Tag Archives: Robots

A robot that’s a few bricks short of a load

The word “LEGO” tends to inspire thoughts of the traditional bricks that have been a staple of playtime for generations. But this spindly bubble-bot by Djokson is here to remind us of just how far the LEGO system has come. With nary a traditional brick to be found, this collection of gears and tubes is assembled into a robot that’s teaming with personality while being short on traditional studs.

Bubbleboy

The perfect place to go when your battery’s running low

Everyone needs to recharge every now and again; especially robots. And builder Rubblemaker has just the thing for a drowsy droid. This marvelous robot req. room comes equipped with plenty of charging devices and even a serving of a delicious Blue Alcobot to take the edge off. And you can’t beat that view!

Robot Rec Room

Hook a brother up, will ya?

This LEGO creation by Duncan Lindbo imagines a world in which man and machine work together as one. Our Minifigure driver in the cockpit there spends the day moving heavy steel beams with the help of his mech. Sometimes such strenious activity can work up a mighty thirst (for the human, not the mech) and that’s why it’s nice that this powerful robot arm is gentle enough to grasp the fellah’s boba tea and hand it to him. I’m sure the bot asks for nothing in return except a little gratitude from time to time. I just love it for its striking blue color scheme!

Oobaru side

Clean-up in apartment 2A, please

Housework is a real bore. It’s so easy to procrastinate over it. It’s why I’m here writing articles about LEGO on the internet. What I really need is a robot that can do my cleaning. Not a Roomba – I’m picturing something more like Duncan Lindbo‘s clean-up bot here. Sure, it’s more designed for toxic spills than doing the dishes, but look! It’s got a vacuum cleaner in one arm, and a net for… Hmm. What is the net for? Laundry? Actually, if the videos I see on the internet are anything to go by, some animals get really spooked by robot vacuum cleaners, so is it to catch unruly pets? That doesn’t sound very safe. And I might need to widen the doorway a tad to get it into my apartment. You know what, perhaps I don’t need a house-cleaning tachikoma. Not yet. Probably.

Rana hazardous environment cleanup unit

Avert your eyes, purists! Illegal Robot is here!

It’s not the biggest or most elaborate LEGO creation we’ve ever showcased here on The Brothers Brick but I was excited to write about it nonetheless. This little offering by Josephine Monterosso is called Illegal Robot and apparently, that was enough to pique my interest and get this wee bot onto my to-write list ASAP. She goes on to explain that this was built from modified parts and illegal connections. The shoulders and upper arms are cut ends from a chain and the hands are held in place via cut stickers wrapped around the pegs. The purists would not like this; the last time we upset them we got a record number of complaints from folks with AOL email addresses. I’m chuckling inside, Josephine. Thanks for being a total rebel!

Illegal Robot

A family gathering

OK, so the builder of this awesome LEGO robot family, Bartosz Sasiński, didn’t actually imply they’re a family, just that they’re a team. But especially with the little four-legged dog bot, I prefer to think of this as a cute family of exploration drones, and they’re magnificently sculpted with a clean aesthetic that Bartoz has carried through to the display base, which is perfectly minimalist.

M-5

Puny meat sacks are no match for this menacing machine

I’ve been watching game footage from Atomic Heart, a shooter set in an alternate timeline where robots designed to be faithful servants of man go on a murdering rampage. This robot by Pohaturon would fit right into that world. Long gangly legs look more than capable of running down any meat sacks on foot or in their pitiful vehicles, and that radar dish can probably detect meat sacks wherever they cower in fear.

Pumi

Video killed the... Humans?

At first glance, I thought this LEGO TV mecha by Sebastien Racicot looked rather charming. Bright colours on the screen, big expressive eyes, and generally a neat idea for a robot-mecha-thing. But that was before I noticed the wasteland that it’s walking around in. And the ominous caption, which simply reads “LEGO robot TV domination”. Suddenly those big red eyes and grabbing claws look a lot more menacing. It makes you wonder if he might have listened to the Buggles one time too many, and killed a little more than the radio star. Although I’ve just remembered a ‘minifigure’ called Tee-Vee from the Alpha Team sets, so maybe this is just that character’s bigger sibling looking for him? Yeah, let’s go with that. That sounds much less scary!

LEGO robot TV2003

Scolia the Venomous

This LEGO creation by Ivan Martynov is not for the faint of heart. Or at least not for people who are afraid of wasps and mosquitos. This little critter looks like it is not only equipped to defend itself against harmful villains. It looks like it was built to act out Order 66. It looks like a mean killing machine that won’t be taking prisoners. I can already see lots of people defending themselves with menu cards, rolled-up newspapers or a fly swatter. These beasts roam the tourist hotspots like zoos, playgrounds, ice cream parlours, and let’s not forget public parks. To top it off, they appear to be venomous and vigilante.

Scolia

These monochrome robots are monumental

When I think about unique LEGO creations, I usually picture them in vibrant colors, considering just how many colors LEGO elements come in these days. But like fine art and photography, sometimes using a more limited palette, or choosing to go black and white can introduce interesting design constraints. Builder Mitsuru Nikaido is known for creating stunning mechanical models of animals from around the world, both past and present. but with this recent series, they are taking their LEGO creations into the future.

Object-10_13

These two robot companions are full of interesting details like the two different sizes of ski sleds used for the feet, and the revolver used for the digits of the tall skinny fellow. But I think my favorite detail is the top half of the light gray turntable used for the shoulders, hips, and knees. There is another great robot in the series, which looks like it could be the next model from Boston Dynamics, but is surprisingly less creepy.

Object-12_1

A cute and/or lovable droid

Whatever you think of Star Wars content of late, you have to admit they’ve been crushing it in the ‘lovable droids’ department. SPARKART! has given us a digital creation featuring the latest addition to this roster: B2EMO, from the on-going Andor show. Cassian clearly has a thing for sassy robot companions, although B2 here is a little politer than K-2SO was in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. This model is apparently capable of “squishing” to replicate B2’s hunker-down-and-hide mode, which is a cool detail. Overall it’s also a good imitation of the droid’s run-down, patchy appearance. I’m sure this won’t be the last time we see this lovable robot in LEGO form!

"That's two lies."

Hey, don’t shoot the messenger, really... just don’t

Bionicle and Hero Factory parts may seem to have limited uses to some, but they have great potential. For example, R 194 uses one for the main torso part on this mysterious and potentially deadly messenger who looks like they don’t take kindly to returns. The long fins on the arms look like they might transform into wings and fly your immortal soul to places unknown, while the slender legs and relaxed arms lend the figure with unexpected grace.

Messenger