Lego Mindstorms NXT 2.0
When I was a kid the toys I enjoyed most were the construction toys, the ones where you could create just about anything you could imagine. I played with Construx, K'Nex, Lego and my favourite Lego Technic. As happens with most peope, those interests fade when you grow up. But then I learned about Lego Mindstorms and the child and software engineer in me came out and it got me interested again. So when I was on holiday last year, and visited a Lego store in a shopping mall I couldn't resist any longer and bought myself a Mindstorms NXT 2.0 set.
Lego Mindstorms allows you to build your own robots and machines, controlling them with motors and use sensors as input. The heart of the Mindstorms system is the programmable NXT brick. These components allow you to build anything you can imagine. The building process takes some getting used to though, Lego has changed a bit since I last played with it. Almost all of the Technic bricks are studless nowadays, which impacts the building paradigm. It took me a while until I was comfortable with the new blocks and building style, but now I think it's a huge improvement of the old Lego Technic.
My Creations
The first NXT "robot" I designed and built myself sorted the small Lego balls. Each of the four colours has it's own bin where the balls of that colour end up. The program for this project was written NXC, also a first for me.
My completed Lego sets
Other than creating my own Mindstorms machines I also own a few sets. Most of these I bought for the parts that they have, so I can use them in my own creations but I also enjoy building the sets themselves. Click on a set to get more information about it.
Container Truck (8052)
Lego Technic
I was interested in this set because of the linear actuator it contains. The set itself is was fun to build and the amount of functionality surprised me.
Aircraft (8434)
Lego Technic
I bought this, somewhat older set, second hand. The rotors can pivot and it has a working landing gear. The finished model looks simply stunning!
Skopio XV-1 (8996)
Lego Bionicle
This is a very beautiful, complex set. The spider-like robot can transform into a tracked vehicle. The track links were one of the reasons I bought this set.