LEGO.com MINDSTORMS Meet the MDP's Dave Astolfo

Dave Astolfo
From:
Canada

What I do besides building with MINDSTORMS:
I am a Project Manager / Business Analyst working for the technical arm of an environmental consulting company. My role has me doing everything from managing projects to architecting software.

I also have a background in developing web-based applications as well as website design. My hobbies include LEGO (of course!) - specifically TECHNIC and MINDSTORMS.

I love building mechanical things. I also enjoy mountain biking and practice Shotokan Karate. I am currently a First Degree Black Belt (Shodan) and working toward my Nidan. Ai-Ya!

Why I signed up for the MDP:
I have used LEGO TECHNIC products since the early 70's. I always had a knack for taking anything electronic apart and putting it back together. Usually, I stuck with things like remote control cars etc, so TECHNIC was a natural fit.

One of my first accomplishments with TECHNIC was in the mid 70's. I had built a front wheel drive steerable drive system using parts from 853 and other sets. Does not sound like much now, does it? Well, at the time, something like this was not available with TECHNIC sets. For me as a kid, it was a milestone...

Stepping forward many years... When the first MINDSTORMS set came out (1.0), I picked it up immediately. I had waited for something like this for years and have been building robots ever since. When word got out that LEGO was seeking input from fans, I felt that this would be my chance to help shape the product and its future. I wanted to bring my ideas to the table and help test the new features like Bluetooth and the new functionality such as the built-in rotation sensors on the motors.

Experience with MINDSTORMS:
I have been playing with MINDSTORMS since it first came out. I have a number of RIS sets including 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and most of the expansion sets. My primary interest is in building autonomous robots that do neat and different things.

I usually try to find a challenge that is off the beaten path - to do something different. I did this with the RIS 2.0 set a few years back when I developed DominoBot (see web links below for details). DominoBot places domino's along a path and then can knock them down starting the chain reaction. DominoBot originated when I was asked to be a co-author for the book "10 Cool LEGO MINDSTORMS: Ultimate Builders Projects". This also became the challenge that I would seek next with the NXT set. DominoBot needed to place domino's at specific distances from each other, using the built-in rotation sensors of the NXT motor's and the smarts of the new kit sounded like a perfect fit.

NXT Project: DominoBotNXT


Front View	Placing Domino

Delivery Mechanism	Side View

About this NXT Project:
DominoBotNXT is an evolution from my original DominoBot build using the RIS 2.0 and Ultimate Builder's sets. Its job is simple. Place domino's along a path at a distance where they can create a chain reaction when knocked down. Sounds simple? Think about how difficult it can be placing domino's and not knocking down the others. DominoBotNXT does this using a combination of motors, drive pulleys and elastic bands to deliver each domino.

The key to accuracy is using the motor's built-in rotation sensors. The basic logic is as follows; drive forward and count the rotations (in degrees) of the motor. When a domino comes out of the hopper it falls to be placed and is detected by a light sensor. This triggers DominoBotNXT to stop and store the total rotations fwd. To place the domino close to previously placed ones, it backs up the rotation amount less approx 70 degrees. This ensures that each domino is placed close enough to the previous one without knocking it over. It is necessary to use the motors rotation sensors to record distance moved forward because the domino placement mechanism is not perfect. Due to differing ambient light conditions, the light sensor will trigger at different times when it "sees" a new domino coming down the hopper to be placed.

My Links
For more information on DominoBotNXT and other MINDSTORMS robots, visit:

My Website

Watch the DominoBot in action