flag raisers, and even ball droppers to see. Please visit, comment, rate, and get inspired by all the robots entered in this challenge by entering the tag "nxt200812" Here are the winners: CHAMPION'S AWARD Magic Christmas Tree Created by: NeXTSTORM What a gift this robot is to see in action! At first you think this model is a replica of a LEGO Christmas house, but it then a LEGO sun gently sets as the home gracefully opens to reveal a spinning LEGO Christmas tree made out of minifigures! For innovative design, performance, and creativity, we present The Magic Christmas Tree with the Champion's Award! (Also see NeXTSTORM's Robot Perfomance Award winning Summer Sports Challenge entry: 100 meters, The Ultimate Race) ROBOT DESIGN AWARD Turkey_Bak!_Bot Created by: nxtcreator6604 nxtcreator6604's first project on NXTLOG, this Turkey Bot looks and acts like the real thing. (Try catching this bot for your holiday dinner!) It utilizes three motors. Two motors are for the legs and arms, and the third motor is used for the turkey's beak. The turkey also makes a "Bak!" sound when the beak moves. For a very realistic robot, nxtcreator6604 wins the Robot Design Award! ROBOT PERFORMANCE AWARD Stocking Stuffer Created by: benjamind60 When Santa needs that extra help stuffing the stockings on the hearth, it's benjamind60's stocking stuffer to the rescue. This simple robot glides down the mantle and discharges goodies into stockings hung with care. Two versions of the stocking stuffer bot are posted on NXTLOG. (benjamind60 made improvements in both the design and the programming with the second version.) Video, program, and LDD files are also posted so you can make your own! For benjamind60's dedication to improving robot design and programming, the "Stocking Stuffer" is presented with the Robot Performance Award. (This is benjamind60's 9th project on NXTLOG.) CREATIVE USE OF NXTLOG AWARD Walter Christmas Created by: STARMAN71 If you need some entertainment at your holiday dinner, you can invite Walter Christmas. This robot dressed up to look like Santa, can raise its eyes, move its hands, and even say some phrases. STARMAN71 clearly explains how the robot was programmed and constructed, and includes video, program, and LDD files so you can try making your own version of Walter Christmas (just remember to give credit to STARMAN71). By using NXTLOG in a creative way (by repurposing a robot previously submitted to NXTLOG), Walter Christmas is awarded with the Creative Use of NXTLOG Award. (STARMAN71 has 7 projects on NXTLOG and this is STARMAN71's second win in this category.) HONORABLE MENTION(S) New Years Ball Drop Created by: nicocolt324 Diwali Candle Setter Created by: abcde13 Alpha ReXmas Created by: Apologetic Santa Claus on the sleigh with reindeers Created by: Zsolo66 The Christmas Surprise Created by: jayko543 Please pass me the sugar Created by: MarsDirect Frosty the Snowman Created by: Lego_Creator_08‘Twas the season to be building Fa la la la la la la la la Robots to help with holiday gi[...]

10 years of Robotic Inventions!

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 08:00:00 GMT

Billund, Denmark: It is not possible to get an overview of the history of LEGO MINDSTORMS and all the creative explorations users from all over the world have made, and it is not possible to collect all the stories and videos that the press and users have created since LEGO MINDSTORMS was launched the first time in 1998.But Thursday 20 November a small celebration took place at the LEGO offices in Billund, where some of the stories were told and videos shown, and some of the many models were on display, when employees working with MINDSTORMS held a reception to mark the first 10 years of LEGO’s robotic building system, that has captivated so many children of all ages across the world.The guests at the reception were a mix of former employees, who had worked with the development of LEGO MINDSTORMS from the mid-1990’s and on, current employees working in Billund, and not least a big group of fans who came all the way to Denmark to be part of the celebration from Canada, USA, Israel, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Denmark. The owner of the LEGO Group, Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, were the first to give a speech about the history of LEGO MINDSTORMS and how it all started, followed by Torben Ballegård Sørensen and Søren Lund, who were part of the strong team around MINDSTORMS developing the RCX generation and the NXT generation. Senior Marketing Director Søren Lund told the story of how the development team invited adult fans into the research department to help create the NXT product and give invaluable inputs to the process. The first four adult fans to be involved were called the MUP, short for MINDSTORMS User Panel, and the nickname for a member naturally became ‘MUPpet’.Two of the first four MUPpets came to the reception, Ralph Hempel from Canada, and David Schilling from USA. David gave a speech about his experience with being part of the MUP and the ongoing cooperation with LEGO since 2005.Eight persons were recognized as having been influential on the development of LEGO MINDSTORMS and received a special reminder; a golden RCX, the programmable microcomputer that was launched in 1998 (and which is still actively used in homes and schools!). The eight persons are Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, Torben Ballegård Sørensen, Søren Lund, Tormod Askildsen, Linda Dalton, Robert Rasmussen, Mitch Resnick,, and Mike Dooley.After the reception guests visited a brand new exhibition showing the history of LEGO MINDSTORMS from the early years before the first launch until today. On display were all the products launched from 1998 and on, among them the RCX-based set Robotics Invention System, the Robotics Discovery Set featuring the Scout and the Star Wars™ products, Droid Developer Kit and Dark Side Developer Kit, as well as the NXT set, complete with models from the sets.Everybody at LEGO working with and around LEGO MINDSTORMS extends a special thanks to all the fans around the world, who have helped and are still helping making LEGO MINDSTORMS the great success it is! Thanks for making our robots rock!The LEGO MINDSTORMS TeamBillund, Denmark: It is not possible to get an overview of the history of LEGO MINDSTORMS and all the creative explorations users from all over the world have made, and it is not possible to collect all the stories and videos that the press and users have created since LEGO MINDSTORMS was launched the first time in 1998.But Thursday 20 November a small celebration took place at the LEGO offices in Billund, where some of the stories were told and videos shown, and some of the many models [...]

Not your dad’s train set… MINDSTORMS NXT controls LEGO R/C Trains with HiTechnic IR Link!

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 01:00:00 GMT

The HiTechnic IR Link (IR stands for InfraRed) has been available for a little over a year now. If you have the MINDSTORMS RCX brick, motors and sensors, LEGO TECHNIC sets with Power Function Motors, or even LEGO R/C Trains, the IR Link from HiTechnic can enable you to control them with the NXT.The folks from HiTechnic created a LEGO R/C Trains project that uses the MINDSTORMS NXT and a HiTechnic IR Link to control the trains. In this project a MINDSTORMS NXT Ultrasonic Sensor and a Light Sensor are used to detect the location of the trains. An NXT program monitors the location of each train and sends commands (using the IR Link) to each of the trains to control when to start, and then to stop once they have reached their destination. The NXT can control up to three trains at a time, and can select and set their speed and direction of each. What a great project for the holidays, MINDSTORMS NXT controlled LEGO Trains under your Christmas tree! To see video of these trains in action and to download a program file, check out the HiTechnic LEGO R/C Train project on NXTLOG.The IR link from HiTechnic is available online at LEGO Shop at Home: IR (Infrared) Link Sensor The LEGO R/C train is also available from Shop at Home: LEGO R/C Train SetsThe IR Link sensor NXT-G blocks are available from the downloads page at the HiTechnic website:HiTechnicThe HiTechnic IR Link (IR stands for InfraRed) has been available for a little over a year now. If you have the MINDSTORMS RCX brick, motors and sensors, LEGO TECHNIC sets with Power Function Motors, or even LEGO R/C Trains, the IR Link from HiTechnic can enable you to control them with the NXT.The folks from HiTechnic created a LEGO R/C Trains project that uses the MINDSTORMS NXT and a HiTechnic IR Link to control the trains. In this project a MINDSTORMS NXT Ultrasonic Sensor and a Light Sensor are used to detect the location of the trains. An NXT program monitors the location of each train and sends commands (using the IR Link) to each of the trains to control when to start, and then to stop once they have reached their destination. The NXT can control up to three trains at a time, and can select and set their speed and direction of each. What a great project for the holidays, MINDSTORMS NXT controlled LEGO Trains under your Christmas tree! To see video of these trains in action and to download a program file, check out the HiTechnic LEGO R/C Train project on NXTLOG.The IR link from HiTechnic is available online at LEGO Shop at Home: IR (Infrared) Link Sensor The LEGO R/C train is also available from Shop at Home: LEGO R/C Train SetsThe IR Link sensor NXT-G blocks are available from the downloads page at the HiTechnic website:HiTechnic[...]

Learning about games and playing through LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 08:00:00 GMT

Twice a year a course, held by the youth organisation FDF, for approximately 300 young kids in the age span of 14-19 is held at The Outdoor Center Sletten near the city of Silkeborg, Denmark. All these 300 are sorted into groups according to their desire for learning about the world, philosophy or themselves. Each group is run by volunteers, called instructors for this purpose, who all love to pass on the knowledge they themselves have been taught or learned throughout the years. We had a group of 19 young men and women who had decided they wanted to learn more about the essentials of games and playing (theory and practice). Therefore it was with great fondness we had thought of LEGO when we decided to implement it into our schedule on the course in the fall of 2008. Normal LEGO, however, would not do for a, to some degree, serious course. Also we feared traditional LEGO would not catch the attention of the group we had in mind. Consequently we stumbled upon LEGO Mindstorms NXT. It had all the things we were looking for, the basics of LEGO where you assemble the pieces in an easy to understand way. It had the looks to appeal our group and required the imaginative and ingenuity we hoped to inspire the group with. Unfortunately, the prize was slightly out of our reach, considering we would need around 10 complete sets to make sure everybody would be able to get their hands on this cool machinery. Luckily, a request was posted to the right people, and we were allowed to borrow 10 complete sets of LEGO for the benefits of learning and understanding it in practice.There had been set several days aside, computers had been borrowed from friends, families and other instructors to run the LEGO Mindstorms NXT programs, to make downloading and creating programs as quick as possible. Then the day finally dawned, and my fellow instructors and I looked at each other nervously. Had we missed our mark? Would this even appeal in the slightest to this group of teenagers? A generation, infamous for its towering standards and from time to time unreasonable criticism of things earlier generations had no problem with. Had LEGO simply been a fad that we had loved and was now lost in the abyss of older generations? With great anxiety we waited for them to arrive, and most of all their reaction.We were not disappointed. The group was overly ecstatic to learn what we had planned for them. Boys and girls alike were only not racing towards the big grey boxes placed alongside the computers out of politeness as we finished our introduction. When we allowed them, they actually ran to each box to delve into the mysteries of LEGO Mindstorms NXT. The girls were fascinated with the robot’s ability to recognize colour, and the boys were awestruck by the possibility to build humanoid robots.After the first day with LEGO Mindstorms NXT, about eight hours of intensive work with the robots, we realized that we would not have enough time to learn them perfectly, as the possibilities and options seemed to expand rapidly as we learned more and more. In the end, the teenagers who had come to Sletten to learn about games and playing went home with so much more, thanks to LEGO Mindstorms NXT and the generosity of The LEGO Company.Twice a year a course, held by the youth organisation FDF, for approximately 300 young kids in the age span of 14-19 is held at The Outdoor Center Sletten near the city of Silkeborg, Denmark. All these 300 are sorted into groups according to their desire for learning about the world, philosophy or the[...]

NXTLOG Holiday Building Challenge

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 08:00:00 GMT

'Tis the season to be building
Fa la la la la la la la la
Robots to help with holiday gilding
Fa la la la la la la la la
Put your project up on NXTLOG…
Fa la la la la la la la la
Wow! A cool robotic yule log
Fa la la la la la la la la

The holiday season is here and we want you to design a Holiday NXTbot! Your robot must represent a seasonal holiday. (Thanksgiving, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Christmas, Eid-el-Fitr, Diwali, and more…).

You can make a NXT Turkey, a timely ornament, a Kwanzaa kinara, a dreidel, or even a robotic gift wrapper. The ideas are endless so use your creative imagination to make a fun holiday bot!

There's no limit on amount of LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT sensors, motors, NXT programmable bricks, HiTechnic sensors, or Bluetooth communication you can use on your MINDSTORMS NXT Holiday Bot.

You have until Friday December 31, 2008 to enter your robot.

See this NXTLOG to enter Holiday Building Challenge

Happy Building!
'Tis the season to be building
Fa la la la la la la la la
Robots to help with holiday gilding
Fa la la la la la la la la
Put your project up on NXTLOG…
Fa la la la la la la la la
Wow! A cool robotic yule log
Fa la la la la la la la la

The holiday season is here and we want you to design a Holiday NXTbot! Your robot must represent a seasonal holiday. (Thanksgiving, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Christmas, Eid-el-Fitr, Diwali, and more…).

You can make a NXT Turkey, a timely ornament, a Kwanzaa kinara, a dreidel, or even a robotic gift wrapper. The ideas are endless so use your creative imagination to make a fun holiday bot!

There's no limit on amount of LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT sensors, motors, NXT programmable bricks, HiTechnic sensors, or Bluetooth communication you can use on your MINDSTORMS NXT Holiday Bot.

You have until Friday December 31, 2008 to enter your robot.

See this NXTLOG to enter Holiday Building Challenge

Happy Building!

The NXTLOG Cool Creature Building Challenge Winners are in!

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 08:00:00 GMT

Lots of brave NXTLOGgers entered the Cool Creature Building Challenge, designing robots that resemble creatures of all kids. Three of the winners are first time NXTLOGgers! From insects to slimy snails, all the bots entered in this challenge are worth building and playing with. Visit, comment, rate, and get inspired by the gaggle, flock, or swarm of robots in this challenge by entering the tag "nxt200810" Here are the winners: CHAMPION'S AWARD Robby, the Elephant Created by: Robby-Hood Robby-Hood created Robby, the Elephant because, “We always thought Elephant was a really cool, majestic, and friendly creature.” This NXT Elephant moves its trunk up and down and ears back and forth as it is walking, and it grunts as well! This project uses just one NXT brick, 3 motors, and its body is 100% constructed out of LEGO Pieces. Robby-Hood clearly describes how he construced and programmed the robot and provides an LDD and program file so you can build one too! For a very cool creature, we award Robby, the Elephant the Champion’s Award! (This is Robby-Hood’s first project on NXTLOG.) ROBOT DESIGN AWARD Slime the Snail Created by: jayko543 Slime the Snail was created as a “happy accident.” First Jayko543 tried making a little biped, but when it tried to walk, it fell over and flopped all over the table. “I thought it sort of looked like a slug or snail. So thats when I created it. . . ewwww.” But Slime the Snail is not all that gross, it has some fun and innovative design elements. The motors are used as CAMs (the motors are offset on the robot) to make it move, and when the robots eyes are touched or when something makes a loud noise it will pull them into its shell. Jayko543 provides program files, an LDD file, and video of Slime the Snail in action! For creative and unique robot, we award Slime the Snail the Robot Design Award. (This is Jayko543’s fourteenth project on NXTLOG and the second contest award - sneezebot ("achoo") won the CREATIVE USE OF NXTLOG AWARD in the Winter Wonderland Challenge). ROBOT PERFORMANCE AWARD Norton the NXT-Rex Created by: Elmo9701 If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, again. That’s what Elmo9701 did with the Norton the NXT-Rex project. It is now a robotic dinosaur. It started as a worm, then evolved to a dragon, and finally transformed to Norton the NXT-Rex. Elmo9701’s NXTLOG is well organized into steps that describe the robot’s Design, the Challenges and Solutions to building the project and a highly detailed step related to The Program. Norton is programmed to interact with its user via the sound sensor, touch sensor, ultrasonic sensor, motors, and NXT buttons, display screen, and speaker. He talks to the user, walks on the floor, adds simple numbers, and tells the user the distance to objects that are in front of him. Elmo9701 annotated the program files and gives credit to NXTLOGgers LegoManIAm94 and NXTGeek2 whose projects inspired the programming. For excellence in robotic programming (and NXTLOG team effort) we award Norton the NXT-Rex the Robot Performance Award! (This is Elmo9701’s first NXTLOG Project.) CREATIVE USE OF NXTLOG AWARD A PANDA!! Created by: chocolatelover2014 A very creative Cool Creature Challenge entry, A PANDA!! is narrated by 3 minifig reporters from the LNN (LEGO News Network), Samantha, Daniel, and Adam. The three are working on an epic mission to rescue a Panda from danger in[...]

Robotics Club at Spastics Society of Karnataka

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 08:00:00 GMT

The Spastics Society of Karnataka [1] (SSK) is a school in Bangalore, India dedicated to the welfare of the disabled children suffering from various Neuro-Muscular disorders.The Robotics club at SSK got initiated when two volunteers from school decided to enroll the students of the school to participate in the First LEGO League contest in 2007 conducted by SAP in India. From the time the students got hold of the LEGO Mindstorms NXT kit, everyone has been fascinated by the fun-filled aspects building the models and programming the robot to do tasks. Initially, everyone was apprehensive about programming, thinking that it was a complicated task. But when got introduced to the LEGO Mindstorms Programming Environment, it was a wonderful realization to students that programming could be such a simple and an enjoyable activity.As Nivedita, a student from the school would put it, "When I was given a chance to build something of my imagination, I came up with an idea to build a super truck, which can be used for construction purpose. It took me nearly 3 or 4 days to build this rare truck. After I built it I did some basic programming using the Mindstorms NXT-G. I tested it and it worked perfectly. I was thrilled the way it worked as per my program."The Robotics club was formed by the students from various different classes and having different capabilities and talents. The whole idea was when working as a team, each student would be able complement another one's capability.So, we have Kartik, Avinash and Padmini in the club, who are wheelchair bound, with limited motor skills, but very good at logic, programming, research and "Theoretical Robotics". Complementing their skills and with an equally good imagination is Nivedita, Leo, Hema, Shivu and John. They engage in building the robot using the kit and programming the kit.Leo has been a find of the club, who was able to realize his potential with the help of LEGO Kits. He was enrolled to this school only a year ago, after being diagnosed as dyslexic and unable to cope with students in the normal school.When given the LEGO kit, he was able to recognize his natural ability to architect models and build things. People wonder at his innate ability to build the robotics model quickly. Have a look at Robby the Elephant for a example, which Leo created within a day.The robotics club and Mindstorms kit has helped the students and volunteers alike in expanding their quest for science and robotics. And winning the second prize in India level contest of FLL has greatly boosted the confidence of students. More importantly, the robotics club and NXT kit has given the students, parents, teachers and volunteers to engage themselves in an exciting activity every week, working and sharing the fun together as team.Have a look at The Spastic Society of Karnataka's website hereThe Spastics Society of Karnataka [1] (SSK) is a school in Bangalore, India dedicated to the welfare of the disabled children suffering from various Neuro-Muscular disorders.The Robotics club at SSK got initiated when two volunteers from school decided to enroll the students of the school to participate in the First LEGO League contest in 2007 conducted by SAP in India. From the time the students got hold of the LEGO Mindstorms NXT kit, everyone has been fascinated by the fun-filled aspects building the models and programming the robot to do tasks. Initially, everyone was apprehensive about programming,[...]

New questions answered in the "Ask the NXTperts" section

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 08:00:00 GMT

Take a look at the "Ask the NXTperts" section and see what our NXTperts are answering to interesting questions like:

How can I give the NXT servo motors more torque? What is a gear ratio?

When I tell my robot to turn 90 degrees, it does not turn 90 degrees. Why?

The section is located hereTake a look at the "Ask the NXTperts" section and see what our NXTperts are answering to interesting questions like:

How can I give the NXT servo motors more torque? What is a gear ratio?

When I tell my robot to turn 90 degrees, it does not turn 90 degrees. Why?

The section is located here

Humorous NXT vs. RCX videos poke fun at LEGO MINDSTORMS

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 08:00:00 GMT

MINDSTORMS is celebrating its 10-year anniversary. Many remember MINDSTORMS as only being the yellow RCX brick, and some newcomers to LEGO MINDSTORMS are only familiar with the white and gray NXT.Jake Ingman and Brandon Newendorp co-chairs of the Iowa FLL Planning Team were getting a lot of questions from teams on the differences between the RCX and NXT kits. They came up with the idea to create a series of fun videos to help educate teams on the differences between the two. These humorous videos ponder the pros and cons of each MINDSTORMS platform using Apple's ® Mac vs. PC TV ads as their muse."All of the video was shot in one evening in front of a green screen. Jake played RCX while I played NXT. I have to say, we have a lot of video of us making it about halfway through a scene before we start laughing! Once the video was shot, I did the effects and editing in Apple's Final Cut Pro" says Brandon. The videos "premiered" at the Iowa FLL Championship in January 2007 and they've also had some viral popularity online. "At the last FLL World Festival a number of people recognized me as "NXT" and wanted to take a picture with me" says Brandon."As for a favorite kit," continues Newendorp, "it's tough to say. There are definitely advantages and disadvantages to both kits, which we tried to demonstrate in the videos. Both kits offer FLL teams a different set of engineering challenges to overcome. Personally, I like the more capable programming, motors and sensors of the NXT, but I'm still a fan of the traditional LEGO bricks used to build RCX robots. "We've been thinking about making another set of the videos this season, continuing the NXT vs. RCX idea. We'll see what comes out of it!" We can't wait to see what this creative duo comes up with NXT!To view the NXT vs. RCX videos visit the ISEK Website:ISEK NXT vs. RCXMINDSTORMS is celebrating its 10-year anniversary. Many remember MINDSTORMS as only being the yellow RCX brick, and some newcomers to LEGO MINDSTORMS are only familiar with the white and gray NXT.Jake Ingman and Brandon Newendorp co-chairs of the Iowa FLL Planning Team were getting a lot of questions from teams on the differences between the RCX and NXT kits. They came up with the idea to create a series of fun videos to help educate teams on the differences between the two. These humorous videos ponder the pros and cons of each MINDSTORMS platform using Apple's ® Mac vs. PC TV ads as their muse."All of the video was shot in one evening in front of a green screen. Jake played RCX while I played NXT. I have to say, we have a lot of video of us making it about halfway through a scene before we start laughing! Once the video was shot, I did the effects and editing in Apple's Final Cut Pro" says Brandon. The videos "premiered" at the Iowa FLL Championship in January 2007 and they've also had some viral popularity online. "At the last FLL World Festival a number of people recognized me as "NXT" and wanted to take a picture with me" says Brandon."As for a favorite kit," continues Newendorp, "it's tough to say. There are definitely advantages and disadvantages to both kits, which we tried to demonstrate in the videos. Both kits offer FLL teams a different set of engineering challenges to overcome. Personally, I like the more capable programming, motors and sensors of the NXT, but I'm still a fan of the traditional LEGO bricks used to build RCX r[...]

New resource for FIRST LEGO League Coaches

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 08:00:00 GMT

The 2008-09 FIRST LEGO League season is underway and a new resource has recently come on the market that can help rookie and experienced FLL coaches alike.FIRST LEGO League: The Unofficial Guide co authored by James Kelly and Jonathan Daudelin (both from http://thenextstep.blogspot.com) explores over a dozen topics related to facilitating an FLL team to help run a successful FLL season.MINDSTORMS.com recently talked to Jim and Jonathan about the book:How did the idea for the book come about?Jim: Jonathan and I were both hearing the same concern about the lack of training materials for FLL. Much of the information available for coaches and team members is scattered among various web sites and discussion forums and we believed a book could be used to provide a head-start for new teams and more help for veteran teams. We approached No Starch (publisher of the Idea Book that we both contributed robots to) and they were interested and helped us formulate the topics that would be covered.Is the book really useful to both rookie and experienced teams?Jonathan: Absolutely! We wrote this book to cover both basic and advanced material. Some of the basic material includes discussion about how the FLL competition works, how to form a new team, and other things that rookie teams or teams-to-be can benefit from. More advanced topics include fundraising and how to do well in tournament judging sessions. Our building and programming tips also range from basic to advanced.What topics does the book cover? Jim: We decided to use the book to cover everything from the start of the FLL season to the day after the final competition (whether local, regional, or international). Topics include a history of FIRST and FLL and how to examine the rules for each new season. We provide details on forming a team, organizing, and managing a group. A few chapters cover the basics of building and programming and we hope we've provided some solid background and theory that can be used by all teams to focus their experiments and testing. We also felt it was important to cover those aspects of competition that don't always get as much attention as the Robot competition - the Project and Presentation aspects as well as various judging roles that all competitors should understand. We end the book with some wrap-up discussion on the season and suggestions on reviewing the season and finding the high-points to celebrate - it's all about the experiences you have during the season and using what you've learned to help you not only next year but in all areas of your education.Was it difficult writing a book with two authors not living in the same place?Jonathan: Not really; e-mails and phone calls worked out fine for us. After deciding what material we wanted to cover in the book, we split up the chapters between us. We'd each work on our chapters mostly by ourselves. When one of us finished a chapter, the other author would review and edit it before passing it on to the publisher.What is the book's overall goal? Jim: We wanted to provide an A-to-Z guide for all things related to FLL. While it's impossible to include everything, our goal quickly became to make certain there was enough information in the book for a new coach or parent to register a team, organize a team, and give them a reasonable chance to compete against experienced teams - this included gi[...]

MINDSTORMS NXT Cool Creature Building Challenge

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 02:00:00 GMT

What can be more fun than a barrel full of monkeys? A barrel full of NXT monkeys! We've had Biped, Quadruped, and even Bug Bot challenges on NXTLOG, but now we want you to have lots of fun and build the coolest creature on the planet.

"Creature" for this contest means animals of any sort. So go out and build the most creative robotic animal you can imagine. Spike can't be the only NXT creature around.

You have until Friday October 31, 2008 to enter your robot.

See the Cool Creature Building Challenge NXTLOG for more details.

Happy Building!
What can be more fun than a barrel full of monkeys? A barrel full of NXT monkeys! We've had Biped, Quadruped, and even Bug Bot challenges on NXTLOG, but now we want you to have lots of fun and build the coolest creature on the planet.

"Creature" for this contest means animals of any sort. So go out and build the most creative robotic animal you can imagine. Spike can't be the only NXT creature around.

You have until Friday October 31, 2008 to enter your robot.

See the Cool Creature Building Challenge NXTLOG for more details.

Happy Building!

The NXTLOG Summer Sports Challenge Winners are in!

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 02:00:00 GMT

Over 90 NXTLOGgers entered the Summer Sports Building Challenge, designing robots that resemble real-life athletes in competition. We saw robotic gymnasts, boxers, ball players, runners, swimmers, and many other robots playing summer sports - but only a few can win the gold! Please visit, comment, rate, and get inspired by all the robots in this challenge by entering the tag "nxt200808" Here are the winners: CHAMPION'S AWARD NXT Gymnast Created by: LeoBello The NXT Gymnast created by LeoBello is a robot that can compete in the Uneven Bars competition. There are 2 motors for the arms and 2 for the legs (but the NXT has only 3 ports so only one leg is powered). The movie that LeoBello includes with this project shows the robot performing an Uneven Bar routine with great skill and grace. We award the NXT Gymnast a 10.0! (Also see LeoBello's 2nd Summer Sports Challenge entry: NXT Basketball Player) ROBOT DESIGN AWARD Equestrian Mark 2 Created by: _Dragongirl_ _Dragongirl_ entered 2 robots in the Summer Sports Challenge, and Equestrian Mark 2 is an improved version of _Dragongirl_'s first Equestrian robot design. _Dragongirl_ got some help from her dad (adimitrov) to create a robotic horse that can compete in an Equestrian competition. Her first robot had one motor and a detached NXT, while this version sports 2 motors (one is just for show), an onboard NXT, and a creative use of wire as a "bridle." A video of the robot in action shows that this horse can gallop! We appreciate _Dragongirl_'s detailed NXTLOG documentation and dedication in improving her robot. _Dragongirl_ wins the gold in Robot Design! ROBOT PERFORMANCE AWARD 100 meters, The Ultimate Race Created by: NeXTSTORM Under the bright light of the Olympic flame, the greatest runners of the world are ready for a drag race from the gun shot to the tape. NeXTSTORM designed the "Ultimate Race" where one NXT powers a number of minifig runners racing down a LEGO track in a LEGO stadium powered by intelligent programming so you never know who is going to win! The "Ultimate Race" ends with a fiesta of great LEGO fireworks bursting in sky. For NeXTSTORM's awesome design and programming, the "Ultimate Race" is presented with the Robot Performance Award. (This is NeXTSTORM's 9th project on NXTLOG.) CREATIVE USE OF NXTLOG AWARD Dexter does the Olympics. Created by: STARMAN71 STARMAN71 uses NXTLOG in a creative way by repurposing a robot previously submitted for the Biped Challenge. This biped, "Dexter," is desgned to enter the Power Walking competition. Power Walking is a fast walk over great distances where the walker has to have one foot on the floor at all times, a task that Dexter does very well. STARMAN71 made Dexter walk faster by changing the gears in the legs and altering the program. STARMAN71 also uses a Power Point presentation to count down the starting sequence for Dexter to "Go." (STARMAN71 has 5 projects on NXTLOG and 3 projects entered in the Summer Sports Challenge.) HONORABLE MENTION(S) Kayaker-Bot Created by: Geo526468 John the Gymnast Created by: STARMAN71 swimmer Created by: artificialintelligence Baskebot Created by: alemaster123 swimming robot Created by: dragonk1997 Rapier 2.0 "CHARGE!" Created by: bry5 JudgeBot Created by: abcde13 The Brickbusters(with the b[...]

MINDSTORMS NXT and yellow marshmallow treats in near space?

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 02:00:00 GMT

What happens when you send yellow marshmallow treats into near space? And what would happen when they land in the hot Nevada desert? That’s what some 4th grade students from Shady Hill School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA wished to investigate as part of the High Altitude LEGO Extravaganza (H.A.L.E.) project last week in Reno, Nevada.Under the leadership of Shady Hill science teachers Barbara Bratzel and Jeanne McDermott as well as Chris Rogers and Susan Tse from Tufts University, the 4th grade students used the yellow marshmallows to measure temperature and pressure during the mission.“We ran some tests on Earth with the students--putting the yellow marshmallow treats in a small vacuum chamber, a freezer, and a solar oven--to simulate the conditions they would be exposed to in space and after landing. The kids then made sketches and wrote predictions of what they thought the yellow marshmallow treats would look like when they returned,” says Bratzel.The students’ payload carried an off the shelf pressure sensor, a temperature sensor, as well as a "marshmallow-o-meter" where a yellow marshmallow is anchored in a LEGO cage with a MINDSTORMS NXT Ultrasonic Sensor to measure its expansion. The "marshmallow-o-meter" was designed and built by high school student and Shady Hill School alumni Eric Mukherjee. A NXT brick was also used to record the data. The payload was contained in a styrofoam container for insulation and cushioning.The yellow marshmallows traveled up to 99,570 feet last Tuesday before being recovered in the Nevada desert. The NXT and marshmallow payload is now on its way (via snail mail) back to the students at Shady Hill School. The fourth graders (who will now be fifth graders) will examine the temperature and pressure data and present their findings to their school.The students are curious to see what happens to their treats. Some students think that the marshmallows will swell up when the pressure is low but shrink back to their original size upon returning to Earth. Some of the students think that they will become wrinkled or that some of the yellow sugar will fall off. Some students think (hope!) that the marshmallows will explode when the pressure is very low.The students aren’t going to eat any of the yellow marshmallow treats that went into space when they are returned to them, but they enjoyed eating them during their experimentation before the H.A.L.E. launch!You can learn more about all the H.A.L.E. missions by visiting: http://www.unr.edu/nevadasat/HALE/What happens when you send yellow marshmallow treats into near space? And what would happen when they land in the hot Nevada desert? That’s what some 4th grade students from Shady Hill School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA wished to investigate as part of the High Altitude LEGO Extravaganza (H.A.L.E.) project last week in Reno, Nevada.Under the leadership of Shady Hill science teachers Barbara Bratzel and Jeanne McDermott as well as Chris Rogers and Susan Tse from Tufts University, the 4th grade students used the yellow marshmallows to measure temperature and pressure during the mission.“We ran some tests on Earth with the students--putting the yellow marshmallow treats in a small vacuum chamber, a freezer, and a solar oven--to simulate the conditions [...]

Winners of the LEGO Club Magazine MINDSTORMS drawing contest

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 02:00:00 GMT

This year it is 10 years ago LEGO MINDSTORMS was first launched, so we want to celebrate the anniversary. As part of the celebration we have run a drawing competition in the March issue of LEGO Club Magazine: LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT “Visions of the Future”, where you should draw your MINDSTORMS robot of the future - how would LEGO robots look like in the future?

We have received well over 3000 fantastic drawings from users from age 6 to early 20's, so it has been very hard to choose the 10 winners! Thanks to all of you who entered a drawing for this contest.

Here are the lucky ones who will receive a LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT set (#8527).

Congratulations, winners, and thank you for your drawings of future LEGO MINDSTORMS robots!!

The LEGO MINDSTORMS team

Note: all winners will be notified by regular US mail.
This year it is 10 years ago LEGO MINDSTORMS was first launched, so we want to celebrate the anniversary. As part of the celebration we have run a drawing competition in the March issue of LEGO Club Magazine: LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT “Visions of the Future”, where you should draw your MINDSTORMS robot of the future - how would LEGO robots look like in the future?

We have received well over 3000 fantastic drawings from users from age 6 to early 20's, so it has been very hard to choose the 10 winners! Thanks to all of you who entered a drawing for this contest.

Here are the lucky ones who will receive a LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT set (#8527).

Congratulations, winners, and thank you for your drawings of future LEGO MINDSTORMS robots!!

The LEGO MINDSTORMS team

Note: all winners will be notified by regular US mail.

Winners of the LEGO Club Magazine MINDSTORMS drawing contest (#6 to #10)

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 02:00:00 GMT

Here are #6 to #10.

A big congratulations!

The LEGO MINDSTORMS team

Here are #6 to #10.

A big congratulations!

The LEGO MINDSTORMS team

A NXT controlled digital camera and the longest NXT freefall are launched from the stratosphere!

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 02:00:00 GMT

At 5:57 am Pacific Time today in the desert outside of Reno Navada, USA, MINDSTORMS robots were launched from a weather balloon into the stratosphere (up to 30KM) as part of the High Altitude LEGO Extravaganza (H.A.L.E.). Two of the payloads launched were designed by MINDSTORMS Community Partner, Brian Davis. We got a chance to interview him about his robots and this historic event.How did you get involved with the H.A.L.E. project?I actually noticed the University of Nevada at Reno balloon missions long before the project was kicked off, and started planning and dreaming of doing a mission like this with the materials I had at hand (namely, LEGO). When the H.A.L.E. opportunity was presented, I jumped at the chance, submitting two payloads to improve my chances of being accepted. To my surprise, both were approved, so I set to work on two very different projects.Why are you interested in High Altitude LEGO?Well, since MINDSTORS NXT came along with it's stronger construction and stronger motors, I've been much more interested in outdoor, "all terrain" robots. I built LNE/PackBot as a high-mobility "supertank" for running around in my house and yard (it also handles small steps, curbs, and rough snowfields). I then went on to construct Serenity, a robotic boat. Both of these are "pure LEGO", and I'd yet to make a robot for the air, so... High Altitude LEGO seemed like the next obvious step.Even more exciting to me is the fact that these robots have to work right the first time, and handle things I don't know about. In the language of space missions, they must be "fault tolerant", and handle all their own decisions, under conditions where there is no possibility of help. These are not robots I can help out of the corner when they get stuck... and that challenge really got my interest.Is it safe to send LEGO MINDSTORMS into the stratosphere?Perfectly safe... but I'm having trouble convincing the minifigs that will ride along of that :). Seriously, the NXT can function under the near vacuum conditions, and will function at low temperature (although the payloads do have insulation and heaters to try to keep them warmer than the -60° C temperatures outside). So for the NXT, conditions aren't a major problem.However, both my payloads have an additional element of risk. Gypsy's primary support is from two large LEGO turntables and studless beams. If those pull apart, or become brittle in the bitter cold and shatter, the payload could fall... and that's a loooong fall! So it will have a "back up tether", a string that should support it if those turntable supports fail. For Lil' Joe the risk is even greater: if anything goes wrong, it will hit the desert floor at something like 300 mph (around 500 kph). So it has been tested a lot... but there's still some risk.How are you sending your robots into the stratosphere?The robots are held on a string that hangs below a balloon. Just like you could attach a minifig to the string of a small helium balloon, the HALE mission uses the same idea. Instead of a small party balloon, it uses a very large weather balloon that can lift many pounds. And instead of a minifig or two, the HALE mission will carry half a dozen payloads in additio[...]

High Altitude LEGO® Extravaganza (H.A.L.E.) Commemorates 10 Year Anniversary of LEGO MINDSTORMS® by Launching Robotic Experiments to Near Space

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 02:00:00 GMT

College professors, middle school students and robotics hobbyists will unite shortly after sunrise tomorrow, July 29, 2008, to launch several MINDSTORMS robots into the Earth’s stratosphere to collect data, explore conditional effects of the Earth's atmosphere, and to set a world record as part of the High Altitude LEGO® Extravaganza.Joining The LEGO Group to support the science experiment are Nevada Space Grant, the University of Nevada-Reno, Energizer and National Instruments to help celebrate the 10th anniversary of the LEGO MINDSTORMS® robotics platform.The MINDSTORMS robots will be launched from a desert location 30 miles outside of Reno, Nevada, USA into near space on an atmospheric weather balloon that will reach an altitude of more than 100,000 feet (30km). At that altitude the robots will be above 99.9% of the atmosphere. The payloads will be exposed to extreme cold and radiation of near space. The sky looks black and the curvature of the Earth is evident.Once the weather balloon reaches maximum altitude, it will burst and the robots will parachute back down to the Earth individually or as a group depending on the robot’s desired experiment. Two weather balloons will be deployed to carry the payloads of the robots.Brian Davis, a part-time professor at Indiana University, contributed two of his custom NXT robots to the experiment. The first, Gypsy (called Nadar 1.0 on NXTLOG), has been programmed to automate a digital camera to take both still and video images while in the balloon. His second robot, Lil' Joe, will attempt a world record for the longest MINDSTORMS NXT free-fall; the robot will detach from the balloon at maximum altitude and fall until a pre-programmed parachute is deployed.“I love building LEGO mechanisms because the inherent limitations and versatility of the medium offer unique design challenges,” said Davis. “Additionally, since LEGO bricks are infinitely reusable, I can build and test prototypes much faster than I could in other mediums. I’m excited to take my experiments to a new level; I’ve never tried to build a robot that could function under these conditions and function right the very first time. 100,000 feet above ground is no place for a mistake.”Children are also getting involved in H.A.L.E. FIRST LEGO League Team 90 from Virginia is getting a head start on this year’s annual challenge, “Climate Connections”, by sending up a robot they created that has been programmed to measure and log Ultraviolet radiation as a function of altitude while on board the weather balloon.“I am confident that the team will learn something about Earth science and Global Warming through this program,” said David Levy, coach of the team. “We are treating our participation as a FIRST LEGO League research project for the upcoming season’s challenge, so I expect that the team will learn how to seek out the advice of experts in the field, come up with their own solutions through experimentation, document their work and have lots of fun in the process.”Other robots will seek to collect data in relation to ozone concentration, the impact of varying temperatures and air pressure on objects, [...]

MINDSTORMS NXT Summer Sports Building Challenge

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 08:00:00 GMT

This is a summer where the whole world is busy with sports activities. We want to challenge you to create a robot that can compete in a sports discipline.

You have until Sunday August 31, 2008 to enter your robot.

See the Summer Sports Building Challenge NXTLOG for more details.

Good luck and go for the Gold!This is a summer where the whole world is busy with sports activities. We want to challenge you to create a robot that can compete in a sports discipline.

You have until Sunday August 31, 2008 to enter your robot.

See the Summer Sports Building Challenge NXTLOG for more details.

Good luck and go for the Gold!

MINDSTORMS NXT NXT Building Challenge Winners

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 05:00:00 GMT

The quality of projects submitted to this competition proved that two (or more) NXT's can be better than one! There was a wide range of innovative entries including robots with two or more NXT's onboard the robot, robots being remote controlled by a second NXT, and two or more autonomous NXT robots working together with synchronized communication. Please visit, comment, rate, and get inspired by all the robots entered this competition by entering the tag "nxt200805" Here are the winners: CHAMPION'S AWARD Copycats Created by: Natwan33 Natwan33 got the idea for the Copycats robots from the book Creative Projects with LEGO MINDSTORMS by Benjamin Erwin. The book was made for the RCX, but the idea of a robot copying another robot's moves is still a great one, and a creative use of 2 NXT's! One of the two NXT robots is the the "leader" and sends some random numbers and logic to the "follower," and both robots do the same random move. Natwan33 provides a detailed description, a LEGO Digital Designer file to help you build the robot, annotated program files, as well as video of the copycats in action. Congrats on winning the Champion's Award! (This is Natwan33's 2nd project on NXTLOG.) ROBOT DESIGN AWARD tri-bot mine field exploration game Created by: yacker2000!!!! Yacker2000!!!! combined a Tribot vehicle with a remote control to create an obstacle course game for his NXT NXT contest submission. The aim of the "tri-bot mine field exploration game" is to retrive all the items (balls) from a mine filed. The Tribot vehicle can withstand a single mine blast before the remote control is disabled. For an innovative concept, game, as well as a KISS approach in robot vehilcle and remote control design, yacker2000!!!! wins the Robot Design Award! (yacker2000!!!! has 28 robots on NXTLOG.) ROBOT PERFORMANCE AWARD Super Dragster Created by: NXTGeneration The NXTGeneration FLL team imagined that if you can build a dragster with two NXT's... then why not go for one with four! This team pulled their NXT resources together to build a SUPER dragster with 12 NXT motors on board as well as 4 NXT bricks. The motors pull in 2 blocks. The upper block of motors consist of 7 motors and the lower block consist of 5 motors joined together. The dragster also use 2 differentials. NXTGeneration claims that this dragster runs very fast. This team provies an LDD file of the dragster, as well as a detailed NXTLOG and annotated program files. For NXTGeneration's amazing design, programming, and team efforts, they are presented with the Robot Performance Award. (This is NXTGeneration's 3rd project on NXTLOG.) CREATIVE USE OF NXTLOG AWARD NXT Whac-A-Mole Created by: LinearActuator One of the most creative projects submitted to this challenge, a NXT Whac-A-Mole! The idea of this model is to push, or hit as many moles that pop in and out of the "Mole Whacking Platform" as quickly as possible. When a mole is hit, a score indicator mole that is attached to the score tower will be raised. The NXT Whac-A-Mole is controlled and powered by two NXT bricks, one controlli[...]

Earth Day Building Challenge Winners

Mon, 05 May 2008 08:00:00 GMT

Many NXTLOGgers took up the global challenge of creating a MINDSTORMS NXT robot that could be used to help maintain a healthy, sustainable environment. There were many innovative entries that can be used to help save energy and the earth, but we can only acknoledge a few winners. Please visit, comment, and rate all the robots entered this competition by entering the tag "nxt200804" Here are the winners: CHAMPION'S AWARD TP-Bot 2008 Created by: Dino_Martino The TP-Bot 2008 helps the earth by helping people to use less paper... toilet paper! The TP-Bot 2008 is compatible for use with five different people. It has a scanner (where users present an accesspass and 4 digit secret code), a TP dispensing system, and the robot can even tell you how much toilet paper you have left. Dino_Martino provides a creative concept and a well detailed NXTLOG (we would love to see some video). Congrats on winning the Champion's Award! (This is Dino_Martino's 5th project on NXTLOG.) ROBOT DESIGN AWARD The Tree Doctor Created by: Mister.Tux The Tree Doctor is a true Earth Day robot designed to save a precious natural resource. The robot was designed to inspect trees to see if they have the pine beetle. Within 2 days, a few handfuls of these beetles can infest and kill an entire tree. The Tree Doctor roves around a tree and scans its hardness with an ultrasonic sensor. Mister.Tux found that trees infected with the pine beetle reflect back quite a bit of sound. For an innovative concept and robot design, Mister.Tux wins the Robot Design Award. (This is Mister.Tux's 8th NXTLOG project, and 2nd NXTLOG Challenge award!) P.S. LEGO MINDSTORMS is not intended for outdoor use - use MINDSTORMS outdoors at your own risk. ROBOT PERFORMANCE AWARD Vestas Windmill (turbine) FLL2007 demo Created by: robotica008 The Vestas Windmill created by robotica008 (actually MDP/MCP Martyn Boogaarts) as a demonstration model during the 2007-08 FLL final in Rijnmond, the Netherlands. The robot behaves like a real wind turbine. By blowing into the front fan, the NXT knows how hard the large windmill should turn. For a true Earth Day robot that replicates an alternative energy solution, the Vestas Windmill is presented with the Robot Performance Award. (This is robotica008's 9th project on NXTLOG.) CREATIVE USE OF NXTLOG AWARD Crash Lab(with the florecant fetchbot) Created by: RrangerRick RrangerRick with the help of some minifigs has created a robot that helps fetch old lightbulbs safely so that new energy efficient compact florescent lightbulbs can be used. RrangerRick's NXTLOG is very creative with LEGO minifigs narrating the action. We also appreciate the message of this project, that saving energy can start with something as simple as changing a lightbulb. This is RrangerRick's 11th project on NXTLOG. Congrats! HONORABLE MENTION(S) Water Saver Created by: iggy5772 Bottle sorter 3000 Created by: xaviack Plant Waterer Created by: mperrin Hybrid Machine Created by: NeXTSTORM Garbot Created by: spaz487 A[...]

MINDSTORMS NXT NXT Building Challenge

Thu, 01 May 2008 08:00:00 GMT

NXT NXT...? Are you seeing double? Yes! We are presenting a doubly fun building challenge on NXTLOG where you create a robot that uses 2 NXT bricks! We are also giving you double the amount of time to enter this challenge. The 2 NXT's can be onboard the robot or the 2 NXT's can be separate...but we must require that the 2 NXT's communicate with each other. You have until Monday June 30th to enter.

Don't have 2 NXT's? Why not enter the challenge with a friend!

What will you make?

See the MINDSTORMS NXT NXT Building Challenge NXTLOG for more detailsNXT NXT...? Are you seeing double? Yes! We are presenting a doubly fun building challenge on NXTLOG where you create a robot that uses 2 NXT bricks! We are also giving you double the amount of time to enter this challenge. The 2 NXT's can be onboard the robot or the 2 NXT's can be separate...but we must require that the 2 NXT's communicate with each other. You have until Monday June 30th to enter.

Don't have 2 NXT's? Why not enter the challenge with a friend!

What will you make?

See the MINDSTORMS NXT NXT Building Challenge NXTLOG for more details

MINDSTORMS NXTperts share their expertise at the FLL World Festival

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 08:00:00 GMT

Along with seeing great robots in competition at the FLL World Festival in Atlanta, Georgia last week, attendees were also able to see live demonstrations from MINDSTORMS experts.The NXT STEP blogger Jim Kelly and The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Zoo author Fay Rhodes shared their expertise on using 3-D programs to build LEGO MINDSTORMS models, and MUP Ralph Hempel, creator of pbLua, shared his passion for Open Source and alternative programming for LEGO MINDSTORMS. A crowd favorite was the demonstration "Taking LEGO MINDSTORMS to the Sky" given by Chris Anderson, Editor-in-Chief of WIRED magazine. He showed off and explained his MINDSTORMS UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle). Chris designed an autopilot system for a radio controlled model airplane that uses the NXT and HiTechnic Sensors to control an autopilot system, which both stabilizes and navigates the plane autonomously. A highlight for Anderson was sharing his invention with Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen (owner and Vice Chairman of LEGO) and Dean Kamen (the founder of FIRST and inventor of the Segway). He told them that he was looking to do something that had never been done with MINDSTORMS before...fly. Next stop says Chris, (for someone else) is... space?Many of these MINDSTORMS experts are also participating in the Ask the NXTperts section of MINDSTORMS.com Have a question for them? Ask the NXTperts!Along with seeing great robots in competition at the FLL World Festival in Atlanta, Georgia last week, attendees were also able to see live demonstrations from MINDSTORMS experts.The NXT STEP blogger Jim Kelly and The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Zoo author Fay Rhodes shared their expertise on using 3-D programs to build LEGO MINDSTORMS models, and MUP Ralph Hempel, creator of pbLua, shared his passion for Open Source and alternative programming for LEGO MINDSTORMS. A crowd favorite was the demonstration "Taking LEGO MINDSTORMS to the Sky" given by Chris Anderson, Editor-in-Chief of WIRED magazine. He showed off and explained his MINDSTORMS UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle). Chris designed an autopilot system for a radio controlled model airplane that uses the NXT and HiTechnic Sensors to control an autopilot system, which both stabilizes and navigates the plane autonomously. A highlight for Anderson was sharing his invention with Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen (owner and Vice Chairman of LEGO) and Dean Kamen (the founder of FIRST and inventor of the Segway). He told them that he was looking to do something that had never been done with MINDSTORMS before...fly. Next stop says Chris, (for someone else) is... space?Many of these MINDSTORMS experts are also participating in the Ask the NXTperts section of MINDSTORMS.com Have a question for them? Ask the NXTperts![...]

Dean Kamen, founder of FIRST, awarded the LEGO Prize

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 08:00:00 GMT

Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, Owner and Vice Chairman of LEGO awarded Dean Kamen the LEGO Prize for his passionate commitment to FIRST. “It is 10 years ago we began a pilot project with FIRST LEGO League – and in the intervening years it has simply grown and grown. From just a couple of hundred participants to more than 100,000!” says Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen. “We are particularly proud to be able to honor Dean Kamen for his personal and untiring commitment to child development and learning. Children learn best when new knowledge is presented in play form, and in founding FIRST, Dean has created an organization which – uniquely and through systematic, creative play – helps children and young people understand and appreciate science and technology. We say that the future belongs to our children, and Dean Kamen plays an immensely important role in creating a better future – harnessing the fantastic creativity and inventiveness that children and young people experience through involvement in FIRST programs.” The LEGO Prize was founded in 1985 and has been awarded to individuals and institutions who have made an extraordinary contribution on behalf of children and young people. The recipients have included Astrid Lindgren, Paul Newman, John Feierabend, Mario Lodi and such institutions as Associacão Santa Therinha in Brazil, The SaekDong Organisation in Korea, and Papalote Museo del Niño in Mexico City. The LEGO Prize was last awarded in 1997. Dean Kamen will receive�the sum of $100,000, which he will pass on to the FIRST organization, and a unique glass bowl created specially for the occasion by Steffen Dam, a Danish glass artist from Ebeltoft. “FIRST is inspiring the next generation of innovators and engineers,” said Kamen. “Years from now, some of the students who competed in the Georgia Dome will be inventing solutions to society's most challenging problems." Former President George H. W. Bush echoed Kamen’s beliefs during the FIRST Challenge Opening Ceremonies on Friday, April 18. He reminisced about attending the inaugural FIRST Championship sixteen years ago and recognized Kamen for fostering young people’s aspirations in science and technology.Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, Owner and Vice Chairman of LEGO awarded Dean Kamen the LEGO Prize for his passionate commitment to FIRST. “It is 10 years ago we began a pilot project with FIRST LEGO League – and in the intervening years it has simply grown and grown. From just a couple of hundred participants to more than 100,000!” says Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen. “We are particularly proud to be able to honor Dean Kamen for his personal and untiring commitment to child development and learning. Children learn best when new knowledge is presented in play form, and in founding FIRST, Dean has created an organization which – uniquely and through systematic, creative play – helps children and young people understand and appreciate science and technology. We say that the future belongs to our children, and[...]

2008 FIRST LEGO League World Festival Award Winners

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 08:00:00 GMT

Eighty one teams from around the world participated in the 10th FIRST LEGO League (FLL) World Festival this past weekend at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

Top honors in the FLL challenge went to Champion’s Award 1st Place winner, Team 8095 "External Fusion" from Singapore; Champion’s Award 2nd Place winner, Team 2560 "Pixelation" from North Branch, Minnesota; and Champion’s Award 3rd Place winner, Team 334 "Power Peeps" from Swartz Creek, Michigan. The Champion’s Award measures how teams inspire and motivate others about the excitement and wonders of science and technology, while demonstrating gracious professionalism.

Winning first place in Robot Performance were the NERDS (The New England Robotics Designers) from New Hampshire, USA. The team took this year’s green theme seriously by dressing up as the Green Man Group (in honor of the popular Blue Man Group). They entertained the public in the pits playing the “tubes,” and managed perfect 400 point scores each round with their innovative MINDSTORMS NXT robot design.

A complete list of the 2008 FLL World Festival Awards can be found here.

Congratulations to all the participants in the World Festival!Eighty one teams from around the world participated in the 10th FIRST LEGO League (FLL) World Festival this past weekend at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

Top honors in the FLL challenge went to Champion’s Award 1st Place winner, Team 8095 "External Fusion" from Singapore; Champion’s Award 2nd Place winner, Team 2560 "Pixelation" from North Branch, Minnesota; and Champion’s Award 3rd Place winner, Team 334 "Power Peeps" from Swartz Creek, Michigan. The Champion’s Award measures how teams inspire and motivate others about the excitement and wonders of science and technology, while demonstrating gracious professionalism.

Winning first place in Robot Performance were the NERDS (The New England Robotics Designers) from New Hampshire, USA. The team took this year’s green theme seriously by dressing up as the Green Man Group (in honor of the popular Blue Man Group). They entertained the public in the pits playing the “tubes,” and managed perfect 400 point scores each round with their innovative MINDSTORMS NXT robot design.

A complete list of the 2008 FLL World Festival Awards can be found here.

Congratulations to all the participants in the World Festival!

Greetings from the FLL World Festival in Atlanta!

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 08:00:00 GMT

The FIRST LEGO League World Festival kicked off yesterday at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. At the opening ceremonies teams wore party hats as they celebrated the ten-year anniversary of FLL. Yesterday’s events also included judging and practice rounds, and an anniversary party in Centennial Park. Today the robots take to the playing filed to see who will be champion!

The MINDSTORMS Team as well as many members of the MCP were at the MINDSTORMS booth sharing their NXT creations and knowledge. Visitors to the booth got a chance to interact with NXT robots including Chris Anderson’s LEGO Autopilot, Chris Smith’s NXT Hoop Rover, and Gus Jansson and David Schilling’s NXT Helicopter. Also on hand were the original members of the MUP (MINDSTORMS User Panel) who helped develop the NXT.

This year also marks the 10th anniversary of LEGO MINDSTORMS, and to celebrate, two Alpha Rex World Travelers are going on a Global Roadrip. FLL Teams can sign up to possibly host an Alpha Rex on his travels.
The FIRST LEGO League World Festival kicked off yesterday at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. At the opening ceremonies teams wore party hats as they celebrated the ten-year anniversary of FLL. Yesterday’s events also included judging and practice rounds, and an anniversary party in Centennial Park. Today the robots take to the playing filed to see who will be champion!

The MINDSTORMS Team as well as many members of the MCP were at the MINDSTORMS booth sharing their NXT creations and knowledge. Visitors to the booth got a chance to interact with NXT robots including Chris Anderson’s LEGO Autopilot, Chris Smith’s NXT Hoop Rover, and Gus Jansson and David Schilling’s NXT Helicopter. Also on hand were the original members of the MUP (MINDSTORMS User Panel) who helped develop the NXT.

This year also marks the 10th anniversary of LEGO MINDSTORMS, and to celebrate, two Alpha Rex World Travelers are going on a Global Roadrip. FLL Teams can sign up to possibly host an Alpha Rex on his travels.

How do you get to the FLL World Festival? Practice, practice, practice.

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 06:00:00 GMT

Practice, practice, practice is what the St. Clare’s FIRST LEGO League (FLL) team, the Transformers from Staten Island, NY are doing to prepare for the FLL World Festival later this week at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. The Transformers practice 5 to 6 times a week from 2 to 4 hours per session in the science lab at their school. They practice with multiple robots on multiple tournament tables while working toward that perfect 400 point score. ”The pizza delivery man knows us well, parents send in nourishment, and maintenance is ready to set up cots for us!” says their dedicated coach, Mary Lee. The Transformers are a team of 18 students, ten boys and eight girls from 11-14 years of age. Most of the team has experience with LEGO MINDSTORMS, participating for 1-3 years in a minor league before joining the ”Majors” (which is the team at St. Clare’s that competes in FLL tournaments). All 18 team members along with their  family, friends, and coach are attending the festivities in Atlanta. ”This is the second year that the Transformers are using a LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT robot. We now recognize the NXT as a more advanced machine with tremendous possibilities,” explains Coach Lee. About FLL Events Each year FLL teams embark on an adventurous challenge based on current, real-world issues. Students between 9 and 14 years of age build and program a robot to complete a set number of missions in 2½ minutes (the robot game), present research on a given topic (the research presentation), and share how they designed and programmed their robot (the technical presentation). This year’s FLL theme, “Power Puzzle” challenges teams to use robotics to understand and create solutions for one of today's most critical environmental issues: energy management and conservation. The Robot Game The Transformers found the solar panel mission to be the most difficult robot task in the Power Puzzle challenge. Four separate groups of students worked on troubleshooting the mission, each with their own robot. The biggest trouble was getting the solar panel to stay on. ”We finally tackled this by adding extra pieces to the panel that allowed it to hang, and we added little claws that helps it grab on to the roof if it starts to flip over.” Each group helped one other succeed by sharing ideas and building for each other. ”The frustration was high at times, but it brought us closer and taught us to battle together.” The Transformers are excited that the robots they are taking to the World Festival can score 400 points provided the opposing team does not get the satellite challenge first. Let’s hope the Transformers make it! The Research Project The Transformers conducted extensive research in their community on alternative enery options. They visited a home with solar panels to see how they are setup and work. They investigated their school, local zoo, and a bakery, and then researched simi[...]

University Students Design Innovative MINDSTORMS NXT Robot for the Human-Robot Interaction Conference

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 08:00:00 GMT

National Instruments (NI) and LEGO MINDSTORMS teamed up to show their products at the Human-Robot Interaction Conference (HRI) in Amsterdam. HRI is an annual conference that seeks to showcase the very best in human-robot interaction. This year's theme was "Living With Robots." One highlight of the conference was an international design competition for university students. Students were given one MINDSTORMS NXT set and a CODATEX RFID sensor with tags and were challenged to build a model demonstrating human-robot interaction. A RFID Sensor (Radio-Frequency IDentification) is used with RFID tags (or transponders) and can be useful in all kinds of applications. For example, if your robot moves along a line, you can place the RFID tags along the line to help the robot locate points along the path. If you put the tags into containers, your robot can identify them easily. The University of Amsterdam team took first place with Phobot, a robot designed to help children overcome their fears. The Phobot uses RFID tags to detect other frightening robots. When Phobot detects a larger robot, it reacts by spinning around in a gesture of anxiety. Then with gentle guidance from human interaction through voice and touch, the robot overcomes its phobia. By allowing children to watch as the robot gradually overcomes its fear of bigger machines, they too can learn to cope with their own phobias. Phobot overcame its fear for Alpha-Rex and danced with joy! Second place in the competition went to PotBot, a flower robot that is designed to live in harmony with nature. PotBot was a collaborative effort between Carnegie Mellon University (USA) and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. Other highlights of the conference was a Labview powered Segway that Andy Bell from NI brought from the United States. Daniel Wittenaar and Martyn Boogaarts of the MINDSTORMS Community Partners (MCP), and Steven Canvin from LEGO were also on hand showing off their Labview powered MINDSTORMS robots. Check out these links for more information on these robots and HRI 2008: HRI 2008 Phobot Pot Bot video CODATEX RFID Sensor National Instruments National Instruments (NI) and LEGO MINDSTORMS teamed up to show their products at the Human-Robot Interaction Conference (HRI) in Amsterdam. HRI is an annual conference that seeks to showcase the very best in human-robot interaction. This year's theme was "Living With Robots." One highlight of the conference was an international design competition for university students. Students were given one MINDSTORMS NXT set and a CODATEX RFID sensor with tags and were challenged to build a model demonstrating human-robot interaction. A RFID Sensor (Radio-Frequency IDentification) is used with RFID tags (or transponders) and can be useful in all kinds of applications. For example, if your robot moves along a line, you can place the RFID tags along the line to[...]

FIRST LEGO League World Festival, 17-19 April

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 08:00:00 GMT

Meet members at the LEGO MINDSTORMS Team!The FIRST LEGO League (FLL) World Festival is held annually at the Georgia Dome and the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The festival marks the conclusion of the past season’s round of competitions around the world, with a tournament celebration of this year’s theme, Power Puzzle, where the children on the teams have been challenged to use robotics to understand and create solutions for one of today's most critical environmental issues: energy management and conservation.At the World Festival you will also have an opportunity to meet members of the LEGO MINDSTORMS team from the LEGO headquarters, who will be showing fun models from the new LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT robotics toolset, together with expert users. You can find us in the Pit Area.On the agenda:- Quizzes - where you can win prizes!- Cool MINDSTORMS models to play with, made by the expert users!Presentations:- 'Using 3-D programs to build LEGO MINDSTORMS models' - by Fay Rhodes and Jim Kelly- 'Open Source and alternative programming for LEGO MINDSTORMS' - by Ralph Hempel, creator of pbLua- 'Taking LEGO MINDSTORMS to the Sky - The LEGO Autopilot' - by Chris AndersonCelebrating 10 years of LEGO MINDSTORMS:- Kick-off for the LEGO MINDSTORMS Global Roadtrip - we will send off two robots across the planet - come and sign up - so one of them might visit your FLL team!And much more.See you there!The LEGO MINDSTORMS TeamMeet members at the LEGO MINDSTORMS Team!The FIRST LEGO League (FLL) World Festival is held annually at the Georgia Dome and the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The festival marks the conclusion of the past season’s round of competitions around the world, with a tournament celebration of this year’s theme, Power Puzzle, where the children on the teams have been challenged to use robotics to understand and create solutions for one of today's most critical environmental issues: energy management and conservation.At the World Festival you will also have an opportunity to meet members of the LEGO MINDSTORMS team from the LEGO headquarters, who will be showing fun models from the new LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT robotics toolset, together with expert users. You can find us in the Pit Area.On the agenda:- Quizzes - where you can win prizes!- Cool MINDSTORMS models to play with, made by the expert users!Presentations:- 'Using 3-D programs to build LEGO MINDSTORMS models' - by Fay Rhodes and Jim Kelly- 'Open Source and alternative programming for LEGO MINDSTORMS' - by Ralph Hempel, creator of pbLua- 'Taking LEGO MINDSTORMS to the Sky - The LEGO Autopilot' - by Chris AndersonCelebrating 10 years of LEGO MINDSTORMS:- Kick-off for the LEGO MINDSTORMS Global Roadtrip - we will send off two robots across the planet - come and sign up - so one of them might visit your FLL team!And much more.See you there!Th[...]

Biped Building Challenge Winners

Sat, 05 Apr 2008 08:00:00 GMT

Lots of NXTLOGgers took up the ultimate challenge of building a MINDSTORMS NXT Biped. Although there were many stunning entries, we can only acknoledge a few. But, you can visit, comment, and now RATE all the robots entered this competition by entering the tag nxt200803 Here are the winners: CHAMPION'S AWARD Bipedal Dragon Prototype Created by: billy259 The Bipedal Dragon Prototype has loose ankles that can bend left or right, tilting the robot as it steps. The Prototype also moves a hinged NXT intelligent brick left and right when it is stepping. The mechanism is a simple hookup to and extension on the legs (similar to the way Alpha Rex has that hookup). It is simple, but effective, and does not strain the motors. Combined with the rubber grippers in its feet, it is able to step forward and walk. Weightshifting is a bit difficult to manage when you want your robot to look a certain way, but in the end The Bipedal Dragon Prototype came out looking pretty good! billy259 provides an incredibly detailed NXTLOG, excellent pictures, and annotated program files (we would love to see some video now). Congrats on winning the Champion's Award! (This is billy259's 8th project on NXTLOG.) ROBOT DESIGN AWARD NeXTBIRD (or MODEL 05) Created by: NeXTSTORM NeXTBIRD was designed to look, walk, and act like an actual bird (and birds are bipeds). When NeXTBIRD's program is triggered, it moves its tail up and down making some sounds, or it moves its legs back and forth and seems very happy to see you, or NeXTBIRD will move forward and then, after making some noise, backwards. If the lights turn off, NeXTBIRD will start to snore for 20 seconds. Congratulations NeXTSTORM on your excellence in Robot Design. (This is NeXTSTORM's 5th NXTLOG project.) ROBOT PERFORMANCE AWARD Little Bigfoot Created by: Mister.Tux This is no ordinary biped, according to Mister.Tux, this rare species of NXT is related to Bigfoot, yes, the Bigfoot. The cute, 6 inch tall creature can scuttle at speeds up to 6 feet per minute. It's huge feet, each, at average, 5 inches by 6 1/2 inches will stomp down anything in it's path. You better keep an eye out next time you dare to camp out the woods! It took Mister.Tux three tries before constucting a working biped walking system. Working on the advice of the "tips" part of the MINDSTORMS NXT Biped Competition posting, Mister.Tux analyzed how humans walk. "I saw that when I step forward, I first pick up my heel then swing my foot forward while flattening it out. I then used gears to copy this movement." Mister.Tux's program is simple and effective (it's annotated too). For all your hard work and determination Mister.Tux, your Little Bigfoot project is presented with the Robot Performance Award. (This is Mister.Tux's 5th NXTLOG project.) CREATIVE USE OF NXTLOG [...]

Two new updates on MINDSTORMS.com. A new improved NXTLOG 2.0 and brand new site, Ask the NXTperts.

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Today we launched a big website update - check it out!

NXTLOG 2.0!

Yes, a new and improved NXTLOG! You now can upload video, rate your favorite projects and have a better search experience.
We also updated the rules to help make NXTLOG not only a safe and fun community, but also the go-to place on the web for the best MINDSTORMS NXT projects.

What are you waiting for? Visit the NXTLOG 2.0 now!

NXTLOG 2.0

Ask the NXTperts

Have you ever wanted to ask an expert's advice on MINDSTORMS NXT robot you are building? Well now you can...ask a NXTpert!
The LEGO MINDSTORMS team has pulled together a panel of NXTperts to answer questions you may have about building, programming, or even advanced questions to improve your robotics knowledge.

Visit Ask the NXTperts to see the latest round of questions and answers or ask your own question today.

Play well!

Today we launched a big website update - check it out!

NXTLOG 2.0!

Yes, a new and improved NXTLOG! You now can upload video, rate your favorite projects and have a better search experience.
We also updated the rules to help make NXTLOG not only a safe and fun community, but also the go-to place on the web for the best MINDSTORMS NXT projects.

What are you waiting for? Visit the NXTLOG 2.0 now!

NXTLOG 2.0

Ask the NXTperts

Have you ever wanted to ask an expert's advice on MINDSTORMS NXT robot you are building? Well now you can...ask a NXTpert!
The LEGO MINDSTORMS team has pulled together a panel of NXTperts to answer questions you may have about building, programming, or even advanced questions to improve your robotics knowledge.

Visit Ask the NXTperts to see the latest round of questions and answers or ask your own question today.

Play well!

NXT Biped Inpsiration from Yoshihito Isogawa

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 08:00:00 GMT

There are only a few days left to enter the MINDSTORMS NXT Biped Building Challenge! We had a chance to talk to Yoshihito Isogawa about how he built his NXT Walker, an amazing biped on NXTLOG. What inspired you to create a NXT Walker? I tried to build a robot walking like a human being because I felt that I needed to raise my LEGO building technique. How did you get started on your creation? Did you research other robots or bipeds on how they walked? At first, I knew that most bipeds that are not made with LEGO have a lot of motors in each joint. However, MINDSTORMS NXT cannot control many motors. Therefore, I try to build bipeds with as few motors as possible. I even realized that it's possible to build a biped with only one motor! The first biped I made I used a LEGO Micro Scout motor (from the LEGO MINDSTORMS Droid Developer Kit), however, this biped shaked when its foot reached the ground because it had no knees. Therefore knees were added using universal joints. The second Micro Scout biped I made was the protype for my NXT Walker: NXT Walker I also posted a building guide for my NXT Walker on my website: NXT Walker Building Guide What were the biggest challenges you faced? There were two challenges I faced. One was weight balance. I had to adjust the position of the NXT according to which batteries I used (ex. NXT rechargeable batteries or alkaline cell or NiMH rechargeable batteries). Otherwise, the robot falls down. Of course it is hard for the robot to fall down if the back foot becomes bigger, but then the design of biped doesn't look cool. Another challenge was the setting of the ankles and legs. When even one tooth of a gear slips, the biped cannot walk very well. What was the best feeling you had creating the NXT Walker? I feel happy when anyone who watches the NXT Walker is surprised. What advice would you give to builders who wish to create a NXT biped? The most difficult thing for bipeds is the shifting of the center-of-gravity. I would encourage builders to think about how they will create their biped in various ways. It is very difficult to build bipeds, so it’s a good idea to get started with four-legged robots or six-legged robots. Are you building any bipeds now? I am building a single motor biped which can turn! The prototype is completed, but I am going to make its design more beautiful and then will publish it soon. What else have you worked on? I have published some LEGO books in Japan. One of them is the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Orange Book: MINDSTORMS.com/Books I also published a new LEGO technique book last year. This is a PDF file that can be downloaded from my website: LEGO Technic Tora no Maki Also see my website of LEGO Creations: www.isogawastudio.co.jp/legostudio/ Don't forget to visit the NXT Wal[...]

Robotic Easter egg event is deliciously fun!

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 08:00:00 GMT

On March 22nd, hundreds of kids came to see SMART's (Seattle MINDSTORMSand Robotic Techies) annual Robotic Easter Egg Hunt, held this year at the LEGO Store in Bellevue Square near Seattle, Washington USA. Besides being fun, one thing robots often do is make things easier for people. Not that searching for eggs on Easter morning is super difficult, and certainly it's fun to do, but at this event it was a different sort of fun as the LEGO MINDSTORMS robots searched for chocolate Easter eggs and practically delivered them right into the hands of the eager kids.

This year seven different robots built by SMART members handed out thousands of chocolate Easter eggs! Each robot had a different idea about how to collect the eggs and get them over the edge. Some pushed eggs to the edge and then lifted them over. Some scooped them up and dropped them over the edge. Some delivered a dozen eggs or more at once. Some only delivered one or two at a time. All of them were appreciated by the kids, as well as adults!On March 22nd, hundreds of kids came to see SMART's (Seattle MINDSTORMSand Robotic Techies) annual Robotic Easter Egg Hunt, held this year at the LEGO Store in Bellevue Square near Seattle, Washington USA. Besides being fun, one thing robots often do is make things easier for people. Not that searching for eggs on Easter morning is super difficult, and certainly it's fun to do, but at this event it was a different sort of fun as the LEGO MINDSTORMS robots searched for chocolate Easter eggs and practically delivered them right into the hands of the eager kids.

This year seven different robots built by SMART members handed out thousands of chocolate Easter eggs! Each robot had a different idea about how to collect the eggs and get them over the edge. Some pushed eggs to the edge and then lifted them over. Some scooped them up and dropped them over the edge. Some delivered a dozen eggs or more at once. Some only delivered one or two at a time. All of them were appreciated by the kids, as well as adults!

Robotic Easter Egg Hunt in Seatlle, Washington, USA

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 06:00:00 GMT

SMART (the Seattle Mindstorms and Robotic Techies) are getting their robots warmed up to look for Easter eggs. Come Easter weekend, a large field will be scattered with chocolate eggs. Robots will scurry across the field looking for the yummies, and deliver them to hands of eager kids waiting at the edges. SMART will also be showing one of their Crate Contraptions -- cooperating robots that tirelessly move crates and LEGO soccer balls around in a fascinating robotic ballet.

If you live in the Seattle area, come by Bellevue Square on Saturday, March 22nd between 10am and 4pm to see our robots in action. And enjoy a few chocolate eggs while you're there!SMART (the Seattle Mindstorms and Robotic Techies) are getting their robots warmed up to look for Easter eggs. Come Easter weekend, a large field will be scattered with chocolate eggs. Robots will scurry across the field looking for the yummies, and deliver them to hands of eager kids waiting at the edges. SMART will also be showing one of their Crate Contraptions -- cooperating robots that tirelessly move crates and LEGO soccer balls around in a fascinating robotic ballet.

If you live in the Seattle area, come by Bellevue Square on Saturday, March 22nd between 10am and 4pm to see our robots in action. And enjoy a few chocolate eggs while you're there!

Sample chapter from The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Zoo book now available!

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 06:00:00 GMT

Visitors to MINDSTORMS.com can now download a sample chapter from Fay Rhodes' book, The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Zoo, A Kid-Friendly Guide to Building Animals with the NXT Robotics System!  The sample chapter includes building and programming instructions for a robotic LEGO dinosaur (a LEGOsaurus). We had a chance to interview Fay about her book, and you can download the sample chapter from the MINDSTORMS.com/books page. What is your experience with LEGO MINDSTORMS? My husband, Rick, purchased an NXT to use with his son when they first came out in the summer of 2006. I had never touched a robotics kit until he asked for my assistance on a project a few months later. In helping him, I discovered that I had a knack for it and saw a lot of interesting possibilities for teaching enhancement and creative expression. What inspired you to write this book? It started with simple curiosity. I was intrigued by what the NXT could do and really curious about how to make things happen. (Still am!) I'm not a scientist by training, so I had to begin with the basics of simple machines. I was particularly interested in how I could make a robot walk. Then I noticed that visitors to NXTLOG were asking for models of animals---and that the models being posted didn't really look like the animals they were supposed to be. Sometimes they didn't act like those animals either. That inspired me to see if I could design robots that both looked and acted like specific animals. When I started designing them, I had no intention of writing a book; I just shared them with a few other people and they seemed really enthused about my designs (enhanced by the funny videos my husband created for each model). Even then, when I began to think about a book, I thought in terms of co-authoring, rather than doing a whole book. In fact, I think it was when my husband told me I couldn't create enough models on my own for a book that I decided to do it---just to prove to him that I could. How long did it take you to write the book? I'm not sure, but I think I designed the robots and created the building images in MLCAD and LPub over a period of about six months. What is your favorite model in the book? I'm most proud of designing a robot that hops, because so many of the experts told me no one had figured out how to do that. A friend who is an engineer told me that the design was so simple, he'd never have though of it. The robot I enjoy watching the most is the peacock. It always brings a smile to my face and others seem to enjoy it even more than I do. The skunk would be a close second, except that I have to chase after that darn dart everywhere. Once, I lost it under my gas stove and it took me a l-o-n-g time to fi[...]

MINDSTORMS NXT Camera Bot Building Challenge Winners

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 06:00:00 GMT

100's of NXTLOGgers entered the Camera Bot Building Challenge. We saw entries ranging from NXT photo booths to automatic panoramic robotic cameras. Visit and comment on all the robots in this competition by entering the tag "nxt200802" Here are the winners (cue cameras): CHAMPION'S AWARD OPTICKS (or MODEL O3) Created by: NeXTSTORM OPTICKS is capable of rotating an embedded camera on both a vertical and horizontal axis, making it possible to take detailed panoramic 360 photos, including a sky-view. OPTICKS can be triggered automatically (motion, sound, light) or manually (touch). This robot is equipped with three motors (A, B, C), four sensors (Light , Sound, Touch, and Ultrasonic), a single NXT brick and one digital photo camera. For an innovative concept, design, construction, and programming we award the OPTICKS the Champion's Award. (This is NeXTSTORM's 3rd project on NXTLOG.) ROBOT DESIGN AWARD PanoBot Created by: GuzanPT PanoBot is a panoramic camera as it can take pictures in 360º in the horizontal plane and about 60º in the vertical plane. The bot has a manual mode and an automatic mode. In manual mode you control the rotation, tilt, and the trigger. In automatic mode (depending on the variables) you can take a panorama picture with your desired horizontal and vertical degrees. GuzanPT beased the design off a robot arm bot found on the internet. Many adjustments were made to construct the automatic trigger. Congrats GuzanPT on your excellence in Robot Design. (This is GuzanPT's 3rd NXTLOG project.) ROBOT PERFORMANCE AWARD Photo Laboratory Created by: Giorgis This multifunction camera bot can take photos with a digital camera, but it can also be used to snap photos of intruders. What is most ingenious obout this robot is its program. You can select "clap control" (the robot takes photo when you clap your hands) or "timer control" (the robot waits 15 or 20 seconds before it takes the photo). But the best is the alarm mode! It has two selections: light alarm (the robot takes a photo when somebody turns on the light in your room) or the ultrasonic alarm (the robot takes a photo when somebody comes 2 meters close to it). For ingenious programming, The Photo Laboratory is presented with the Robot Performance Award. (This is Giorgis's 12th NXTLOG project.) CREATIVE USE OF NXTLOG AWARD PhotoBoothBot Created by: TB0Y TB0Y designed a PhotoBoothBot. A cardboard box is used for the booth, and the robot uses the Ultrasonic Sensor to detect when someone enters or leaves the booth. When someone enters, it says "Hello," and after waiting a few seconds it says, "Push button to start." [...]

Fan created website, nxtprograms.com, provides out of the box fun

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 06:00:00 GMT

There are many websites about LEGO MINDSTORMS create by fans.  One recent site, nxtprograms.com caught our attention becase its creator, Dave Parker, has developed a colletion of models and buidling instructions for MINDSTORMS NXT that you can make right out of the box! He also includes programs and a tutorial on how to photograph your robot.  The MINDSTORMS team interviewed Dave to learn more about him. What you do? I am a Software Engineer. Actually, nowadays I am a part time Software Engineer, part time Volunteer Teacher, and part time Dad. Where you are from? I grew up near San Jose, California (USA). Now I live in Meadow Vista, California, a little town in the Sierra Foothills halfway between Sacramento and Tahoe. What is your experience with LEGO MINDSTORMS? My mother actually got me one of the first LEGO MINDSTORMS (RCX) kits as a gift when they first came out in 1998, which was a fun and unusual gift, since I was well into my full time engineering career at that point. That provided a lot of fun tinkering in my spare time. Now, for the last 4 years I have taught a before-school LEGO Robotics Club at the local middle school using the RCX kit, and coached an FLL (F.I.R.S.T. LEGO League) team after school. The FLL team switched to using the NXT kit two seasons ago, and that is where I first got experience with the NXT. After patiently watching my FLL team build and program the NXT kit for two years, I finally gave in and bought one for myself last summer. Why you set up your website? I work with a lot of kids ages 9-13 in the Robotics Club and Robotics Team at our school, and they love it, and a good number of them go on to either get a MINDSTORMS kit of their own as a gift, or to try to convince their parents to get them one. I then get a lot of questions from both kids and parents asking about ideas for things to do with the kit. Parents who haven’t bought one yet are interested in examples of what you can do with the kit, most kids who get one need some help getting started with the building or programming, and all kids are interested in more ideas for what you can do with it. What's hard about building and programming? The hardest part about building or programming is getting started, and almost everyone needs some help with that. Starting with just a bin of parts or a blank programming page is a very hard thing to do. But I have noticed that if you give somebody a design to start with, they are amazingly good at modifying it to do different and interesting things. So the idea of my web site was to offer several fun projects that first of all give you lots of fun things to do with your cool NXT gift, then[...]

MINDSTORMS NXT Biped Building Challenge

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 06:00:00 GMT

These robots are made for walkin'

Alpha Rex can't be the only biped you'll ever make, so we're asking you to create the NXT two legged walker. Bipeds are said to be the most difficult robot to make, but we know NXTLOGgers are up for the challenge!

HELPFUL HINT:
When constructing a biped remember to consider how you will control the robot's balance as it will need to shift its weight from one leg to the other. Also, carefully studying how humans (or other bipeds) walk can be helpful to your robot design.

Biped robot entries must be submitted by Monday March 31st. You can read more about this challenge on NXTLOG:
MINDSTORMS NXT Biped Building Challenge

These robots are made for walkin'

Alpha Rex can't be the only biped you'll ever make, so we're asking you to create the NXT two legged walker. Bipeds are said to be the most difficult robot to make, but we know NXTLOGgers are up for the challenge!

HELPFUL HINT:
When constructing a biped remember to consider how you will control the robot's balance as it will need to shift its weight from one leg to the other. Also, carefully studying how humans (or other bipeds) walk can be helpful to your robot design.

Biped robot entries must be submitted by Monday March 31st. You can read more about this challenge on NXTLOG:
MINDSTORMS NXT Biped Building Challenge

NXTLOG 5000 Winners - Is it YOUR robot?

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 02:00:00 GMT

We searched through 100's of innovative MINDSTORMS NXT projects to showcase for this tremendous milestone on NXTLOG. And the winner of NXTLOG 5000 is... First Place Mars Explorer Mk1 with Lander(PF Inc) Created by: mezzauk This is mezzauk's first NXT project, and it's awesome! It is an explorer robot with a PF (Power Function) enabled lander. The explorer begins by ordering the lander to lower both sides then the front so it can exit. A medium PF motor serves as a small radar/communication tower at the back - it rotates while the left, right, and front are deployed. The Mars Explorer Mk1 with Lander(PF Inc) is built with sets 8527, 8273, 9648, 8285, PF motor set and other small parts. We applaud mezzauk's first and winning contribution to NXTLOG. Thanks for your amazing and innovative work! Second Place Brick Sorter Crane Created by: pejensen Another first project on NXTLOG, this project included everything; great documentation, pictures, a program file, and an LDD file! This 2x2 LEGO bricks sorter can sort bricks in white, gray and black. The Sound Sensor activates the program to sort the LEGO bricks in the holder. All 3 motors are used and only the Ultrasonic sensor is not used. Congratulations pejensen! Third Place Stair Climber 2000 Created by: mikeike68 mikeike68's 6th project on NXTLOG, is a stair climber robot that can keep itself up without shifting weight or using a lot of gears. It is a simple design that uses flaps to lift itself up and rear wheels to push. mikeike68 shares a great documentation and LDD file. Thanks for sharing this amazing invention and helping NXTLOG reach new heights! Honorable Mention piano bot Created by: vincentliu NXSafari Created by: ®NXT Ping-Pong Ball Throwing Maniac Created by: Antonio947We searched through 100's of innovative MINDSTORMS NXT projects to showcase for this tremendous milestone on NXTLOG. And the winner of NXTLOG 5000 is... First Place Mars Explorer Mk1 with Lander(PF Inc) Created by: mezzauk This is mezzauk's first NXT project, and it's awesome! It is an explorer robot with a PF (Power Function) enabled lander. The explorer begins by ordering the lander to lower both sides then the front so it can exit. A medium PF motor serves as a small radar/communication tower at the back - it rotates while the left, right, and front are deployed. The Mars Explorer Mk1 with Lander(PF Inc) is built with sets 8527, 8273, 9648, 8285, PF motor set and other small parts. We applaud mezzauk's first and winning contribution to NXTLOG. Thanks for your amazing and innovative work! Second Place Brick Sorter Crane Cr[...]

MINDSTORMS NXT Robots Used to Teach Space Exploration Concepts

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 08:00:00 GMT

The International Space University (ISU) in Strasbourg, France uses MINDSTORMS NXT Robots to assist with learning about space exploration concepts. Through a generous donation of MINDSTORMS NXT kits from The LEGO Company, students at ISU developed a robotic rover to pick up a number of small stones on a surface with obstacles. Students were awarded points based on the number of stones collected as well as on the number of successful avoidance manoeuvres. The MINDSTORMS NXT rovers fulfilled their tasks successfully.The ISU postgraduate program covers all aspects of space activities. Besides the obvious scientific and technical areas of space exploration, topics such as space commerce, space law, business and management and policy, and even space and art and philosophy are also studied to ensure that the broadest possible spectrum is covered.Robotics is one of the key elements in space exploration. The risk to send humans to planetary objects is generally preceded by robotic missions, where rovers explore the surface and perform the necessary measurements. It is therefore of paramount importance to all ISU students to have some insight in robot technologies.Finding the right basic kit for this activity is a challenge, as teams are composed of students with extensive robotics experience but also with students who have had little contact with technology in their undergraduate studies. LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT provides ISU with the right compromise. The elements are easy to combine in a way that even non-specialists will be able to follow, and can, on the other hand, be made sufficiently sophisticated to also satisfy technically experienced students.So you can use LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT to prepare yourself for a field in space exploration! Learn more about ISU at their website:http://www.isunet.eduThe International Space University (ISU) in Strasbourg, France uses MINDSTORMS NXT Robots to assist with learning about space exploration concepts. Through a generous donation of MINDSTORMS NXT kits from The LEGO Company, students at ISU developed a robotic rover to pick up a number of small stones on a surface with obstacles. Students were awarded points based on the number of stones collected as well as on the number of successful avoidance manoeuvres. The MINDSTORMS NXT rovers fulfilled their tasks successfully.The ISU postgraduate program covers all aspects of space activities. Besides the obvious scientific and technical areas of space exploration, topics such as space commerce, space law, business and management and policy, and even space and art and philosoph[...]

New Book! Classroom Activities for the Busy Teacher: NXT

Sun, 02 Mar 2008 08:00:00 GMT

A 10 week lesson plan for teaching robotics using the LEGO MINDSTORMS® system by MINDSTORMS Community Partner (MCP), Damien Kee.

This book outlines a 10-week set of lesson plans for teacher wishing to implement robotics in their classroom. A set of robotics challenges are presented, centered around the LEGO NXT MINDSTORMS system. The workbook includes 10 robotic based challenges as well as 3 additional modules with assessment activities covering Robots in Society, Flowcharting and Multimedia Presentations. Each module includes, a real world scenario, teachers notes outlining the most common issues and how to solve them, example programs in the NXT-G development environment and student worksheets.

Sample pages can be viewed at: www.domabotics.com/resources.php

A 10 week lesson plan for teaching robotics using the LEGO MINDSTORMS® system by MINDSTORMS Community Partner (MCP), Damien Kee.

This book outlines a 10-week set of lesson plans for teacher wishing to implement robotics in their classroom. A set of robotics challenges are presented, centered around the LEGO NXT MINDSTORMS system. The workbook includes 10 robotic based challenges as well as 3 additional modules with assessment activities covering Robots in Society, Flowcharting and Multimedia Presentations. Each module includes, a real world scenario, teachers notes outlining the most common issues and how to solve them, example programs in the NXT-G development environment and student worksheets.

Sample pages can be viewed at: www.domabotics.com/resources.php

NXTLOG 5000 is one week away!

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT

One week until NXTLOG reaches 5000 projects!

Gather your NXT components and submit your best design. The NXTLOG moderators will freeze NXTLOG submissions at 4,999 and in one week will choose the robot that best demonstrates the true LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT creative spirit. Will your robot be number 5000?

And to all MINDSTORMS NXT Camera Bot challenge participants, you still have until February 29th to submit your entries.

We will announce both the NXTLOG 5000 and Camera Bot winners the week of March 3rd.

What will you make?One week until NXTLOG reaches 5000 projects!

Gather your NXT components and submit your best design. The NXTLOG moderators will freeze NXTLOG submissions at 4,999 and in one week will choose the robot that best demonstrates the true LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT creative spirit. Will your robot be number 5000?

And to all MINDSTORMS NXT Camera Bot challenge participants, you still have until February 29th to submit your entries.

We will announce both the NXTLOG 5000 and Camera Bot winners the week of March 3rd.

What will you make?

MINDSTORMS NXT Winter Wonderland Building Challenge Winners

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT

Almost 100 NXTLOGgers entered the Winter Wonderland Building Challenge and it was not easy to judge! Visit and comment on all the robots in this competition by entering the tag "nxt200801" Here are the winners (cue snowfalling): CHAMPION'S AWARD Dancing Snowman Created by: Mini_Man176 The Dancing Snowman waves its arms and rocks back and forth while playing Jingle Bells (credit to AvidProgrammer, Mini_Man176 wouldn't have been able to do Jingle bells without his Music box MyBlock). The snowman is made of long white technic beams, and some yellow and grey ones. The arms are moved by a gearing system that stretches across the back of the snowman, with the B motor. The A motor rocks the snowman back and forth. For a creative concept, design, construction, and programming we award the Dacing Snowman the Champion's Award. (This is Mini_Man176 's 4th project on NXTLOG.) ROBOT DESIGN AWARD SNoBiz! Created by: TayTay365 TayTay365 based SNowBiz! on an idea of a snow cat. The skis or blades steer the robot as he races to rescue people and SNowBiz! is geared down so that he'd be able to bring them back. Most elements are separated to allow for hostile terrain. The light sensor pans left and right allowing SNowBiz! to spot people. TayTay365 also added stops so the turning radius isn't to sharp. Congrats TayTay365 on an excellent Robot Design. (This is TayTay365's 2nd NXTLOG project.) ROBOT PERFORMANCE AWARD ski lift Created by: ulquiorra333 ulquiorra333's ski lift robot has an upper and a lower station with a line connecting the two at a very steep angle. The ski lift is powered by 1 motor in the lower station. The motor turns a big yellow wheel (along with a soft tire for extra traction) that moves the line. ulquiorra333 wanted to replicate a real ski lift and for that this robot is presented with the Robot Performance Award. (This is ulquiorra333's 5th NXTLOG project.) CREATIVE USE OF NXTLOG AWARD sneezebot ("achoo") Created by:  jayko543 One of the more creative interpretations of the Winter Wonderland challenge, the sneezebot helps you get a tissue when you have a dreaded winter cold ("achoo"). Apart from the innovative idea, the presentation of this project is equally creative. jayko543 uses minifigs and speech bubbles to tell the story of his mother's cold and how sneezebot comes to her aid. This project also includes and LDD file and exemplifies the Creative Use of NXTLOG. Congrats jayko543! (jayko543 has 7 projects on NXTLOG.) HONORABLE MENTI[...]

Learn all about LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT pieces

Sun, 03 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT

How do you build great NXT robots? The key is simply to master the use of the LEGO pieces in the NXT set. David Perdue helps you to understand the names, classifications, and uses of the MINDSTORMS NXT parts in chapter 4 of the Unofficial LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Inventor's Guide.

Download a sample chapter on the MINDSTORMS.com/Books pageHow do you build great NXT robots? The key is simply to master the use of the LEGO pieces in the NXT set. David Perdue helps you to understand the names, classifications, and uses of the MINDSTORMS NXT parts in chapter 4 of the Unofficial LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Inventor's Guide.

Download a sample chapter on the MINDSTORMS.com/Books page

MINDSTORMS NXT Sumo Competition Video

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 08:00:00 GMT

What does it take to win the MINDSTORMS NXT Sumo Competition?

You watch and decide!

Take a look at the video of the top 3 finalists from the competition battling it out to be the ultimate sumo robot!

See the video here: MINDSTORMS NXT Sumo Competition VideoWhat does it take to win the MINDSTORMS NXT Sumo Competition?

You watch and decide!

Take a look at the video of the top 3 finalists from the competition battling it out to be the ultimate sumo robot!

See the video here: MINDSTORMS NXT Sumo Competition Video

LEGO Group Adds New Partner to its LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Development Network to Bring RFID Sensor to LEGO Robotics

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 06:00:00 GMT

BILLUND, Denmark, January 10, 2008 – The LEGO Group today announced partnership with Codatex Hainzlmaier GmbH & Co. KG, of Salzburg, Austria to allow the manufacture and sale of hardware accessories certified by the LEGO Group for the LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT robotics toolset. This partnership represents the continued evolution of the company’s commitment to community-driven innovation and open-source development surrounding its next generation robotics system. The contract between the LEGO Group and Codatex was signed October 21, 2007 at LEGOWorld, an annual gathering of LEGO fans and community members in Europe, where a prototype sensor was demonstrated to attendees. The third-party licensing agreement gives Codatex Hainzlmaier GmbH & Co. KG access to official LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT sensor housings to develop and market accessory sensors compatible with NXT that are complimentary to the look, style and function of the NXT toolset. Codatex’ sensors will integrate seamlessly within the NXT software programming environment and are tested to the same high quality and tolerance standards as the LEGO Group’s own manufactured products. RFID, which is short for Radio Frequency Identification, is a leading edge technology used in many industrial and commercial applications, like all kinds of access control, animal identification, supply chain management and many more. The first version of the new RFID Sensor will read 125 kHz transponders. The number stored in the transponders is of 5 byte length allowing a variety of more than 1 trillion combinations. Within the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT world the RFID sensor will allow users, for example, to protect their programs, so you can only start it with an individual key transponder. There is also an unlimited flexibility to program different actions upon identification of different transponders. “We are thrilled to include Codatex as new licensee and look forward to add the RFID sensor to the LEGO MINDSTORMS portfolio of 3rd Party accessories,” said Steven Canvin, Marketing Manager for LEGO MINDSTORMS. “We expect to see many new play scenarios evolve around the RFID sensor, which we believe will expand children and adult enthusiasts’ ability to build and program robots that do what they want.” “We are very proud to launch the RFID sensor for the MINDSTORMS NXT platform,” said Hermann Hainzlmaier of Codatex. “As an accessory to [...]

MINDSTORMS NXT Sumo Competition Finalists

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 08:00:00 GMT

Over 100 robots from 19 countries were entered into the MINDSTORMS NXT Sumo Competition. The Robotics Posse examined each entry and selected 29 finalists to construct and compete in the sumo ring.

The robots selected to be built and battled was based on the following criteria:

- NXTLOG documentation was submitted by the Dec. 15 2007 deadline and followed the competition rules
- MINDSTORMS NXT Sumo Robot was well documented on NXTLOG
- NXTLOG Project included (1) an LDD file or well documented pictures on how to build the robot, (2) a well documented .rbt program file, (3) .rbt file had a 3 second delay

See the complete list of finalists and the final round scoring bracket here:
Sumo FinalistsOver 100 robots from 19 countries were entered into the MINDSTORMS NXT Sumo Competition. The Robotics Posse examined each entry and selected 29 finalists to construct and compete in the sumo ring.

The robots selected to be built and battled was based on the following criteria:

- NXTLOG documentation was submitted by the Dec. 15 2007 deadline and followed the competition rules
- MINDSTORMS NXT Sumo Robot was well documented on NXTLOG
- NXTLOG Project included (1) an LDD file or well documented pictures on how to build the robot, (2) a well documented .rbt program file, (3) .rbt file had a 3 second delay

See the complete list of finalists and the final round scoring bracket here:
Sumo Finalists

MINDSTORMS NXT Sumo Competition Winners

Tue, 01 Jan 2008 08:00:00 GMT

What does it take to run a live NXTLOG Competition? 10 builders 40 hours of judging 30 hours of building 1000’s of LEGO parts 29 robots 5 (ish) days Over 100 robots from 19 countries and builders of all ages entered the MINDSTORMS NXT Sumo Building Competition. The Robotics Posse (Bryan Bonahoom, John Brost, Brian Davis, Steve Hassenplug, and Jay Kinzie) evaluated each NXTLOG submission to determine which robots would be the finalists to construct and compete in a live Sumo match. The Robotics Posse were joined by family and friends this holiday season in Steve Hassenplug’s basement (the "LEGOLAND of Lafaytette Indiana") as they built and battled the best sumo bots submitted to NXTLOG. 29 robots were selected to go head to head in a series of sumo matches. The 29 were soon narrowed down to 10 robots that competed in a final round to determine the ultimate MINDSTORMS NXT Sumo robot. The top 3 performing robots were: MG_Sumo Created by: mpego (First Place) Wedge Bot Created by: Aliator531 (Second Place) F-16 Bulldozer Created by: exploud123 (Third Place) - See more info on the MINDSTORMS NXT Sumo Competition here: Special Event - See more info on the competition winners here: Sumo Winners - View and comment on all the robots in this competition by entering the tag "nxtlegosumo" Stay tuned for more coverage of this fun and exciting event!What does it take to run a live NXTLOG Competition? 10 builders 40 hours of judging 30 hours of building 1000’s of LEGO parts 29 robots 5 (ish) days Over 100 robots from 19 countries and builders of all ages entered the MINDSTORMS NXT Sumo Building Competition. The Robotics Posse (Bryan Bonahoom, John Brost, Brian Davis, Steve Hassenplug, and Jay Kinzie) evaluated each NXTLOG submission to determine which robots would be the finalists to construct and compete in a live Sumo match. The Robotics Posse were joined by family and friends this holiday season in Steve Hassenplug’s basement (the "LEGOLAND of Lafaytette Indiana") as they built and battled the best sumo bots submitted to NXTLOG. 29 robots were selected to go head to head in a series of sumo matches. The 29 were soon narrowed down to 10 robots that competed in a final round to determine the ultimate MINDSTORMS NXT Sumo robot. The top 3 performing robots were: MG_Sumo Created by: mpego (First Place[...]

MINDSTORMS NXT Winter Wonderland Building Challenge

Tue, 01 Jan 2008 08:00:00 GMT

It's January and most of the world is making snow angels or sitting by a fire to stay toasty and warm. That's why we are looking for YOU to design a robot that would work or play in in a winter wonderland! This can be a robot that relates to winter in any way. It can be a snow plow, a robot skier or ski lift, or even a NXT robot designed to deliver you hot cocoa. The ideas are endless and we’ll be looking for the most creative robots that we could not be without on a cold snowy winter's day. There's no limit on amount of LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT sensors, motors, NXT programmable bricks, HiTechnic sensors, or Bluetooth communication you can use on your NXT Winter Wonderland robot. - The contest will run from Tuesday January 1, 2008 - Thursday January 31, 2008. - All contest entries must follow the contest rules and must be tagged "NXT200801" - For the full contest description and rules see this NXTLOG: MINDSTORMS NXT Winter Wonderland Building Challenge Good luck and play well! It's January and most of the world is making snow angels or sitting by a fire to stay toasty and warm. That's why we are looking for YOU to design a robot that would work or play in in a winter wonderland! This can be a robot that relates to winter in any way. It can be a snow plow, a robot skier or ski lift, or even a NXT robot designed to deliver you hot cocoa. The ideas are endless and we’ll be looking for the most creative robots that we could not be without on a cold snowy winter's day. There's no limit on amount of LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT sensors, motors, NXT programmable bricks, HiTechnic sensors, or Bluetooth communication you can use on your NXT Winter Wonderland robot. - The contest will run from Tuesday January 1, 2008 - Thursday January 31, 2008. - All contest entries must follow the contest rules and must be tagged "NXT200801" - For the full contest description and rules see this NXTLOG: MINDSTORMS NXT Winter Wonderland Building Challenge Good luck and play well! [...]

Happy New Year from MINDSTORMS NXT!

Mon, 31 Dec 2007 08:00:00 GMT

The MINDSTORMS Team would like to wish all LEGO MINDSTORMS fans a happy new year, and we hope to see many new and creative inventions from you in 2008!

Many fans are eagerly awaiting the results of the MINDSTORMS NXT Sumo Competition and the winners will be announced soon. While you are waiting, download a new wallpaper for your desktop commemorating the entrants to the competition.

Download the MINDSTORMS NXT Sumo Competition wallpaper here:
http://mindstorms.lego.com/Download/The MINDSTORMS Team would like to wish all LEGO MINDSTORMS fans a happy new year, and we hope to see many new and creative inventions from you in 2008!

Many fans are eagerly awaiting the results of the MINDSTORMS NXT Sumo Competition and the winners will be announced soon. While you are waiting, download a new wallpaper for your desktop commemorating the entrants to the competition.

Download the MINDSTORMS NXT Sumo Competition wallpaper here:
http://mindstorms.lego.com/Download/

First Impressions of MINDSTORMS NXT Sumo Competition

Fri, 21 Dec 2007 06:00:00 GMT

MCP and MINDSTORMS NXT Sumo Competition Judge John Brost is pretty impressed buy number of entries. "The NXTLOG community really showed up in force for this one!" "Personally, one of the things I think is pretty cool is the inventiveness of some of the entries. While there are a ton of flippers/lifters, there are also some unique strategies like Mimicry Mike , who drives around the ring with a white "skirt" hoping to fool the opponent's light sensor into thinking it is at the edge of the ring. Then there is D.S.B (Defensive Sumo Bot) , whose main strategy is to be defensive, rather than attack. It remains to be seen if any of these entries perform as expected." That's right as the Robotics Posse still needs to construct and test these robots submitted via the web in real life! Stay tuned for more news from the MINDSTORMS NXT Sumo Competition. Go to NXTLOG to see the full list of entries: MINDSTORMS NXT SUMO Competition See the MINDSTORMS.com Special Events Section for info on the competition and the Robotics Posse (the judges): MINDSTORMS.com/SpecialEvent MCP and MINDSTORMS NXT Sumo Competition Judge John Brost is pretty impressed buy number of entries. "The NXTLOG community really showed up in force for this one!" "Personally, one of the things I think is pretty cool is the inventiveness of some of the entries. While there are a ton of flippers/lifters, there are also some unique strategies like Mimicry Mike , who drives around the ring with a white "skirt" hoping to fool the opponent's light sensor into thinking it is at the edge of the ring. Then there is D.S.B (Defensive Sumo Bot) , whose main strategy is to be defensive, rather than attack. It remains to be seen if any of these entries perform as expected." That's right as the Robotics Posse still needs to construct and test these robots submitted via the web in real life! Stay tuned for more news from the MINDSTORMS NXT Sumo Competition. Go to NXTLOG to see the full list of entries: MINDSTORMS NXT SUMO Competition See the MINDSTORMS.com Special Events Section for info on the competition and the Robotics Posse (the judges): MINDSTORMS.com/SpecialEvent [...]

Over 100 entries in the MINDSTORMS NXT SUMO Competition!

Tue, 18 Dec 2007 08:00:00 GMT

NXTLOGgers are pumped about this contest with over 100 MINDSTORMS NXT SUMO Robot entries! With names like "The Bear," "The Sumo Beast," "The Dentist," and "The Iron Claw," this competition might feel more like a WWE match than a robot competition!

This past Saturday December 15, 2007 was the final deadline to enter the MINDSTORMS NXT SUMO Competition. The Robotics Posse (a panel of MINDSTORMS experts) have a tough job of selecting the robots they will be constructing and battling in a LIVE MINDSTORMS NXT Sumo match!

Stay tuned for more news from the MINDSTORMS NXT SUMO Competition.

Go to NXTLOG to see the full list of entries:
MINDSTORMS NXT SUMO Competition

See the MINDSTORMS.com Special Events Section for info on the competition and the Robotics Posse (the judges):
MINDSTORMS.com/SpecialEvent
NXTLOGgers are pumped about this contest with over 100 MINDSTORMS NXT SUMO Robot entries! With names like "The Bear," "The Sumo Beast," "The Dentist," and "The Iron Claw," this competition might feel more like a WWE match than a robot competition!

This past Saturday December 15, 2007 was the final deadline to enter the MINDSTORMS NXT SUMO Competition. The Robotics Posse (a panel of MINDSTORMS experts) have a tough job of selecting the robots they will be constructing and battling in a LIVE MINDSTORMS NXT Sumo match!

Stay tuned for more news from the MINDSTORMS NXT SUMO Competition.

Go to NXTLOG to see the full list of entries:
MINDSTORMS NXT SUMO Competition

See the MINDSTORMS.com Special Events Section for info on the competition and the Robotics Posse (the judges):
MINDSTORMS.com/SpecialEvent

MINDSTORMS NXT Firmware Update

Sun, 16 Dec 2007 08:00:00 GMT

This software addresses an issue on Mac OS 10.5 (Leopard) that prevents updating the Firmware on the NXT.Note: Do not attempt to update the Firmware on the NXT from a computer running Mac OS 10.5 without installing this software first.If your NXT is clicking when you insert batteries, push the hardware reset button for five seconds before you insert the USB cable. This will ensure that the brick initializes correctly for the firmware download. The hardware reset button is located within the LEGO TECHNIC hole below the USB connector on the NXT brick. If your NXT brick is not clicking when you insert batteries just go through the normal firmware download process as described within the manual when the patch is installed.System RequirementsMac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Software version 1.0/1.1 or MINDSTORMS NXT Education Software 1.0/1.1To download the MINDSTORMS NXT Firmware Update see:http://mindstorms.lego.com/Support/Updates/This software addresses an issue on Mac OS 10.5 (Leopard) that prevents updating the Firmware on the NXT.Note: Do not attempt to update the Firmware on the NXT from a computer running Mac OS 10.5 without installing this software first.If your NXT is clicking when you insert batteries, push the hardware reset button for five seconds before you insert the USB cable. This will ensure that the brick initializes correctly for the firmware download. The hardware reset button is located within the LEGO TECHNIC hole below the USB connector on the NXT brick. If your NXT brick is not clicking when you insert batteries just go through the normal firmware download process as described within the manual when the patch is installed.System RequirementsMac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Software version 1.0/1.1 or MINDSTORMS NXT Education Software 1.0/1.1To download the MINDSTORMS NXT Firmware Update see:http://mindstorms.lego.com/Support/Updates/[...]

MINDSTORMS Tribot Sumo in action

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 08:00:00 GMT

Still looking to enter the MINDSTORMS NXT Sumo Competition? How about making a MINDSTORMS Sumo robot out of a Tribot?

The Robotics Posse (and MINDSTORMS NXT Sumo Competition judges) tested the Tribot in the sumo ring with various attachements. Check out the video of the Tribot battles in action in the Special Events section on MINDSTORMS.com

Tribot Sumo

What will you make?Still looking to enter the MINDSTORMS NXT Sumo Competition? How about making a MINDSTORMS Sumo robot out of a Tribot?

The Robotics Posse (and MINDSTORMS NXT Sumo Competition judges) tested the Tribot in the sumo ring with various attachements. Check out the video of the Tribot battles in action in the Special Events section on MINDSTORMS.com

Tribot Sumo

What will you make?

One week left to enter the MINDSTORMS NXT Sumo Competition on NXTLOG

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 08:00:00 GMT

This coming Saturday, December 15th is the final deadline to submit a MINDSTORMS NXT Sumo robot of your own design on NXTLOG to be constructed and tested by MINDSTORMS Experts in a competition! Are you up for the challenge?

See the MINDSTORMS NXT Sumo Competition NXTLOG for complete contest details.

Are you wondering how to build a MINDSTORMS NXT Sumo robot for the competition? MCP BlueToothkKiwi has some tips and a video on how you can make one in just 5 steps!

See Beginner Sumo in the MINDSTORMS.com Special Event Section

Good luck and play well!
This coming Saturday, December 15th is the final deadline to submit a MINDSTORMS NXT Sumo robot of your own design on NXTLOG to be constructed and tested by MINDSTORMS Experts in a competition! Are you up for the challenge?

See the MINDSTORMS NXT Sumo Competition NXTLOG for complete contest details.

Are you wondering how to build a MINDSTORMS NXT Sumo robot for the competition? MCP BlueToothkKiwi has some tips and a video on how you can make one in just 5 steps!

See Beginner Sumo in the MINDSTORMS.com Special Event Section

Good luck and play well!

FIRST LEGO League Competition Season is here!

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 08:00:00 GMT

Across the globe and in a town or city near you LEGO MINDSTORMS robots are buzzing on FIRST LEGO League (FLL) tournament tables working to solve our planet's "Power Puzzle." This year's FLL challenge calls for teams of students ages 9 to 14 to use robotics to understand and create solutions for one of today's most critical environmental issues: energy management and conservation. With missions exploring solar panels on houses, hydro-dams, wind turbines and planting trees, teams will have to program their robots to find sustainable options to meet our planet's growing energy needs in environmentally sound ways. Currently in its tenth year, FIRST LEGO League anticipates its biggest season ever, with more than 10,000 teams in 38 countries competing in hundreds of Qualifying Events and Championship Tournaments. More than 100,000 students will compete to win honors and recognition. Teams will also have the opportunity to participate at the FIRST LEGO League World Festival, to be held in conjunction with the FIRST Championship, April 17-19, 2008 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. To find out about Qualifying Events and Championship Tournaments near you, visit the FIRSTLEGOLeague.org Teams and Tournaments SectionAcross the globe and in a town or city near you LEGO MINDSTORMS robots are buzzing on FIRST LEGO League (FLL) tournament tables working to solve our planet's "Power Puzzle." This year's FLL challenge calls for teams of students ages 9 to 14 to use robotics to understand and create solutions for one of today's most critical environmental issues: energy management and conservation. With missions exploring solar panels on houses, hydro-dams, wind turbines and planting trees, teams will have to program their robots to find sustainable options to meet our planet's growing energy needs in environmentally sound ways. Currently in its tenth year, FIRST LEGO League anticipates its biggest season ever, with more than 10,000 teams in 38 countries competing in hundreds of Qualifying Events and Championship Tournaments. More than 100,000 students will compete to win honors and recognition. Teams will also have the o[...]

Featured Model - WIRED Living Home - BART The Bartender's Assistant

Wed, 14 Nov 2007 08:00:00 GMT

The third NXT robot featured in the WIRED Living Home is BART The Bartender's Assistant designed by MINDSTORMS Community Partner John Brost.BART is designed to deliver glasses full of drinks to visitors when requested. BART features two NXT's, two conveyor belt driven drink stations, a central rotating arm, and a pressure sensitive drink gripper (and delivery mechanism). Visitors requesting a drink from BART scan an encoded RFID transponder (Radio-Frequency Id-entification) over a prototype RFID sensor designed to work with the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT. The RFID sensor is on a central rotating arm. When a visitor scans a transponder, the arm will rotate one of the yellow or blue drink stations (depending on what the RFID sensor reads), a drink is delivered down a conveyor belt into the drink gripper, then the central arm rotates to a drink delivery station where a tasty beverage is released for the visitor to enjoy.You can read more about how John designed BART on NXTLOG: jbrost76For more information on the WIRED Living Home, click hereThe third NXT robot featured in the WIRED Living Home is BART The Bartender's Assistant designed by MINDSTORMS Community Partner John Brost.BART is designed to deliver glasses full of drinks to visitors when requested. BART features two NXT's, two conveyor belt driven drink stations, a central rotating arm, and a pressure sensitive drink gripper (and delivery mechanism). Visitors requesting a drink from BART scan an encoded RFID transponder (Radio-Frequency Id-entification) over a prototype RFID sensor designed to work with the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT. The RFID sensor is on a central rotating arm. When a visitor scans a transponder, the arm will rotate one of the yellow or blue drink stations (depending on what the RFID sensor reads), a drink is delivered down a conveyor belt into the drink gripper, then the central arm rotates to a drink delivery station where a tasty beverage is released for the visitor to enjoy.You can read more about how John designed BART on NXTLOG: jbrost76For more information on the WIRED Living Home, click here[...]

Featured Model - WIRED Living Home - Tic-Tac-Toe Bot

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 06:00:00 GMT

Three innovative NXT robots are featured in the WIRED Living Home. One of them designed to entertain visitors is MINDSTORMS Community Partner's Bryan Bonahoom's W.O.P.R., a Tic-Tac-Toe playing robot.W.O.P.R. is named after the War Operations Planned Response computer from the 1980's movie War Games. The difference between the NXT robot and the movie version is this robot actually plays pieces along with drawing the game board (also this robot does not have the ability to play a game of Global Thermonuclear War!).The NXT W.O.P.R. has 3 levels of strategy (beginner, intermediate andexpert) so that everyone can enjoy beating the robot once in a while.You can read more about the W.O.P.R. on Bryan's MDP Page: Bryan BonahoomYou can see more NXT robots created by Bryan on NXTLOG: bbonahoomFor more information on the WIRED Living Home, click hereThree innovative NXT robots are featured in the WIRED Living Home. One of them designed to entertain visitors is MINDSTORMS Community Partner's Bryan Bonahoom's W.O.P.R., a Tic-Tac-Toe playing robot.W.O.P.R. is named after the War Operations Planned Response computer from the 1980's movie War Games. The difference between the NXT robot and the movie version is this robot actually plays pieces along with drawing the game board (also this robot does not have the ability to play a game of Global Thermonuclear War!).The NXT W.O.P.R. has 3 levels of strategy (beginner, intermediate andexpert) so that everyone can enjoy beating the robot once in a while.You can read more about the W.O.P.R. on Bryan's MDP Page: Bryan BonahoomYou can see more NXT robots created by Bryan on NXTLOG: bbonahoomFor more information on the WIRED Living Home, click here[...]

Featured Model - WIRED Living Home - NXT Helicopter

Wed, 14 Nov 2007 08:00:00 GMT

One of the MINDSTORMS NXT models featured in the WIRED Living Home, the helicopter is replica of a popular helicopter toy from the 1970's, the Vertibird, designed by MINDSTORMS Community Partner's Gus Jansson and David Schilling. This is an NXT version of very similar RCX based Helicopter that Gus builtseveral years ago. The project was a huge success and he still runs intofolks at robotics events and schools who tell him how much they enjoyed it.Yes, this helicopter really flies! Well okay, so it cheats a little. The helicopter "flies" around a central base containing an electric motor, spring lift assist, pitch control, batteries, and a throttle. A 21-inch arm with pitch control and the shaft that transfers the power to helicopter, is connected from the central base to the helicopter. It even has a retractable hook for rescue missions. It uses Bluetooth as a remote control system with an NXT based controller that sends messages to the NXT mounted on the helicopter boom.You can read more about how Gus and David designed the Helicopter on Gus' NXTLOG: GustavJFor more information on the WIRED Living Home, click hereOne of the MINDSTORMS NXT models featured in the WIRED Living Home, the helicopter is replica of a popular helicopter toy from the 1970's, the Vertibird, designed by MINDSTORMS Community Partner's Gus Jansson and David Schilling. This is an NXT version of very similar RCX based Helicopter that Gus builtseveral years ago. The project was a huge success and he still runs intofolks at robotics events and schools who tell him how much they enjoyed it.Yes, this helicopter really flies! Well okay, so it cheats a little. The helicopter "flies" around a central base containing an electric motor, spring lift assist, pitch control, batteries, and a throttle. A 21-inch arm with pitch control and the shaft that transfers the power to helicopter, is connected from the central base to the helicopter. It even has a retractable hook for rescue missions. It uses Bluetooth as a remote control system with an NXT based controller that sends mess[...]

The Unofficial LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Inventor's Guide

Fri, 09 Nov 2007 06:00:00 GMT

Now available, The Unofficial LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Inventor's Guide by, David J. Perdue from No Starch Press.

The first part of the book contains a brief introduction to the NXT set and a look at the roles the parts in the set play in construction. The book is also full of practical building techniques, tips on how to program with the official NXT-G programming language, and building instructions for 6 sample robots.

For more information about the book, visit the companion website at: nxtguide.davidjperdue.com

To see more books on MINDSTORMS NXT, visit: www.MINDSTORMS.com/books
Now available, The Unofficial LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Inventor's Guide by, David J. Perdue from No Starch Press.

The first part of the book contains a brief introduction to the NXT set and a look at the roles the parts in the set play in construction. The book is also full of practical building techniques, tips on how to program with the official NXT-G programming language, and building instructions for 6 sample robots.

For more information about the book, visit the companion website at: nxtguide.davidjperdue.com

To see more books on MINDSTORMS NXT, visit: www.MINDSTORMS.com/books

The NXTLOG Halloween Building Challenge winners are in. Boo!

Sun, 04 Nov 2007 08:00:00 GMT

The NXTLOG Halloween Building Challenge had over 40 spooktacular entries. Visit and comment on all the scary robots in this competition by entering the tag "nxt200710 " Here are the winners (ominous organ music please): CHAMPION'S AWARD Grim Bot Created by: LegoManCe The Grim Bot is designed to walk around and hold things in its hand. It can drop candy it holds when instructed to do so. Although Grim Bot is covered in a Grim Reaper's cape, it has an innovative LEGO Skeleton underneath that allows the Grim Bot to "walk" upright. For a creative concept, design, construction, and programming we award the Grim Bot the Champion's Award. (This is LegoManCe's 3rd project on NXTLOG.) ROBOT DESIGN AWARD BatBot Created by: nxtmania BatBot is a robotic bat that uses three motors. Two motors are used to move the LEGO accordion-like extending wings, and the third motor drives the robot back and forth along a string! It is almost 30 centimeters high and 50 centimetres wide (when the wings are opened). BatBot moves along the string, flaps its paper wings and says a few things. We wouldn't want BatBot greeting us on Halloween! For nxtmania's creative design, BatBot receives the Robot Design Award. (nxtmania has 13 projects on NXTLOG.) ROBOT PERFORMANCE AWARD There were so many great robots up to the Robot Performance Award that we had to choose two! thing (addams family) Created by: nxtbuilder678 "Thing" crawls (using its fingers only) and it makes weird noises. It has 5 fingers. The 4 in the front are for movement and the "thumb" on the side there for decoration. When "Thing" sees something it starts to crawl and laugh. For the innovative crawling mechanism on this creepy crawler, nxtbuilder678 wins the Robot Performance Award. (This is nxtbuilder678's 14th NXTLOG project.) Cackling Sam Created by: Plums'R'us On Halloween night Cackling Sam hides in the bushes and waits for trick-or-treaters to walk by. When the ultrasonic sensor sees something within three feet, he uses two[...]

MINDSTORMS NXT Sumo Competition on NXTLOG

Sat, 03 Nov 2007 08:00:00 GMT

Sumo (相撲): a competitive sport from Japan where two wrestlers attempt to force one another out of a circular ring (dohyo) or to touch the ground with anything other than the soles of the feet. MINDSTORMS NXT Sumo: a competitive sport where two LEGO MINDSTORMS robots attempt to force one another out of a 4' diameter circular ring (dohyo) by pushing or disabling one's opponent (flipping, lifting, etc.).MINDSTORMS NXT Sumo Competition: A building challenge where NXTLOGgers design and submit a MINDSTORMS NXT Sumo robot that could actually compete in a live competition. A panel of MINDSTORMS experts will build a select number of finalists, and those robots will be constructed and tested in an actual MINDSTORMS NXT Sumo match! Are you up for the challenge?For the full contest description and rules see this NXTLOG:[...]

LEGO MINDSTORMS Robots to be featured as part of the WIRED Living Home

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 08:00:00 GMT

The WIRED LivingHome is a collaboration between WIRED magazine and LivingHomes — a pioneer in green, prefabricated development. They have constructed the first ever WIRED Home, a showcase of the best in sustainability, technology and design. The home is located in Los Angeles, California, USA and is fully automated to allow for simplicity and control. It is filled with the latest in gadgets, gear, appliances, and LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT of course. Members of the MINDSTORMS Community Partners (MCP) worked together to develop and create three innovative NXT robots that will be featured in the home. The first is Bryan Bonahoom's W.O.P.R., a Tic-Tac-Toe playing robot to entertain WIRED Living Home visitors. The second robot is BART, designed by John Brost. Bart is an autonomous bartender, and can carry and deliver up to three drinks at a time. The third robot is a copy of a popular helicopter toy from the 1970's, the Vertibird, designed by Gus Jansson and David Schilling. There is also a full scale LEGO model of the WIRED Living Home in the children's room. Stay tuned for more stories on these incredible inventions and inventors.You can tour the WIRED Living Home starting November 1, 2007 (tickets can be purchased through the WIRED Living Home website). A percentage of proceeds from ticket sales will benefit Global Green USA, a national leader fighting for solutions to global warming including green building, and Enterprise, the national leader in creating environmentally sustainable homes and communities for low-income people.For more information on the WIRED Living Home, click hereThe WIRED LivingHome is a collaboration between WIRED magazine and LivingHomes — a pioneer in green, prefabricated development. They have constructed the first ever WIRED Home, a showcase of the best in sustainability, technology and design. The home is located in Los Angeles, California, USA and is fully automated to allow for simplicity and control. It[...]

LEGO MINDSTORMS wows robotics enthusiasts at RoboDevelopment Conference

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 06:00:00 GMT

Robotics Trends’ RoboDevelopment Conference and Exposition is an educational forum and trade show dedicated to addressing the technical issues involved with the design and development of robotic products. This year's event was held on October 25 & 26th at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center, San Jose, California, USA. LEGO MINDSTORMS was kindly invited to participate in the event through National Instruments (who developed the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT-G software). MCP (MINDSTORMS Community Partner) Brian Laschkewitsch was on hand to demonstrate the possibilities of LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT. Visitors were wowed by a NXT powered LEGO TECHNIC Motorized Bulldozer (#8275) equipped with a new IR (infrared) Link sensor (available from HiTechnic Products) and new PF (Power Function) motors (available with the LEGO TECHNIC Motorized Bulldozer)."With the availability of the IR link MINDSTORMS RCX owners can now 'NXTize' LEGO MINDSTORMS models with either an NXT or PF motors and an IR Link sensor and create brand new, programmable and remote-control toys," says Laschkewitsch. With these new sensors and motors we can't wait to see what LEGO MINDSTORMS fans will come up with NXT!Special thanks to Brian Laschkewitsch for attending and sharing highlights from the event. You can learn more about him at his company's website: www.learntodiscover.com/To learn more about the RoboDevelopment Conference and Exposition, Click HereTo learn more about the LEGO MINDSTORMS IR LInk sensor from HiTechnic Products, Click HereAnd to lean more about LEGO MINDSTORM'S Collaboration with National Instruments, Click HereRobotics Trends’ RoboDevelopment Conference and Exposition is an educational forum and trade show dedicated to addressing the technical issues involved with the design and development of robotic products. This year's event was held on October 25 & 26th at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center, San Jose, California, USA. LEG[...]

SMART MINDSTORMS fans have heaps of fun at a local event

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 08:00:00 GMT

Did you know that there are LEGO MINDSTORMS clubs in cities and towns across the globe? These clubs are organized by MINDSTORMS fans in local areas, and they often hold meetings and organize local events and competitions.One such event is Brick Heap Wars that the members of SMART (Seatlle MINDSTORMS and Robotics Techies) held last month as part of Robothon at the Seattle Center (in Seatlle Washington, USA).BrickHeap Wars is a competition where you build (in a team) a robot for a specific task. The challenge is not revealed until the start of the event, so team members must bring LEGO MINDSTORMS elements and a computer to program with, and be prepared for... well... anything!On September 22nd, SMART ran its 9th BrickHeaps Wars competition, the second they held at Robothon. The challenge (announced at the event) was to build a robot to repair the potholes in a stretch of LEGO highway. Teams had 4 hours to build and program a robot with the pieces provided by SMART. 4 teams participated.The final results were:1st Place (yellow): Craigs List - 447 points (SMART, Redmond, WA) 2nd Place (red): Team Pwn - 427 points (PWN Industries, Seattle, WA) 3rd Place (blue): Team Hassenplug - 399 points (Hassenplug family, West Lafayette, Indiana) 4th Place (grey): Mack Elementary - 231 points (Mack Elementary FIRST LEGO League team, Woodinville, WA)The Craigs List team was captained by Craig Zupke, and consisted of a number of people from SMART. These are the veterans of BrickHeap Wars, having participated in a number of previous events. Running like a finely tuned LEGO robot, they finished their entry over half an hour before the deadline. Their robot was extremely consistent, scoring 447 on both runs.Team PWN members came from PWN Industries, a Seattle company. Their members had little or no prior experience building LEGO MINDSTORMS robots. They heard about the competition two weeks before the [...]

LEGO World 2007 - We are the Robots!

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 06:00:00 GMT

The biggest LEGO fan event in the world, LEGO World, held each year in the Netherlands was loads of fun for over 50,000 LEGO fans who attended (did you know it was SOLD OUT).The LEGO MINDSTORMS design team surprised fans with their Robot Band MindWerk (inspired by the German electronic band Kraftwerk). They took their 4 Alpha Rex band members on tour to perform "We are the robots."The LEGO MINDSTORMS Team also chatted with fans of all ages at the MINDSTORMS display. Visitors interacted with Spike and Alpha Rex, and watched MindWerk perform of course.Many members of the MDP (MINDSTORMS Developer Program) and MCP (MINDSTORMS Community Partners) from Holland, Germany, England, Switzerland and Austria also attended LEGO World and interacted with the fans and LEGO MINDSTORMS team: Martyn Boogaarts (co-author of The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Idea Book), Daniel Wittenaar, Matthias Paul Scholz (author of Advanced NXT: The Da Vinci Inventions Book and co-author of The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Idea Book), Jason Railton, MennoGorter, Gerrit Bronsveld, and Stephan Matter. These amazing MINDSTORMS experts showed off and shared MINDSTORMS creations like NXT remote controls, Zamor sphere shooters, track vehicles, a LEGO bowling lane, and a NXT ape that clawed his way over a booth (the last created by Daniel Wittenaar in collaboration with the MINDSTORMS team).The biggest LEGO fan event in the world, LEGO World, held each year in the Netherlands was loads of fun for over 50,000 LEGO fans who attended (did you know it was SOLD OUT).The LEGO MINDSTORMS design team surprised fans with their Robot Band MindWerk (inspired by the German electronic band Kraftwerk). They took their 4 Alpha Rex band members on tour to perform "We are the robots."The LEGO MINDSTORMS Team also chatted with fans of all ages at the MINDSTORMS display. Visitors interacted with Spike and Alpha Rex, and wa[...]

Two Lucky Winners!

Thu, 25 Oct 2007 08:00:00 GMT

Visiting the MINDSTORMS team at a special event pays off sometimes!

This past April at the FIRST LEGO League World Festival in Atlanta, Georgia, USA the LEGO MINDSTORMS team held a prize draw to win a LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT set. We are happy to announce the winners to be Mason Gleason, age 10 of Indianapolis, IN, USA and Olivia Williams, age 9 of Decatur, GA, USA. Both have received a full LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT set (#8527). Congratulations to Olivia and Mason, we can't wait to see what you will build NXT!Visiting the MINDSTORMS team at a special event pays off sometimes!

This past April at the FIRST LEGO League World Festival in Atlanta, Georgia, USA the LEGO MINDSTORMS team held a prize draw to win a LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT set. We are happy to announce the winners to be Mason Gleason, age 10 of Indianapolis, IN, USA and Olivia Williams, age 9 of Decatur, GA, USA. Both have received a full LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT set (#8527). Congratulations to Olivia and Mason, we can't wait to see what you will build NXT!

LEGO WORLD 2007

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 08:00:00 GMT

The biggest LEGO fan event in the world, LEGO World, is taking place Thursday October the 18th to Tuesday the 23rd in the Netherlands!

LEGO fans of all ages from across the globe will gather to show off and share their LEGO masterpieces. Celebrate 50 years of LEGO history in the Netherlands, visit a LEGO museum where you can see what the first LEGO toys looked like, check out a life sized Ferrari made out of LEGO, and of course see incredible LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT robots at the MINDSTORMS booth.

For more information on LEGO World visit www.legoworld.nl


The biggest LEGO fan event in the world, LEGO World, is taking place Thursday October the 18th to Tuesday the 23rd in the Netherlands!

LEGO fans of all ages from across the globe will gather to show off and share their LEGO masterpieces. Celebrate 50 years of LEGO history in the Netherlands, visit a LEGO museum where you can see what the first LEGO toys looked like, check out a life sized Ferrari made out of LEGO, and of course see incredible LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT robots at the MINDSTORMS booth.

For more information on LEGO World visit www.legoworld.nl

IRLink Sensor for MINDSTORMS NXT available October 10th

Wed, 10 Oct 2007 08:00:00 GMT

Now your LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT robots can control the LEGO MINDSTORMS RCX, LEGO R/C trains and other motorized LEGO sets with the IRLink Sensor. The IRLink Sensor allows communication between the NXT and other LEGO models that utilize infrared communications. The IRLink opens up new opportunities for controlling extra motors with the NXT, and for direct communication with the RCX!The IRLink Sensor is available from HiTechnic October 10thProgrammingThe IRLink Sensor can be programmed using MINDSTORMS NXT-G Software by importing one of the available IRLink Sensor Blocks. There are three blocks available for the IRLink and they can be downloaded from HiTechnic.comRCX IRLink Block (available from HiTechnic October 31st) Transmits commands to a Mindstorms RCX and receives RCX sensor readings PF IRLink BlockControls Power Functions motors with IR Control unitTrain IRLink BlockControls LEGO R/C trainsNXT Robots using the IRLink SensorTo get an idea of how the IRLink sensor is being used, see this NXTLOG Project:Robotized BulldozerCreated by: BlueToothKiwiNow your LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT robots can control the LEGO MINDSTORMS RCX, LEGO R/C trains and other motorized LEGO sets with the IRLink Sensor. The IRLink Sensor allows communication between the NXT and other LEGO models that utilize infrared communications. The IRLink opens up new opportunities for controlling extra motors with the NXT, and for direct communication with the RCX!The IRLink Sensor is available from HiTechnic October 10thProgrammingThe IRLink Sensor can be programmed using MINDSTORMS NXT-G Software by importing one of the available IRLink Sensor Blocks. There are three blocks available for the IRLink and they can be downloaded from HiTechnic.comRCX IRLink Block (available from HiTechnic October 31st) Transmits co[...]

NXT-G 1.1 Now Available

Sat, 06 Oct 2007 01:00:00 GMT

LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT Software version 1.1 is now available, and in five languages (English, German, French, Dutch and Japanese)! This version also includes full support for Windows Vista (32-bit and 64-bit) and the new Intel-based Macintosh systems. In addition, the new NXT Software offers improved performance and speed, especially for large program development. New compression methods free up 30kb of useable memory on the NXT Intelligent Brick and shrink most programs and sound files by 40%. The software programming module, called NXT-G, features intelligent scroll and more than 100 other enhancements.To support existing users of the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT #8527, we offer a CD with the new NXT Software version 1.1 for 19.99 USD. This offer will be available from the LEGO online shop, Shop@Home. Users who have purchased the current LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT #8527 software version 1.0 after May 7, 2007 will receive a free upgrade CD with the new LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT software version 1.1, by contacting LEGO Customer Service. This offer will be in effect until 1 November 2007, where the software version 1.1 will be fully integrated in the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT #8527 set.For countries not covered by Shop@Home please contact our Customer Service.Best regards,The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT teamLEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT Software version 1.1 is now available, and in five languages (English, German, French, Dutch and Japanese)! This version also includes full support for Windows Vista (32-bit and 64-bit) and the new Intel-based Macintosh systems. In addition, the new NXT Software offers improved performance and speed, especially for large program development. New compression methods free up 30kb of useable memory on the NXT Intelligent Brick and shrink most programs and [...]

Bricking Bavaria Event Oct 6th and 7th

Sat, 06 Oct 2007 08:00:00 GMT

Over the next two days (Oct 6th and 7th), one of the most important South German LEGO related events taking place again: Bricking Bavaria located this year in Unterwössen near the Chiemsee in Upper Bavaria. LEGO MINDSTORMS has played a presence at Bricking Bavaria in the past and LEGO fans from across Germany will be showcasing their LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT inventions.Over the next two days (Oct 6th and 7th), one of the most important South German LEGO related events taking place again: Bricking Bavaria located this year in Unterwössen near the Chiemsee in Upper Bavaria. LEGO MINDSTORMS has played a presence at Bricking Bavaria in the past and LEGO fans from across Germany will be showcasing their LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT inventions.

NXTLOG Back to School Building Challenge Winners!

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

The NXTLOG Back to School Challenge had over 30 excellent entries. Please view and comment on all the robots in this competition by entering the tag "nxt200709" Here are the winners (drum roll please): CHAMPION'S AWARD Waste And Light Litter Engulfer (WALL-E) Created by: BlueToothKiwi WALL-E is an autonomous clean-up robot for classrooms. After the children leave a mess in the classroom, WALL-E would drive around the class cleaning up, making students and teachers happy. The robot is designed to scan the floor for litter, pick it up, put it in its belly and crush it. It uses the ultrasonic sensor to detect objects. For an excellent concept, design, robot performance, programming, and NXTLOG documentation, WALL-E wins the Champion's award! (This is BlueToothKiwi’s 4th project on NXTLOG.) ROBOT DESIGN AWARD The Extended Arm Created by: morin The Extended arm is designed to help the shortest kids in class get an arm up! At 65 cm long, it helps to make your arm a lot longer (and arching). Just press the touch sensor and the false hand will close and when you press it again it will open. (morin has 5 projects on NXTLOG.) ROBOT PERFORMANCE AWARD School Buddy Created by: Dismay This multi-purpose robot performs three main tasks. 1. It manipulates the combination lock dial on a school locker, 2. It holds extra pencils and dispenses them when you need them, and 3. It sharpens pencils. This robot would really help kids out with their school day because it can take forever to open a locker at school! (This is Dismay's 2nd NXTLOG project.) CREATIVE USE OF NXTLOG AWARD The scrap papper team Created by: NIKOLAS3220 Are you tired of asking permission from your teache[...]

New to NXTLOG - LEGO Digital Designer!

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 08:00:00 GMT

Now you can add MINDSTORMS NXT LEGO Digital Designer (LDD) files to your NXTLOG projects, or download LDD files from the NXTLOG community. (You add an LDD file (.lxf) to your NXTLOG project in the same way you add a picture or program file.)With LDD you can build your own virtual three-dimensional LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT models and LDD automatically generates building instructions for you!If you haven’t tried building in the virtual world with LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT, download and install the latest version of LEGO Digital Designer today! You can access LEGO Digital Designer for MINDSTORMS NXT here: http://ldd.lego.comWhat will you make?Now you can add MINDSTORMS NXT LEGO Digital Designer (LDD) files to your NXTLOG projects, or download LDD files from the NXTLOG community. (You add an LDD file (.lxf) to your NXTLOG project in the same way you add a picture or program file.)With LDD you can build your own virtual three-dimensional LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT models and LDD automatically generates building instructions for you!If you haven’t tried building in the virtual world with LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT, download and install the latest version of LEGO Digital Designer today! You can access LEGO Digital Designer for MINDSTORMS NXT here: http://ldd.lego.comWhat will you make?[...]

FIRST LEGO® League Goes “Green” with 2007 “Power Puzzle” Challenge

Sat, 08 Sep 2007 08:00:00 GMT

More than 100,000 students in 38 countries gear up to help solve the world’s energy problems! This year’s "Power Puzzle" Challenge calls for teams of students, ages 9 to 14, to use robotics to understand and create solutions for one of today’s most critical environmental issues: energy management and conservation. With missions exploring solar panels on houses, hydro-dams, wind turbines and planting trees, teams will have to program LEGO MINDSTORMS robots to find sustainable options to meet our planet’s growing energy needs in environmentally sound ways. “The environment is a huge concern for everyone, including kids,” said Dean Kamen, FIRST founder. "Giving them a hands-on experience that allows them to use their imaginations and creativity in combination with science and technology to solve a real-world problem is empowering. It captures the true spirit of FIRST LEGO League and unleashes the creative problem-solving skills today’s kids need for building a better tomorrow." “FIRST LEGO League so brilliantly captures the natural curiosity and creativity of youth, and combines it with real-world issues and research and teamwork activities that put children in a position of identifying and creating innovative solutions to big problems,” said Jens Maibom, vice president, LEGO Group. “In this manner, FIRST LEGO League inspires children around the world to realize the power of their creative thinking skills in making a real difference, which naturally makes them feel good and motivates them to continue learning by doing.” Currently in its tenth year, FIRST LEGO League anticipates its biggest season ever,[...]

4th NXTLOG Building Challenge Winners!

Mon, 03 Sep 2007 08:00:00 GMT

The NXTLOG Summer Building Challenge had over 50 fun entries. Please view and comment on all the amazing entries to this competition by entering the tag "NXT200708" Here are the winners (drum roll please): CHAMPION'S AWARD Mr. NXT Created by: Buckskinn92 Mr. NXT is designed to keep you company on a summer holiday. Buckskinn92’s inspiration for Mr. NXT comes from PANGOLIN2’s humanoid "Simon" robot. All the pieces are from the MINDSTORMS NXT set (except for the hat, bowtie, and wheels used to move the hat). Mr. NXT speaks, tells jokes, raises his hat, lowers his eyebrows, frowns, and says "please stop" when he has had enough. For Buckskinn92’s excellent concept, design, robot performance, programming, and NXTLOG documentation, Mr. NXT wins the Champion's award! (This is Buckskinn92’s 5th project on NXTLOG.) ROBOT DESIGN AWARD Mini Portable Pinball Created by: quy The Mini Portable Pinball’s sleek symmetry made this project worthy of the Robot Design Award. quy was inspired by many pinball machines on NXTLOG. This machine has many cool features like score keeping, high score keeping, portability, and two touch sensors (to move the flippers). The machine even uses LEGO Zamor Spheres as the balls. We all would love to have this compact NXT Pinball Machine! (quy has 22 projects on NXTLOG.) ROBOT PERFORMANCE AWARD Summer Lounge-a-bot Created by: AIRKRAFT The Summer Lounge-a-bot is as an automated deckchair chair and fan in one. This bot wins the Robot Performance Award for its creative functions. When someone wishes to use the Summer Lounge-a-bot they must swipe a colored[...]

NXTLOG 3000 Winners - Is it YOUR robot?

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 02:00:00 GMT

We have been searching through the many creative and innovative MINDSTORMS NXT projects on NXTLOG to showcase as number 3000. It's hard to select just one project that demonstrates the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT spirit of creating and building as all NXTLOG projects show that! We did find a few projects worth highlighting as NXTLOG reached the 3000 mark. The first project is the NeXcavator created by nxtmonger. This project was inspired by two things: (1) not being satisfied with the LEGO MINDSTORMS model RoboArm T-56, and (2) a challenge by a friend to improve it. We appreciate nxtmonger's contribution to NXTLOG, inspiring MINDSTORMS builders go out there and rebuilt it! The next project is the Flippy Bot created by grandcanyon388. This project shows what can happen when you have an accident with building and programming and just "go with it."  We're glad to see grandcanyon388 sharing how  "Happy Accidents" can lead to cool creations. Another project and submission for the Summer Bot Building Challenge is Drinkbot by dethbot18. This robotic invention was dreamed up for a challenge, but represents an everyday household item that everyone could use. Thanks dethbot18 for sharing this fun and refreshing invention!We have been searching through the many creative and innovative MINDSTORMS NXT projects on NXTLOG to showcase as number 3000. It's hard to select just one project that demonstrates the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT spirit of creating and building as all NXTLOG projects show that! We did find a few projects worth highlighting as NXTLOG reached the 3000 mark. The first project is the[...]

3rd NXTLOG Building Challenge Winners!

Tue, 07 Aug 2007 06:00:00 GMT

The NXTLOG Bug Bot Building Challenge had over 60 pesky entries and it was not easy to judge (as you can see yet again by the number of honerable mentions we just had to give). Please view and comment on all the amazing entries to this competition by entering the tag "NXT200707" Here are the winners (drum roll please): CHAMPION'S AWARD Mothbot V2.1 Created by: HTech A first entry to NXTLOG, Mothbot V2.1's purpose is to act as a moth does and go towards the light. The Robot turns itself to move straight to the light, and then a picture appears on the NXT's LCD and the wings start to move. The robot is also designed to avoid the obstacles. It's programmed in a very simple but well constructed way. Read more about how the Mothbot V2.1 was constructed and programmed on Htech's NXTLOG. For excellent design, performance, and NXTLOG documentation Htech wins the Champion's award! ROBOT DESIGN AWARD LibelleBot (Dragonfly) Created by: florijNXT Libelle is Dutch for dragonfly that's why florijNXT named this robot LibelleBot! The Libellebot can move its wings in a realistic way, and it can also wiggle its tail. florijNXT created a beautiful looking and moving robot design, and explains how the robot was designed in detail on this project's NXTLOG. This is florijNXT's first ever NXT project so we are very proud to present the Robot Design award for LibelleBot! We can't wait to see more amazing work from florijNXT. ROBOT PERFORMANCE AWARD Mantis Created by: mad1s792 Another first entry to NXTLOG, mad1s792 created a bug that catches bugs! This p[...]

Robotics Campers use LEGO Digital Designer

Tue, 24 Jul 2007 01:00:00 GMT

6th, 7th, and 8th graders in Northern Virginia, USA spent some of their summer vacation creating MINDSTORMS NXT robots and documenting their work with the newest version of LEGO Digital Designer (LDD) . The campers at the Reston Robotics Academy spent a week building Tribot, designing custom attachments, and completing FIRST LEGO League Nano Quest missions. They also shot robot videos, made team websites, and LDD models. See the work of the Reston Robotics Academy campers here: www.restonrobotics.org Download the latest version of LEGO Digital Designer (LDD) and create LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT models in 3d Test LDD and give LEGO your feedback! We want you to help test it and find out just how much you can do with it. If you find some problems in LDD that you believe should be fixed, tell us about it! Send your feedback to: mindstormsnxt@lego.com Be sure to write "LDD: (the issue)" in the subject line. (For example: "LDD: Cannot turn black peg") We will work on revising all the issues we can to make building MINDSTORMS robots with LDD  the best experience for you.6th, 7th, and 8th graders in Northern Virginia, USA spent some of their summer vacation creating MINDSTORMS NXT robots and documenting their work with the newest version of LEGO Digital Designer (LDD) . The campers at the Reston Robotics Academy spent a week building Tribot, designing custom attachments, and completing FIRST LEGO League Nano Quest missions. They also shot robot videos, made team websites, and LDD models. See the work of the Reston Robotics A[...]

New LEGO Digital Designer for MINDSTORMS!

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 01:00:00 GMT

Now you can build your own virtual three-dimensional LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT models and building instructions using LEGO Digital Designer (LDD)! The latest release of LDD has all the LEGO elements found in the MINDSTORMS NXT set #8527 so you can build robotic inventions in 3-D. Also included are three sample MINDSTORMS models to help get you started. They are exclusive attachments you can add to Tribot, and they can only be found on this version of LDD. Test LDD and give LEGO your feedback! This is the first time LEGO MINDSTORMS elements are included in LEGO Digital Designer. We want you to help test it and find out just how much you can do with it. If you find some problems in LDD that you believe should be fixed, tell us about it! Send your feedback to: mindstormsnxt@lego.com Be sure to write "LDD: (the issue)" in the subject line. (For example: "LDD: Cannot turn black peg") We will work on revising all the issues we can to make building MINDSTORMS robots with LDD the best experience for you. Some of the functions found in existing versions of LDD have not yet been made for the MINDSTORMS elements library. For example you can't upload your invention to the Gallery page on LEGO.com or to NXTLOG (yet), and it's not possible to buy most of the elements through LEGO Factory. However, there will be a green background behind the elements you can buy. Download and install the latest version of LEGO Digital Designer today! (Did we mention that it's FREE!) What will you make? You can acess the lates[...]

2nd NXTLOG Building Challenge Winners!

Mon, 02 Jul 2007 08:00:00 GMT

The NXTLOG Quadruped Building Challenge had over 50 4-legged entries and it was not easy to judge as you can see from the number of honerable mentions we just had to give! We encourage eveyone to view and comment on all the amazing entries by entering the tag "NXT200706" Here are the winners : CHAMPION'S AWARD We decided to carry over the Champion's Award from the last challenge. The Champion's Award goes to a robot submission that best meets the requirements of all the contest judging categories. This award goes to: LEGO Mammoth MkII Created by: bra888 bra888 wanted this robot be able to walk until it detects a certain colour. When that happens the robot will stop walking and start shooting a rubberband. If it runs out of ammo the robot reverses direction. bra888 is most proud of the design of the toes and heels. For an innovative design that perfoms well and a throughly documented NXTLOG, the LEGO Mammoth MKII is awarded the Champion's Award. Way to go bra888 you are a true NXT Champion! (bra888 has 8 projects on NXTLOG.) ROBOT DESIGN AWARD "Thing" Created by: GhostInside GhostInside asked, "What happens when you put all 4 feet on the same side of the critter?" and suddenly realized the quadruped could be something that looks a lot like a hand (or "Thing" from the Adam's Family). GhostInside's model took 3 tries to get right and it's a winner for Robot Design. Congratuations GhostInside! (GhostInside has 10 projects on NXTOG.) ROBOT PERFORMANCE AWARD W[...]

Brickworld 2007 attracts 1000's of LEGO fans

Thu, 28 Jun 2007 06:00:00 GMT

5,000 people in attended Brickworld 2007 this past week. There was a continuous stream of visitors at the LEGO MINDSTORMS exhibit. Children and adults when observing and playing with the NXT said, "This is the coolest thing I have ever saw," and "This is amazing." Most visitors were impressed by the NXT. They liked how easy it was to get started, and just how far the NXT could go. Most were enthralled by what NXTLOG Member Jay Kinzie's NXT robots. He brought his 4BOT (a 4 wheel drive MINDSTORMS NXT car with 4 wheel independent suspension, 4 wheel steering, 4 gear transmission with 2 NXT bricks, 5 motors, and lots of sensors) and his Uber Bot (NXT FLL Multi-Degree of Freedom Bot 2.5) outfitted with Zamor Sphere shooters. Both robots were popular attractions at the MINDSTORMS booth.Also popular at Brickworld this year was the LEGO Sumo event that featured MINDSTORMS NXT robots in the ring.You can see more pictures and read more about this event at the Brickworld website:www.brickworld.us5,000 people in attended Brickworld 2007 this past week. There was a continuous stream of visitors at the LEGO MINDSTORMS exhibit. Children and adults when observing and playing with the NXT said, "This is the coolest thing I have ever saw," and "This is amazing." Most visitors were impressed by the NXT. They liked how easy it was to get started, and just how far the NXT could go. Most were enthralled by what NXTLOG Member Jay Kinzie's NXT robots. He brought his 4[...]

FLL Team visits IBM's Almaden Research Center - Live Webcast June 26th

Sun, 24 Jun 2007 08:00:00 GMT

Team Pigmice from Portland, OR, 1st Place Champion's Award winners at the 2007 FIRST LEGO League World Festival, will be traveling to the world-famous Almaden Research Center in San Jose, CA on Tuesday, June 26. The team will spend the day learning about a variety of nanoscience and technology research projects, meeting world-class scientists, and touring their laboratories. This will include a visit to the low-temperature scanning tunneling microscope (STM) lab, which has been referred to as the "Kitty Hawk of nanotechnology." It was there in 1989 that IBM Fellow and nanotechnology pioneer, Don Eigler, first positioned atoms one at a time, spelling out the letters I-B-M in xenon atoms. The Pigmice will even have the opportunity to take control of the historic STM themselves, and build their own atomic structures!The Pigmice will also demonstrate their robot's performance and present their research project on using nanotechnology to monitor and remediate plastics in the Pacific Ocean. Tune into a live webcast and join the Pigmice in this incredible opportunity to share their research and ideas with these world-class scientists. The webcast will run from 11:15 AM - 12:00 Noon Pacific Time (2:15 - 3:00 PM Eastern Time) on Tuesday June 26th at: http://registration.mshow.com/legoteamDean Kamen, John Abele, Woodie Flowers, and Paul Gudonis will accompany the team on this historic visit. This trip is made possible from a generous[...]

LEGO MINDSTORMS at Brickworld '07!

Sat, 16 Jun 2007 08:00:00 GMT

This week from June 21st - 24th, LEGO enthusiasts of all ages will gather from across the states in Wheeling, IL (just 30 minutes northwest of downtown Chicago) to showcase their LEGO creations. Members of the MINDSTORMS Team and the MINDSTORMS Developer Program will be on hand to demonstrate LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT robots! Join them to play with the NXT and answer questions about everthing MINDSTORMS. Visitors to Brickworld can also see collaboraive LEGO displays like The Great Ball Contraption (which uses MINDSTORMS NXT and RCX kits), as well as collaborative Moon Base, Castle, and Train displays to name a few. Brickworld '07 is organized by many members of the MDP including Bryan Bonahoom, Steve Hassenplug, Brian Davis, and John Brost. Go to www.brickworld.us for more information on this exciting event that's suitable for LEGO fans of all ages!This week from June 21st - 24th, LEGO enthusiasts of all ages will gather from across the states in Wheeling, IL (just 30 minutes northwest of downtown Chicago) to showcase their LEGO creations. Members of the MINDSTORMS Team and the MINDSTORMS Developer Program will be on hand to demonstrate LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT robots! Join them to play with the NXT and answer questions about everthing MINDSTORMS. Visitors to Brickworld can also see collaboraive LEGO displays like The Great Ball Contraption (which uses MINDSTORMS NXT and RCX kits), as well as collaborat[...]

1st (FIRST) NXTLOG Building Challenge Winners!

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 08:00:00 GMT

The 1st (FIRST) NXTLOG Building Challenge was not easy and there were many outstanding and creative entries. Some followed the FIRST LEGO League Nano Quest Missions exactly while others created missions of their own. You can view and comment on all entries by visting NXTLOG and entering the tag "NXT200705." Here are the winners: CHAMPION'S AWARD In the true spirit of FLL, there is a Champion's Award for the one robot submission that best meets the requirements of all the categories. This award goes to: Nanobot: An Entry In NXTLog Nanoquest Created by: Newsboy912505 Newsboy912505 created Nanoquest two missions and mission models based off the world of Nanotechnology: "Alpha Decay," and "Magnetism Trouble." The robot design and performance were carefully and clearly documented in NXTLOG, and the mission models were creatively designed using LEGO bricks and LEGO X-Pods. Way to go Newsboy912505 you are a true NXT Champion! (Newsboy912505's has 31 projects on NXTLOG.) ROBOT DESIGN AWARD BSomerville's FLL robot! Created by: BSomerville BSomerville invented an FLL robot that could complete the "pizza" challenge (a challenge that is one of the original NanoQuest missions, but one that BSomerville recreated). "My main goal wasn't to make a robot that could complete tons of missions, but to make a tough, sturdy design that could complete one mission." And we[...]

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