Home products Community Funzone news Support whatisnxt The Google Science Fair – see how you can still make it – and hear how scientists can rock our world…

The following was copied from the news section of the Mindstorms website...

A few months back, we introduced the Google Science Fair in the news section here on www.legomindstorms.com. Read more: Join the global science fair! and 14-year old FIRST LEGO League programmer sets off the Google Science Fair!

The Google Science Fair invites young scientists from around the world to submit interesting, creative projects that are relevant to the world today. The contest is open to young people aged 13 to 18 who can sign up, working on their own or in a team of two or three.

Projects can be submitted in various categories like Earth & Environment, Energy & Space, Social and Behavioral Sciences and other scientific categories. Read and learn more about the competition here: The Google Science Fair Website and The Google Science Fair YouTube channel.

The Google Science Fair submission is soon coming to an end. In order to participate, you must submit your project before April 4th 2011. You must also ensure to have parental/guardian consent either by:

1. Asking your parent/guardian to respond to the email they were sent when you signed up. If your parent/guardian did not receive the email they can resend them this link: https://services.google.com/fb/forms/gosfconsent/

2. If your parent or guardian does not have access to email then Google is happy to be able to accept a hard-copy of your parent/guardian consent form. Please go here to download and print out the parental/guardian consent form. Take the form home and ask your parent or guardian to fill it out and sign it. They then need to scan the completed form and email it to science-fair-consent@googlegroups.com

Also - ensure your project site and any supporting presentations and videos are public and therefore viewable by the judges.

On the The Google Science Fair YouTube channel you can find lots of inspiring materials including these two really interesting interviews talking about LEGO, science and robotics: Mitch Resnick, LEGO Papert Professor of Learning Research, MIT and Kevin Warwick, professor of cybernetics, University of Reading

Play, invent and create well!
The LEGO MINDSTORMS team

I got it!

The LabVIEW program I ordered arrive last Friday (see post below)! Because I was watching a FIRST robotics tournament yesterday I was too busy to try it out. I plan on installing it today, though, and I can't wait to give it a try. Despite my knowledge of LabVIEW from robotics, I'm sure it will take a while to get used to. Wish me luck! I'll be sure to post shortly how it's going.

---

UPDATE: It's installing as I write this. It's taking quite a long time, but that was to be expected. :)

---

UPDATE: It finished installing and I've been using it for the past couple of hours. I don't currently have an NXT built, so I can't really try out my programs. I am, however, having a lot of fun exploring all the options and new features (compared to the basic NXT LabVIEW). I thought when I bought the program that I would only get the program and I'd have to figure out how to use it by myself. As it turns out, however, it comes with a lot of options for learning. These options include:

• A 111 page PDF file explaining the program (this I was particularly excited about because I love reading PDF files. 111 pages is a lot of information, and it was very nice of them to include being that I would have paid the money for the program alone).
• An instructional video (about 15 minutes long) showing someone actually using the program- building a very basic program- with them explaining it as they go.
• A free, downloadable, classroom-ready curriculum.
• Dozens and dozens of already made example programs including instructions on how to build an NXT to go with them.

 So, yeah. Right now I'm just messing with the settings, playing with wires, calculating random bits of data that don't have anything to do with the NXT, exploring all my options, and trying to think of something to build with the NXT. I have a few ideas, but I don't have time to build them right now anyway (I'm going to watch a movie with my family, then go to bed). Unfortunately, Mondays I always have a lot of homework so I can't do it tomorrow either. I'm hoping to build something soon, though. :)

Is buying LabVIEW Education Edition worth it? So far, I'd say yes, it is. Any true Mindstorms programmer would definitely enjoy the large amount of features and options included in this software.

---

UPDATE (Tuesday): I was hoping to do a lot of programming today, but I'm having some issues with it that I don't feel giving details about. I contacted National Instruments and am getting it fixed. I don't know how long it will take, but with engineers solving the problem it shouldn't take long. :) I better get back to my homework while I'm waiting...

Mindstorms with LabVIEW

 LabVIEW is a programming language made by National Instruments and is used for real world programming. When you program your NXT, you are actually using a simplified version of LabVIEW. This simplified version was also created by National Instruments, and it makes it a lot easier to program your NXT than using the full on LabVIEW program. However, for quite a few years now I've been interested in learning the full on LabVIEW. I already know the basics from using the simplified NXT version and also from my robotics club. However, I knew that the LabVIEW program is extremely expensive (in the thousands) and I wouldn't even be able to us it on my NXT! My quest for an inexpensive, more-like-real-LabVIEW-that-also-works-on-the-NXT program began. I didn't end up looking very hard (I figured what ever I found would be too expensive anyway), and it wasn't until recently that a friend of mine, who is also in my robotics club, discovered exactly what I was looking for- LabVIEW™ Education Edition. Costing only $99.95 (USD), this software program is very inexpensive compared to the real LabVIEW program, and it seems like it includes all the same features! I ordered it just the other day, and it should be here soon. This item can be purchased at the LEGO Education Store. Here is a link to the product if you're interested in checking it out.

More News

LEGO seems to have a new trend going. It appears that whenever they want to release news but they don't find it as exciting as the most recent news, they simply place the new news under the more exciting old news. For example, they naturally want more people to see their new contest than some random bit of news that recently came out. Therefore, even though the newest news is newest, they make it look as if it were older by placing it farther down on the list. I'm not saying this is a bad method, but it does make it harder for the people that want to read every bit of news. To get to the point, I found some news that was placed lower down on the list. Enjoy....


More from LEGOWorld! Use Your Head When You Play Football!
So, would you like a real challenge? How about getting robots to play soccer but only by using your head? Check the YouTube video (see full news story) to see what 1,000 kids got to try out at LEGOWorld in Copenhagen! Read more...

---

LEGO MINDSTORMS off to a flying start at LEGOWorld CPH 2011!
One of the main attractions at the LEGOWorld event in Copenhagen was the flying LEGO MINDSTORMS robotic airship, called C5. Taking off from the LEGO MINDSTORMS booth several times a day, the C5 airship would be flying over the heads of the many visitors, who would look up in surprise at seeing a real flying LEGO model! Read more...

Happy St. Patrick's Day: Catch a Leprechaun!

A very unique article was posted in the news section of the NXTLog. It doesn't really have any news in it, nor does it tell about something new they've released. Still, though, it looks like fun!:

"What better day than St. Patrick's to consider building mechanical traps for catching leprechauns (pronounced lepre-corn) and capture their pot of gold!
So, what is a leprechaun? It is a type of fairy about the height of a small child, dressed in a green coat and and pointy shoes, has a beard (if it is a male) and a hat. They make shoes all the time, have hidden pots of gold at the end of the rainbow, and will have to grant you three wishes if you catch one, in order to be free again.
A leprechaun is always trying to trick you, so when you catch one, you must keep having eye contact with him, or else he will disappear!
So why not make a robot to lure him into a trap and then catch one?

On YouTube you can see several LEGO MINDSTORMS robots that can do that!
For instance, check fishcontrol's robotic trap:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqysRQZ0eTw&feature=player_embedded
Or make your own robotic leprechaun - like this one made by servo270.

If you make some cool robotic machines that can catch leprechauns or other fairytale creatures please share them on NXTLog!

Happy hunting!
The LEGO MINDSTORMS Team"

New CONTEST!!!!

NXTLOG Body Forward Building Challenge

"To help celebrate the 2011 FIRST LEGO League (FLL) World Festival in St Louis, Mo. this April, the March-April NXTLOG challenge theme is BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING! Your challenge is to explore the world of Biomedical Engineering and discover innovative ways robots can be used to repair injuries, help people overcome illnesses and disabilities and build healthier, stronger bodies. You can design LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT robot that can inject vaccines, act as an artificial limb, be a body camera to detect bad cells, a bionic eye, or even remote surgeon! Will your prototype robot be life sized, giant, or imagined on a nano-scale? Make sure to clearly document in your NXTLOG what job your biomedical MINDSTORMS NXT robot is designed to do, and at what scale. There's no limit on amount of LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT sensors, LEGO MINDSTORMS RCX sensors, motors, NXT programmable bricks, HiTechnic sensors, Codatex RFID sensors, or Bluetooth communication you can use. All entries must be tagged "bodyforward." Entries must be submitted by April 30, 2011. What will you make?" 
Go here to read more about it!!