BrickEngineer: LEGO Design

LEGO Engineering for LEGO NXT and Robot Enthusiasts

LEGO Mindstorms EV3: Hackable, Linux, Android and iOS!


LEGO Mindstorms, one of the best robotics kits, is about to get even better!

Earlier this month LEGO unveiled the new LEGO Mindstorms EV3 at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), in Las Vegas. As technology becomes more a part of us, LEGO Mindstorms is evolving to provide us greater connectivity to our creations.

Robot Snake

LEGO Mindstorms EV3 Robot Snake

Like its predecessors, LEGO Mindstorms EV3 will four motors and five sensors including a new infrared sensor that will enable the robot to track a remote control. The expanded brick employs an ARM 9 central processor that can access 64 MB of RAM and 16 MB of Flash. This results in more room for stored programs. The brick also comes equipped with an SD-slot that allows one to expand the memory further. With a new secure Bluetooth chip, the LEGO brick can now connect to the Android and iOS operating systems so that one can use a smart phone, an iPhone or an iPad to control the robot! There will also be a USB port that will allow connectivity via WiFi. This increase in connectivity will open up a world of new possibilities.

Hackers will be happy to hear that the operating system is a version of Linux for which LEGO will release detailed documentation as well as an SDK.

LEGO will release the Mindstorms EV3 to the public this summer.

Build Your Own LEGO Mars Science Laboratory Rover (MOC-0271)

Stephen Pakbaz, a mechanical engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) who actually worked on the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), also known as NASA’s Curiosity Rover has built a small LEGO model for others to build and enjoy!

Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity Rover LEGO Model

Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity Rover LEGO Model

This model features an offset differential suspension system that works so well on Mars, and this video on Flickr shows that it works well during play as well!

This model comes with free pdf instructions (download here) and a LEGO Digital Designer Model (download here).

More information can be found at LEGOCuusoo.com and Rebrickable.com

One can also build the descent stage and sky crane pictured below!

LEGO Mars Curiosity Rover Descent Stage and Sky Crane

LEGO Mars Curiosity Rover Descent Stage and Sky Crane

Content Protected Using Blog Protector By: PcDrome.