Tag Archives: Robotic

Get caught in the grip of this biomechanical jellyfish

There’s something both unsettling and mesmerizing about this otherworldly LEGO jellyfish by Mitsuru Nakaido. It’s undeniably a machine, with its cool palette of light and dark bluish-gray, yet the tangled stalk of wirelike tentacles (woven from various cable, hose, and rope elements) gives it a smooth, organic feel. Is this creation the housing for some unknowable alien intelligence? Is it a relic of some advanced mysterious ancient civilization beneath the sea? Is it something else entirely? That’s up to you to decide.

LEGO Jellyfish mech_05

Surely this water flea just wants a hug

Mitsuru Nikaido has created this enlarged version of a Daphnia pulex which is a type of water flea. The odd-looking outstretched arms are actually antennae used by the creature to move through the water. Actuator parts form sections of the antennae providing the model with a mechanical aesthetic which is also emphasized by the use of wires and tubes across the build. There is also some great curvature at the stomach, with angled plates creating interesting segmented areas throughout the model. It’s hard to imagine that the real-life animal is tiny compared to this intrinsically detailed creation.

LEGO Mecha Daphnia pulex-06

LEGO and Amazon launch a Mindstorms voice-powered robotics challenge [News]

LEGO and Amazon are launching a new “Mindstorms Voice Challenge: Powered by Alexa” for developers and LEGO robotics fans with some serious prizes up for grabs. The challenge is to envision and create new ways that voice controls can work with LEGO.

More than $100,000 worth of prizes are available, with the grand prize winner receiving $20,000 in Amazon gift cards, tons of LEGO sets, and a trip to LEGO Headquarters in Denmark. You can get a $150 Amazon gift card just by entering.

Click to learn more about the LEGO and Amazon voice challenge and watch a video.

A bunny with a special talent [Video]

Just in time for Easter, our friend Jason Allemann and his partner Krystal (JK Brickworks) have brought us another marvelous, moving creation! Festive candy seems to be a common theme in their builds lately. This one is an adorable bunny with a unique talent of pooping out chocolate eggs! They have used the new Boost robotics system again, and the design is incredibly simple. It’s so simple that young people could probably build something similar. That’s not to say it isn’t uniquely cute and clever all wrapped into one perfect, pooping package!

Egg Pooping Bunny

Watch the video of Winston hopping around