LEGO®

NXTLOG ROBOTIC ARM CHALLENGE WINNERS!

09/03/2010

The first NXTLOG challenge of the decade was to design the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT robotic arm of the future. Hundreds of NXTLOGgers took up the challenge. Entries included bionic arms equipped with gadgets and multi degress of freedom to suit a super hero, industrial robotic arms designed to sort a LEGO collection by color, and fun robotic arms to play games or take you for a ride. There were many oustanding robots entered in this challenge, but only a few can fill the award categories. Make sure to visit, comment, rate, and get inspired by all the entries by searching the tag "roboticarm."

Here are the winners:

THE BIONIC ARM AWARD
This award goes to the user who best replicates a bionic arm.

U.B.A. (Universal Bionic Arm)
Created by: jayko543

It doesn't matter if your left or right handed, the U.B.A. (Universal Bionic Arm) is designed to work on either arm. The U.B.A can pick up objects as thin as paper or as wide as a bottle, and its easy to operate. Pressing one touch sensor operates the claws, and pressing both rotates the wrist. Wrap this arm up in a stylish and strong LEGO TECHNIC casting, and you have a good-looking form and an effieient function!

DEGREES OF FREEDOM AWARD
This award goes to robotic arm with the most complex movements.

mdof-arm
Created by: panagiotisls

The mdof-arm is the monster truck of industrial arm bots. It's equipped with an assortment of motors, pneumatics, sensors, and over 600 LEGO elements. It has six DoF (Degress of Freedom), the coolest of which is the claw's finger movements. It's operated by a MINDSTORMS NXT remote system, and panagiotisls has posted a great video of the mdof-arm in action.

INDUSTRIAL ROBOTIC ARM AWARD
This award will go to the robot that makes an industrial job more efficient.

Roboarm 11, the Industrial Arm
Created by: mindstormguy1

Roboarm 11 is designed to work at a block manufacturing plant. The robot arm moves blocks along an assembly line onto shelves. It's arm lowers to grab a block, raises it off the assembly line, places it on a shelf, then it moves with its tread base down the line to fetch the next block. This robot utilizes an NXT, an RCX, many motors, sensors, and pneumatics. It has five DoF (degrees of freedom). It can bend at its shoulder joint and at its elbow joint, it can open and close its hand, the arm can pivot about 180 degrees on its turntable, and it can drive back and forth on its giant treads. mindstormguy1 includes great photos, video, program, and great notes about the project on the NXTLOG.

JUST FOR FUN ROBOTIC ARM AWARD
We had to award two robots in this cateory because both were really fun!

Mr. Dice Guy
Created by: Tyler9289

Craps anyone? “Mr. Dice Guy” senses a dice cup when it’s placed in front of him, shakes it several times and dumps the dice onto the table. This is Tyler9289's first project on NXTLOG, and he includes great pictues, video, and program. Can Mr. Dice Guy help me with Yahtzee?

Knights' Tournament
Created by: CheshireCat150

If you have ever visted a LEGOLAND park, you can't miss the incredible Power Builder ride where you design you own ride beore you are attached to an industrial robotic arm and sent spinning and twisting. CheshireCat150's Knights' Tournament recreates this experience through a robotic arm that uses two motors to swing some minigfigs around. The video is hilarious as you are not sure if the minifigs survive the ride!