ROBOTMAK3RS Blog

In Brian's own words . Awesome stuff.

The Scholastic Store has provided a %20 Off coupon code for a new NXT Retail kit. I'm not sure how long the coupon will last, but if you need an NXT kit here's what you do: STEP 1) CLICK HERE to open the NXT product page. STEP 2) Add an NXT to your shopping cart and click "Checkout Now". STEP 3) On the "Order Review" page (last page of the checkout process), copy and paste this coupon code MOMSVIEW (All Caps!) into the box "Promotion Code" - then click the "Apply Promotion" button. STEP 4) You should now see the discounted price of $199.96 USD. The shipping costs are very reasonable. Enjoy! Chris

AlphaRex found a few MDP/MCP members at the Fana'Briques event in Rosheim, France...see the pictures and read about the visit here ! Chris

Here us a picture of what appears to be the recovered Payloads from the HALE mission . They all seem to be intact. FLL Team 90's payload is the third one from the left. It looks like the UV filter pinwheel ( an old CD case) had survived the trip. Although, I'm not sure what is dangling from the corner of the box. The pinwheel may have caught some of the balloon shreds on the way down. The kids produced a nice little document of the FLL Team 90 Payload internals here . I am confident that the team will learn something about Earth science and Global Warming through this program. We are treating our participation as a FIRST LEGO League research project for the upcoming season’s challenge , so I expect that the team has learned how to seek out the advice of experts in the field, came up with their own solutions through experimentation, document their work and had lots of fun in the process. Thanks to Eric Wang, Brian Davis, Dave Parker, and others for taking the time to an

Coolest NXT Datalogging Project. Ever. Read his interview here .

I have been trying out Microsoft Robotics Studio ever since version 1.0. Despite the shortcomings of the product (compared to NXT-G), I like what Microsoft is trying to do in the robotics industry - i.e. create one 3-tier interface that is standardised and can be used to work with most of the robot vendors - including iRobot and LEGO MINDSTORMS. Up to now, the biggest draw back in using MS Robotic Studio for me has been the lack of on-board support for the NXT. This means that if you want to give your NXT robot autonomy, you need to embed a Windows Mobile device (or a laptop) in the robot to control the NXT (via Bluetooth). However, it did not stop me from spending a lot of time and effort over the last 12 months learning to use it. So when Microsoft announced the new CTP (Customer Technical Preview) version this week, I decided to try it out. So far it seems to be pretty good. The new version will be called 'Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio 2008'. So they have moved away f

8:16 AM EDT, 5:16 AM PDT: Today is the launch day, and it looks like the team has gotten things started (it's 8:07 AM here, but 5:07 AM at the launch site). Unfortunately it looks the public view page for the SPOT units isn't working at the moment, but I'll try to keep you in the loop via edits to this blog post, and the ham radio links at KD7UCE-11 and KE7BQV-11 should be up soon. The launch site sits at roughly 4,700', and the team camped at it last night - the first SPOT tracking data of the morning just came on-line about 5:07 local time at the launch site, so things are starting to happen. 9:52 EDT, 6:52 PDT: LAUNCH! Balloon #2, carrying an SLR camera payload, FLL Team 90's payload, the LEGO Mindstorms Team's payload, Gypsy, Lil' Joe, and the "NXT" communications payload just launched from the Nevada desert! Everything looks good at launch, although conditions have gotten slightly windier... but it's going up! Next launch in perhaps 30

While Lil’ Joe sports a fairly simple program, Gypsy ended up as one of the more complex programs I’ve written in NXT-G. The program (still named “Nadar”) really needed to handle several different tasks at once. Primarily a photographic platform, it had to be able to operate the camera in both still & video modes, and take interesting pictures while controlling the platform. As a secondary goal, it needed to datalog the numerous environmental sensors hooked up, as well as “engineering data” (like battery voltage, platform angle, motor noise, etc.). On top of this, it needed to monitor and control the payload temperature, critical to keeping the payload alive. And to complicate all of this, the program needed to be as small as possible, leaving as much memory as possible for datalogging. In order to handle the photographic challenge, the program uses the same approach as the original Nadar: following a script . It reads a series of timed commands from a text file (think of it as a “

There's been some new information posted at the HALE website that I thought might make for a fun heads-up on the mission. First, the payload allocations for the two balloons has been put up. Each balloon will be carrying a ham radio that will transmit GPS information down, as well as a SPOT transmitter that will be doing the same thing. The first balloon will carry: LUXPAK, Brix-Catcher, Peeps-in-Space, a separate student payload (no name), the "Energizer" communications payload Reel-E, & a video camera payload (a.k.a National Instruments) designed to "look up" through the mission to try to get video of the dynamics at cut down (OK... what it looks like to have your balloon pop 100,000' above the ground). The second balloon will lift several more payloads: a SLR camera payload that has flown before, FLL Team 90, the LEGO Mindstorms Teams submission, Gypsy, Lil' Joe, & a "Giant NXT" communications payload. The communication payloads are

When we ordered our first NXT set two years ago, we noticed that the kit was missing four parts. We called LEGO and they quickly shipped us the new parts. Now, if you have a missing part or two in your new kit, you can order them online--a more convenient option for most of us. Last year, we lost one of the instruction manuals for our NXT set. Previously, replacing the missing manual would have involved calling LEGO and waiting for the manual to arrive in the mail. Now, you can just download replacement manuals from LEGO's web site, including the NXT's main manual and the "quickstart" manual for the tribot. The link to LEGO's new customer service site is here .

It's hard to believe, but next month most teams are going to start receiving their FLL robot kits plus the mission mat and models... and then Sept 5 will see the release of the rules for the new season and its theme, Climate Connection. I hope all of you are excited and ready to get going! Jonathan and I want to wish all of you luck in the upcoming season, and we hope you enjoy every minute of the experience. As always, we love to hear from our readers about their FLL teams, so feel free to share pictures, comments, etc. Just like last year, we'll be offering a breakdown of each new mission with plenty of discussion in future blog posts - keep your eyes open for them. Now, as for our new book, FIRST LEGO League: The Unofficial Guide, I have been receiving your email questions about it and wanted to post replies in one post rather than individually, so please check out the Q&A below. (I've edited some questions for length...) 1. When will the book be released? - A

Following on from yesterday's piece about linear motion in robots..... Today we will continue with a third and elegant way to achieve linear motion: Using the linear actuators. 1. What is a LEGO Linear actuator? Linear actuator (LA) is a brand new piece of hardware just released by LEGO, that is used to turn rotational motion of a motor into linear motion similar to a piston. It is just longer than an AA battery when it is not extended and it sort of looks like this: 2. How do I use it? Using a LA with a NXT kit is pretty intuitive. Just plug in an axle of a NXT motor (or a Power Function (PF) motor using the NXT adapter cable) to a LA. Write a simple program in NXT-G to drive the motor. I will post an example program in NXTLog ASAP. Programming does not need to be very precise as to the number of rotations - I did it long enough to do about 28 rotations to extend the LA fully - and it works fine. If you put too many rotations, the internal clutch handle it pretty well as you can

Christine wrote to tell us of a group of FLLers who built robots from the NXT Zoo Book for a local science fair. Below are pictures of the robots that the kids built, plus photos of their actual science fair display. The web site describing their project is here . Thanks, Christine!

Last week we learned how to do a self balancing robot - including an excellent follow on post from Kirk. This Saturday's series looks at ways of creating linear (straight) motion for your NXT robotics projects. This is part one of a two part introduction to Linear Motion. There are many uses for linear motion in a robot. In simplest form it could be flexing of a robot arm or controlling the bucket of a bulldozer. More complex examples might involve shifting gears in an automatic transmission or activating a trigger. We are going to look at three simple ways to create linear motion using a motor under NXT control: Linear motion Using Levers attached to a spinning motor: This is really simple and the most common way a linear motion is created. Implementing is very easy with parts available in a NXT kit. Here is a video of how this works: Creating your custom actuator: It is pretty straight forward to create a custom actuator like the one below - it can be made with components that

Guest post from Dan below: Thank you to everyone that has taken part in the recent contest to design and build a robot for an industrial application. The response to the contest exceeded my expectations, and for several weeks it was a challenge just to keep up with all the excellent questions from all the designers! I met with several members of my company to review the design submissions, and I wish you could have seen the reactions of the group as they watched the videos, reviewed the CAD designs, NXT programs, pictures, and all the material that we received. Most of the review panel was made up of seasoned engineers and industry veterans, and they were all completely impressed with the level of professionalism and ‘out of the box’ thinking that was displayed. Our company is very supportive of creative ideas and collaborative thinking, and this project definitely extended our pool of creative thinkers! We judged all the submissions on these criteria: Robustness: Will the

Recently, over on the NXTasy forums , Brian Davis posted a list of the many tips and tricks he has figured out over the years. Steve Hassenplug also took the time to publish the list onto his website Hope this helps to all the users of NXT-G out there... and thanks to Brian Davis and Steve Hassenplug! Richard

AlphaRex has visited Vienna, Austria...see the pictures and read about the trip here ! Chris

Reader basicxman sent me a message letting me know about some updates that have gone out (via email) to FTC teams. A portion of that notification is below (edited), including a Bill of Materials and a video examining the product. Check out the links below. Jim ----- Registration Is Now Open The 2008 FTC Season Registration is now open. How do you register, you ask? Well, let us take a moment to tell you! Go to our registration web site: http://www.usfirst.org/ community/fvc/content.aspx?id= 750 If you are a returning team, log in and select the team you would like to register. If you are a new team, follow the instructions to create a login. o A login and password will be emailed to you o Use login and password to access registration site o Create a new team Complete all the required fields **hint: required fields have an X next to them** When the required fields are completed, follow the "Program Fee" link to complete your registration **hint: the "

Here's a steerable blimp using an RCX. The maker wants his next version to use an autonomously-programmed NXT with a single mylar envelope that could theoretically fly for days. Here's the builder's full description: "Using an RCX, 3 Motors, the Infrared Remote, Large trash bags, and lots of helium, my son and I created a steerable blimp. Two of the motors controlled propellers (made from a LEGO propeller with larger blades made out of packaging plastic). The third motor controlled the tilt of the two propellers. Each propeller can be separately controlled. For example, to rotate the craft, one propeller would be driven forward and the other backward. Metal washers were used as ballast to try to achieve neutral buoyancy so the propellers could be used to raise or lower the craft as well as move about the room. Helium leaked out of the trash bags fairly quickly so the ballast had to be frequently adjusted. With one load of helium, we had about 2 hours of flight time (st

Gypsy is the second of my two payloads on the HALE mission , and while somewhat less risky, it’s far more complex. It’s based on an earlier prototype I built called “Nadar” , (named after the first person to do aerial photography). The idea was simple: I wanted to make a payload that would control an otherwise unmodified (no cutting & soldering) camera to take both pictures and video. That required not only a small camera, but one the NXT could be used to switch between modes on, from still to video & back again. I ended up with a Nikon COOLPIX L11, which uses a slider switch on the back to switch between modes. With some difficulty, I came up with a LEGO lead screw assembly that would reliably move the switch, and a second motor that could press both the power and the shutter button. That left the third motor to control where the camera was pointed. I played with the idea of a rotating mirror, but the mount for the mirror and the mirror itself represented a significant weight

Jonathan and I are looking forward to the release of our new book, "FIRST LEGO League: The Unofficial Guide" in August. This book is part of a series of books in the No Starch NXT Library and will join David Perdue's " The Unofficial LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Inventor's Guide ," Fay Rhodes' " The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Zoo! ," and The NXT Step contributors' " LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Idea Book ." In preparation for the release of the book, No Starch has a nice offer for you - order 4 or more No Starch titles (feel free to buy 4 copies of FLL UG if you like!), and you get a 40% discount on the order AND free ground shipping. Use Voucher Code 410281213 to get the free ground shipping. All 3 of the above books, plus the FLL Unofficial Guide can be in your library! UPDATE: The Discount Period ends Oct 1, 2008. If you know of some new teams, new FLL coaches, and/or new FLL students, please pass along this offer. FIRST LEGO League: the Unoffici

H.A.L.E is an event that will carry LEGO Mindstorms-based payloads into the Earth’s stratosphere. At that altitude H.A.L.E. will be above 99.9% of the atmosphere. They payloads will be exposed to extreme the cold and radiation of near space. The sky looks black and the curvature of the Earth is evident. The launch vehicle consists of an atmospheric weather balloon and a communication system to track the payloads. Once the balloon reaches approximately 30 km in altitude, it ruptures and the payloads return to the ground under parachute. Projected minimum altitude: 27 km (88,000 feet) Projected maximum altitude 33 km (108,000 feet) Video from a Prior Year's Mission The following video was captured at the moment of maximum altitude "balloon burst".

Building a self-balancing NXTway robot is not so hard, as shown in this tutorial. The completed NXTway robot will be able to move forward and turn (to avoid objects). For this tutorial, you will need: - HiTechnic gyro sensor - RobotC installed on your computer (you can download it here ). Step one: Build the robotic platform. You may use your own idea or use the instructions provided below. Here are some tips if you decide to build one yourself: - Wheel size is important. I first tried wheels that were too big and the robot just flopped on its face. Why? The program I used was design for wheels of a specific size, hence wheels that are too small would also not work. - Wheel spacing must be also considered if you want your robot to turn. If the wheels are further apart, then the robot needs more rotations to turn; if the wheels are closer together, then the robot needs fewer rotations to turn. - Orientation of the gyro sensor is also important; if it is incorrect, the robot will fail t

Our favorite Editor-in-Chief at WIRED magazine , Chris Anderson has some new stuff to share... a blimp this time! There's no NXT brick, but I'm assured there's Technic beams and gears in there... check it out here . And check out the rest of Chris' site... if you haven't seen his homebrew DIY UAV (powered by NXT) be sure to watch some of the videos and read his writeups here .

While I'm still working refining the payloads with the folks who will be launching the HALE mission , I thought I'd at least put up a few more facts and pictures about them here in the blog. Of my two payloads, Lil' Joe is perhaps the most ambitious... or riskiest. Looking somewhat like a blue loaf of bread with a tailfin, the goal is to replicate, in a very small (& cheap!) way, the famous leap of Col. Joseph Kittinger from over 100,000'. The NXT will try a much more modest goal: being released from roughly 80,000', it will free-fall for a short period of time (something like 20 seconds to a minute or more - the exact length of time is under discussion) before "reeling out" the tailfin, which then functions (I hope!) as a drogue 'chute to pull the main parachute out of the body. There will be no control from the ground, or even communication, with the payload during this process - either the NXT "does it on it's own", or the Nevada

Great little behind-the-scenes writeup and videos here . WARNING: Gizmodo's comments can sometimes include non-kid-friendly statements - I wish I could just share the video and commentary, but it appears to be embedded in their blog. Thanks to Steve at HiTechnic for the link. Jim

I just got back from a week-long vacation - while at the beach, I saw something that I wish I had investigated further... A small group in the water was playing with a small toy submarine that was in clear plastic - it appeared to be remotely controlled but it was unusual looking. I really think this item was not made in the USA as it had a distinctly Japanese look to it - not sure how to explain that but it just looked like similar toys from Japan that I've seen. Anyone seen this? Know where to find one? I've Googled and dug around, but no luck. It was housed in a clear plastic shell (maybe a slight bluish tint to it) and had an external prop for movement and (I think) some sort of piston/hydraulic that pulled in and expelled water from a tank. I think it would be awesome to have a similar shell built for the NXT... but I now many of us are hesitant to take our bricks anywhere near water. I'm kicking myself for not swimming over and looking... argh.

Well, the HALE mission is entering the final countdown phase. I mailed off my two payloads on Friday so that they would get there in time to be integrated into the "payload stack", and the launch date has been set for 29 July ... so it looks like all systems are go. I'll be posting more about my two payloads, Lil' Joe (named after Col. Joseph Kittinger) & Gypsy (named after a robot from MST3K) (pictured above), but I thought I'd give a run-down of the payloads as they now stand in case you haven't read them. It's a... very diverse, class of payloads. Eugene Tsai (Taiwan): payload will use filter papers to capture particles and/or chemicals in the air during the balloon ascent and/or descent periods. The LEGO Mindstorms NXT will used to provide a mechanism to switch filtering papers to capture the materials in the air and then keep the papers in a secured compartment. The filtering papers will be retrieves and analyzed what particles and chemicals exis

Bishop's book is an impressive tutorial for NXT-G, geared to the intermediate or advanced user. Bishop covers sensors, variables, loops and switches, with special sections on mathematics (Sines, Cosines, Square Root, Factorials) and the compass sensor. All of the blocks and MyBlocks covered in the book are included on a DVD that comes with the book. The DVD also includes a list of book illustrations that are cross-referenced with the programs on the disk. For example, illustration "13.14" in the book refers to the "Maze Runner" program found on the disk. This cross-referenced list makes it easy to find a particular program discussed in a particular portion of the book. Some programs covered by Bishop: 1) "Housefly" Program: A fast-falling shadow on the light sensor (like that of a fly swatter) causes the robot to quickly move, in order to escape the "swat". 2) "Maze Learner" Program: The robot "learns" each section of a ma