Twisting Steel with LEGO Motors

LEGO bricks are some of the most awesome things on earth. They’re incredibly versatile for building all kinds of structures, and you can make some pretty impressive machines with them when you combine them with Technic and Mindstorms parts. I’ve always assumed that LEGO motors and gears aren’t particularly strong, but it turns out with the proper engineering, you can use them to bend and twist steel.

Brick Experiment Channel loves to create LEGO machines that show off their strength. He recently built a rig that uses a pair of LEGO Power Functions XL motors along with a number of gears to reduce their speed and increase their torque output. The result is a machine that that outputs 15 Newton meters (~11 lb-ft.) of torque, and is capable of taking a stainless steel axle and twisting it like a drill bit (or a Twizzler).

The builder’s ultimate goal was to see if he could actually break the steel rod before the LEGO parts would fail. By twisting the metal back and forth numerous times, he was ultimately able to introduce enough metal fatigue to to make the axle crack. It’s pretty amazing that this is possible, and looks like a fun science experiment for LEGO fans to try and replicate at home.

This LEGO Technic Farm Machines Rake Hay

Who says farming has to be boring? The Brick Wall built this cool piece of LEGO Technic farm equipment, adding it to his already impressive collection of machines. He actually created two hay rakes. One is a modern-day farm implement, and one is inspired by the rakes of yesteryear. Both are completely functional, so they can actually collect your cut grass for you if you need a robot for such things.


It looks like both machines are driven by a standard LEGO Technic Claas Xerion 5000 tractor. The modern machine looks really cool, with a V-shaped rig and eight spinning rake wheels.

It seems like it does a good enough job collecting grass, but the old style version seems to do a more thorough job with its big grass catcher design. So, see, newer isn’t always better.

Both are very impressive builds and I wouldn’t mind having either in my yard to make my job easier. I continue to be blown away by what talented people can build with LEGO. One day we may all have LEGO robots doing our yard work for us. At least until the odd one blows up here and there and then we are all stepping on LEGO bricks hidden in the grass. That’s when it will end because, at that point, your lawn just becomes a minefield to anyone with bare feet.

[via designboom via Mike Shouts]

This LEGO Machine Uses Gyroscopic Physics to Steer

We’ve seen some pretty cool mechanical LEGO creations over the years. Here’s another one worth checking out. I was recently turned onto the work of LEGO expert builder Yoshihito Isogawa by the fine folks over at The Kid Should See This. Isogawa makes all kinds of cool builds using LEGO, Technic and Mindstorms components, including this strange looking contraption.

What you’re looking at here is a hanging construction that can be maneuvered thanks to the wonders of gyroscopic motion. Basically, the machine uses a pair of motors, and gear mechanisms to allow the green spinning gear in the middle to rotate on multiple axes. As the gear spins rapidly in a circle, moving it along another axis causes the entire thing to steer.

Isogawa was inspired by a real-world device called a “Sky Juster,” a crane which is used to move loads to the top of skyscrapers to help fight against wind currents and keep loads stable. It’s a really cool idea, and unlike any other LEGO build I’ve seen before. Definitely check out the video if you have a couple of minutes to spare.

LEGO RC 1:34 King Tiger Tank: Brickskrieg

LEGO Technic master Sariel built this 9″ tall and 5″ wide remote-controlled scale model of the World War II German tank Tiger II aka King Tiger. It’s propelled by two Power Functions motors, and its turret and cannon are moveable as well.

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Sariel said he challenged himself to build the smallest, fully-remote controlled and detailed model of the famous tank. He says he’s not 100% satisfied with his result, partly because he had to make some parts inaccurate to keep the tank sturdy and make room for its electronics.

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Still, Sariel says that this is his most accurate tiny motorized tank yet, and it’s fun to play with to boot.

Peer Kreuger’s Metal Grudge is still my favorite LEGO tank, but this one gets bonus points for being hamster-friendly. Head to Sariel’s website for more details on the tank and his other toys.

[via Popular Mechanics]

DIY LEGO Mindstorms Toy 3D Printer: Novice Builder

If you build it, he will come – and then build a LEGO version of it. So goes the quote from the classic non-existent drama Brick of Dreams. Today that “he” is Instructables member W1ll14m. The alphanumeric boy wonder recently shared his progress on a 3D printer made of LEGO Technic and Mindstorms EV3 pieces.

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Even if he’s already on his second version of his MOC, W1ll14m knows that it isn’t a practical 3D printer. It uses a glue gun and hot glue instead of an extruder and filament, and I’m pretty sure the Mindstorms EV3 program can’t process 3D files on its own. That said, W1ll14m wants to improve on his design. Besides, I’m sure he’s had a lot of fun making his own 3D printer.

Extrude to W1ll14m’s Instructables page to find out how he built the 3D printer.

[via 3D Print]

Build and Train Endless Toy Robots with Tinkerbots

TinkerBots (formerly known as Kinematics) let you make robots that are easy enough for a child to build. The pieces snap together easily, and you can make things much more complex than a robot dog too. Want to train the dog to walk? Just switch on the Tinketbot’s Power Brain’s recording mode and twist and turn the dog manually. Press play, and it repeats the motion you just programmed. How awesome is that?

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The Power Brain has a built-in gyroscope and accelerometer, speaker, Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity, and a rechargeable lithium-polymer battery.

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It’s Arduino compatible too, so you can build even more complex creations if you want. You can also program robot movements from your mobile device. Other active modules include motors, pivots, grabbers, and IR and light sensors. You can update any or all of them through the Power Brain when there’s new software available.

TinkerBots are even compatible with LEGO and Technic pieces with the proper adapter blocks in place. The cubes are roughly the size of 4 X 1 LEGO brick, cuboids roughly 4 x 2, and there are two different kinds of angled prism pieces.

This is going to be a great toy for your kids. And you of course. You can get yourself a basic set for $159(USD) on Indiegogo, with bigger sets ranging from $299 to $499.

LEGO Strandbeest: Walk Like a Crustacean

Despite the fact that I’m horribly allergic to shellfish, this LEGO creature that reminds me of some sort of crazy crab has still warmed its way into my heart.

lego strandbeest

The 12-legged little critter was created by Singapore LEGO fan Lee Ping Ng, based on the mechanisms that Theo Janssen created for his unbelievable walking strandbeests, using LEGO Technic parts. Though I have to say Lee’s walker is cuter – especially with those big bug eyes protruding from it’s head. Here, check it out in action:

See, isn’t it cute how he wanders about the tabletop? At least I don’t have to worry about going into anaphylactic shock by messing with this guy either.