Mindstorms returns....

Comments

• Messiah Failed Experiment

  January 2006

  Whoa!
  
  Edit: Oh, and [URL=http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,69946-0.html]keep reading[/URL].
• Biggles <font color=#AAFFAA>The Man Without a Face</font>

  January 2006

  I'm happy with [url=http://www.killbots.net/gallery/robots]my robots[/url]. :)
• Messiah Failed Experiment

  January 2006

  [QUOTE]Until recently, companies were skittish about customer innovation, fearing that outsiders might leak trade secrets or that they simply lacked the necessary technical skills. But Lego has warmed to the power of the open source ethos. It's clear to the Lego execs that Mindstorms NXT would be a lesser product without the MUPers' input. Inviting customers to innovate isn't just about building better products. Opening the process engenders goodwill and creates a buzz among the zealots, a critical asset for products like Mindstorms that rely on word-of-mouth evangelism. In his book Democratizing Innovation, MIT professor Eric von Hippel says that "the joy and the learning associated with membership in creative communities" drives people to generously share their time. After his close encounter with four of the most passionate Mindstorms users, Lund wants every NXT customer to be able to have an effect on how Mindstorms is used and designed. His plans include a Lego-hosted Web site where brickheads can upload scripts for robot behaviors or peruse blogs detailing the building of a Mindstorms typewriter or pinball machine.[/QUOTE]
  
  Biggles: I know the robotics students in Gothenburg use Lego bits for some of their projects. Do you do that too?
• Biggles <font color=#AAFFAA>The Man Without a Face</font>

  January 2006

  We use it in the undergrad mechanical programme in year 2 to teach basic systems control, and sometimes the mechatronics students use it in later years in projects. In the computer systems programme in year 3 the students do some robot programming, but that's done on our own Shuriken robots, because they're learning microcontroller programming, not robotics. We don't use it at all at the postgrad level as we have the far more advanced research robots available.
  
  It's worth noting that many programmes that use the Lego Mindstorms stuff only use the hardware. The programming is often done with LabView, as it's more advanced, powerful, and not dumbed down the way the standard Lego Mindstorms software is (by necessity).
• Messiah Failed Experiment

  January 2006

  Ok, cool.
  
  I would have given anything to study what you are doing, once.. :)