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From:
Elkhart, Indiana, USA
What I do besides building with MINDSTORMS:
Stay-at-home parent and physics professor teaching physics, astronomy, & biophysics.
Why I signed up for the MDP:
I love the amazing opportunities the RCX has afforded me, and what to see the NXT pushed hard towards the edges of the envelope. I was very fortunate to be tapped into the MUP (MINDSTORMS Users Panel) "episode 2" expansion just prior to the MDP, & dedicated my time to that to push the NXT as far forward as possible before the release, and to develop the tips and tricks to provide to the community after launch.
As a member of the MDP, I want to push the stock firmware hard, to see where we can really go with it, and also provide a launching point for 3rd party firmware. Most people will at least start out with the LEGO-supplied environment, so knowing its strengths & limits is important for the community as a whole (and me personally). I like solving “impossible” problems (telling me something can’t be done is a *wonderful* way to get me to hammer away at the problem), especially in a limited environment.
As to learning from the experience, there are at least three things: How to build studless, how to fully utilize the NXT, and finally how to grow the community with the LEGO group. The MDP will be a seed that the nxt generation of MINDSTORMS users to grow around.
Experience with MINDSTORMS:
5 years ago I taught a FLL type group (of 4 to 12 year olds) at my son’s school. I also started entering contests, and launched up the MINDSTORMS learning curve when I discovered LUGNET. Since then I have entered competitive contests like line following, maze running, and sumo (as well as others), and I’ve helped initate cooperative efforts like the Great Ball Contraption. I focus on solving detailed problems with robust solutions, (like improving IR ranging with the RCX), usually within the confines of the LEGO standard firmware. I’ve either coordinated or helped coordinate a number of LEGO events, and look forward to doing it in the future.
NXT Project: DAZLR 
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DAZLR Loaded
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Easy Loading
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The DAZLR
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Head Detail
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Bottom Detail
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Side Detail
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DAZLR Program with comments!
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About this NXT Project:
This is a robot that can rapid-fire the Zamor spheres at better than 4 every second! Another member of the MDP (Jutta Rossmaier) came up with the idea of using a NXT robot to launch the Zamor spheres from the new Bionicle Piraka sets. I developed this further, using one motor to drive two side-by-side launchers, fed by a tray that holds about 40-50 spheres.
With the ultrasonic sensor in front, DAZLR (short for “Dual Action Zamor Launching Robot”) can spin in place until a target is detected. It then fires a couple of spheres to try to “scare it off”, and if that doesn’t work, watch out! DAZLR will rush forward while firing spheres at 4 every second to try to eliminate the target. The result is a devastating stream of flying Zamor spheres that can cut through loosely stacked bricks like butter. With the target removed, DAZLR backs up to its home position, and continues looking around for new targets. But it does have one weakness – if you can hit a hidden bumper under the front of the robot, DAZLR will yell out “ouch!”. The NXT flips back for easy loading of the tray with more spheres to continue the fun.
Watch the DAZLR in action
NXT Project: JennToo 
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JennToo
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Side View
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Frame
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Bottom View
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JennToo Parts
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About this NXT Project:
JennToo
is a simple two-wheeled robot (I named my NXT “Jennifer” and this was my 2nd attempt, which is how I came up with the name. Also, it looks a little like a penguin to me ;-).
I wanted as simple a robot as I could and still mount sensors on it. With a downward-facing light sensor to follow lines or look for colors on the floor, and an ultrasonic sensor on the front to watch out for walls or other objects, JennToo
does a good job of navigating around a room. I could also add the touch sensor up front as a bumper, and the sound sensor along the side to “listen” for loud noises.
As a 1st program, I taught JennToo
to “nest”: she will look around to see how large a clear space she is in, and then jealously guard this space, pushing out any objects that come within range. She even displays personalities while doing this, showing angry eyes when she is rushing an invader.
Watch the JennToo "Nesting"
NXT Project: Horus
About this NXT Project:
This is a NXT car, with the rear wheels driven by one motor and a 2nd motor steering the whole head left or right. In front the third motor powers claws that are positioned just right to grab the red or blue balls from the NXT set. On the back is a sensitive touch-sensor based bumper, and the light sensor faces down to follow lines. One of the neatest things about this is how it uses the motors; with the NXT and wires removed, it’s easy to see that the only thing holding the front end on is the steering motor itself. Instead of the motors being added after, here the motor provides one of the main structural elements of the robot.
NXT Project: BTRC (BlueTooth Remote Control) 
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BTRC program with comments
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About this NXT Project:
This isn’t a mobile robot, but instead a remote control made out of a NXT kit. Since the NXT can communicate to other NXTs via Bluetooth, moving a paddle on the BTRC (“BlueTooth Remote Control”) can send a signal to another robot, telling it to drive a motor forward or backward for instance. I’ve used it to remote control JennToo
and DAZLR (where the orange button on the remote fires the spheres), as well as other peoples NXT-based robots. Even better, this isn’t just a simple remote; the robot can send information back to the remote control for display on the LCD screen, or the control paddles (which are hooked to motors) can be used like the “force feedback” controls on some gaming controllers.
My Links
My Brickshelf Gallery
The NXT Step Blog (Contributor)
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