| Website of the
Week Archive |
:: December 14th -
December 20th ::
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This week we feature an odd innovation in
rover technology.
We love it when NASA thinks
out of the box. Check out...
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:: November 23rd -
November 29th ::
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This is what I get when I put Thanksgiving +robots into
google...
...Don't ask me why I did it. Slow
news week? Maybe it's that early morning brain fog I have
before my first cup of coffee? I felt it too weird to pass up
making the site of the week. So before I come to my senses and
change my mind go checkout...
Be Festive and Happy
Holidays!
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:: November 16th -
November 22nd ::
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There's a new magazine in town just for us
mechanically fixated
types.
Checkout...
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:: November 9th -
November 15th ::
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We have a great resource this week for those
of you that sometimes want to build something but just aren't
sure how to get started.
From the
site:
“Build-It-Blocks is a library of
reusable,functional building blocks and construction
tips.
— Build complex, engaging projects quickly.
—
Edit and perfect your solutions easily.
— Make your
inventions reliable.
Build-It-Yourself is collaborating
with the MIT Media Lab to design and develop
Build-It-Blocks.”
There's lots of great food
for though in here, many of which use LEGO! Go get
inspired...
Some
of our favorites:
- Open Close
- WSquirt Gun
- Program Flow Chart
- RCX Computer Control
- Sling Shot
- Clock LEGO
- Sidewinder Gear
Train
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:: October 19th - October
25th ::
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A humanoid LEGO robot project tops the list
this week.
"Feelix is a humanoid robot built
out of LEGO. Controlled by two Mindstorms™ RCX'es, it reacts
to tactile stimulation by changing its facial expression. It
is capable of displaying anger, sadness, happiness, fear, and
surprise. It was built and programmed by Dolores Cañamero and
Jakob Fredslund from Lego Lab at Aarhus University in Denmark."
Meet...
More projects
from the LEGO LAB at the University of Aarhus:
-
The Jungle Cube
- A Steel Plant Production Line
- Small Car, Big Sound
- Inner Space
Robots
|
:: September 8th -
September 20th ::
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Turn imagination into reality with a future
in engineering.
"You'll have the power to make
a difference! By becoming an engineer, you can help solve
problems that are important to society. You could be
controlling and preventing pollution, developing new
medicines, creating advanced technologies, even exploring new
worlds..."
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:: September 7th -
September 13th ::
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Do you have a hankering to build something but don't know
what to build?
Maybe someone else's creation could be
an inspiration to you. Have a look into...
Looking for robot models in
specific? They're listed here:
- Mindstorms
- Robotics
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:: August 31st -
September 6th ::
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Always fashioned yourself a bit of a
mechanical genius?
Test your skills at LEGO's new
game...
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:: August 10th - August
17th ::
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This week's site is as pretty as it is
useful!
There are a lot of LEGO related web
sites out there but few are as weel put together as this one.
My hat's off to...
BrickVista
is being released in monthly installments. Check out last
month's issue:
- BrickVista July '03
Other
Mindstorm's related web periodicals:
- LEGO Mindstorms
Monthly
|
:: July 20th - July 26th
::
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Here's one from the MIT Fluid Dynamics
Lab.
In their pursuit of mimicing biological
movement on fluid surfaces the lab has
produced..well...a....
Check out
their other water bound creations:
- Robostrider
- 3-Link Swimmer
Read the CNN article
for more information:
- 'Robosnail' reveals the wonders of
goo
|
:: June 22nd - June 28th
::
 |
Look at what their cooking up in the
UK.
Check out this very informative group of
"techlabs" on the BBC website. It's all under...
The Techlab modules cover
everything from plastic injection molding to basic electric
theory.
If you are interested in getting parts
for the robots in the techlabs, and don't live in the UK, you
can try the Robot Store.
- http://www.robotstore.com/
|
:: June 15th - June 21st
::
 |
It's vacation time and now that you have a
little time on your hands you might be interested in
this.
Check out...
This computer
game is an "intelligent robot simulation" that allows you to
program your virtual robot to compete in a series of
challenges ranging from a simple race to an all out battle.
Download the demo:
- Mindrover Demo (Windows
ONLY)
There is even an RCX Add-on Pack that
lets you control your LEGO Robots with the Mindrover
programming environment.
- MindRover RCX Add-on
Pack
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:: June 1st - June 7th
::
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Ready to move beyond Robolab or RIS
programming?
Give "C" a try...
or rather David Baum's Not Quite
C.
With practical
applications that extend far beyond the discipline or robotics
"C" is a worthy language to learn.
Using an IDE
(Integrated Development Environment) will help create a more
intuitive programming experience. I suggest using
Bricx Command Center (BricxCC)
For
other IDE's including one for the Mac look here:
-
IDEs
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:: May 26th - May 31st
::
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This week's site is a showcase of another
master builder...
Philo is not only
innovative, he is educational. Most of his projects include
example code and CAD files.
Wrap your brain around...
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:: May 11th - May 25th
::
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This weeks feature is a piece of software
that will keep you occupied for hours. This is what the author
says about it...
"It's a skeletal animation workshop, with realistic
physics.
It's like a virtual Erector set.
It's sort of
like a box of Lego widgets.
It could be a really cheesy CAD
program.
Mostly, it's something fun to play with.
You
can use it to create robots that walk.
(if they fall down,
you can call them kinetic
sculptures.)"
It's all that and
it's...
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:: May 4th - May 10th
::
|
Here's a fun one...
Program
your robot to complete the course, sound familar? Take a shot
at...
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:: April 27th - May 3rd
::
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This week marks the beginning of the 1st Robocup American Open.
Their goal:
"By the year 2050,
develop a team of fully autonomous humanoid robots that can
win against the human world soccer champion team"...
Robocup consists of many
games and leagues with different styles of play. Check out
these other Robocup sites for all the
details.
- Games List
- RobotCup
- Robocup Jr.
|
:: April 20th - April
26th ::
|
At some point in your robot learning you may
wonder what's beyond LEGO.
There's no better
place to start than...
Parallax
makes a variety of easily programmable chips called basic
stamps. They also make a number of robot kits. Check out some
of these bots that use basic stamps. These robots come with
great educational instructions that teach just about
everything you need to know.
- The BOE Bot
- The Toddler - Biped Walking
Robot
- Mini-Sumo
Educators Parallax has
material for you too. Check out all the online resources for
teachers.
- Stamps in Class
For a preview of
their materials have a look here. Parallax is nice enough to
post their curriculum online in .pdf
format.
- Parallax Educational
Curriculum
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:: April 13th - April
19th ::
|
Mario Ferrari has written one of the best
books on LEGO Mindstorms.
His thorough
knowledge of LEGO and creativity really come through in...
Here are some of
my favorites of his:
- Shrimp 2
- Golia II
- Tic-Tac-Toe
Player
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:: April 6th - April 12th
::
|
There's nothing like a good set of
instructions to help you learn new building
technique.
Rob Stehlik's site is full of
inspiration. Feast your eyes on...
Rob has some pretty
incredible robots. Be sure to have a look at
his:
- Window Walker
- Crevasse Crosser
- Articulated 4X4 robot
and
you're not going to believe
this...
- Photocopier!!
|
:: March 30th - April 5th
::
|
Presented by the KISS Institute of
Practical Robotics, this week marks the local crescendo to
this year's Botball tournament.
Starting
in February high school students have six weeks to get their
team together to play a rousing game of...
This is a completely
autonomous robot competition without human intervention. The
game is played by moving ping-pong balls into a "scoring
position". The robots are made from a combination of LEGO and
other electronic components, including a Handy
Board.
Botball
Videos:
- 2003 Game Summary Video
- Botball Video
Gallery
Want to know
more?
- Botball overview
Botball is
supported by NASA who has a really great robotics
site:
- NASA's
Robotics Education Project
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:: March 23rd - March
29th ::
|
Not exactly a robot, but certainly an
amazing piece of engineering..
Artist
Theo Jansen designs these wind powered creations to walk.
Feast your eyes on the...
Theo Jansen's
creations were featured in a Popular Science news
article:
- Beach Beasts
A few videos of his
creations in action can be viewed here:
- strandbeest
videos
|
:: March 16th - March
22nd ::
|
There's not much to say about this team's
project but WOW!.
Check out Kismet's LEGO
cousin...
Kismet was a recently
featured site:
- Kismet
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:: Jan. 19th - Jan. 25th
::
|
Have you heard of the Segway?
Have a look at this
LEGO knockoff...
Steve's
Legway
Check out the movies of the Legway
in action:
- Following a line
- Spinning in place
Steve's Legway
achieves it's sense of balance through some clever programming
and the use of some innovative Electro-Optical Proximity
Sensors (EOPD). You can find the EOPD's and other cool LEGO
sensors for sale at:
- HiTechnic LEGO RCX
Sensors
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:: Jan. 1st - Jan. 11th
::
|
They're mean, they're lean, and really
tiny
Feast your eyes on the latest craze in
fighting robots...
SozBots
Sometimes called
Antweight fighting robots, these little gladiators are
certainly a lot cheaper to build then their bigger cousins.
Check out these other great fighting robot
resources:
- RobotCombat.com
- IFI
Robotics
- Team
Delta
- Vantec
- Botparts.com
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