Subject:
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The Planteray Society's Build a Better Lego Rover Contest ... and the Shape-Shifting Camera TankSCT
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.technic, lugnet.robotics
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Date:
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Tue, 25 Mar 2003 22:43:37 GMT
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Viewed:
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1621 times
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Hi all,
I don't know how many of you are aware of the Planetary Society's LEGO® Mars
rover contest, but I have a feeling it will interests plenty of builders in
these groups. Anyone can have a go, there are three classes and each
participant can enter up to 2 vehicles in each. The prizes are some of the
LEGO Discovery sets to come out this year, including a very nice looking
Discovery Mars Exploration Rover (7471). Deadline is tight - 28th of April,
but let's give 'em some competition, shall we? Follow the link to find out more:
http://redrovergoestomars.org/mars-station_rovers.html
BTW, I am not at all involved in the organization or any aspect of the
contest. I saw an announcement on Ldraw.org, asked Tim today if it had been
posted to these groups - which prompted him to invite me to do it. In fact,
I am hoping to enter just one vehicle in the lowliest of classes, the Marie
Curie attach-two-motors-to-a-cam-and-you're-done kind. Still, I've come up
with a vehicle which is half synchro-drive, half skid-steerer and uses both
motors for propulsion and turning (rotating?). It also goes in a strait line
using a very simple mechanical device which can also be used in regular
tanks. And which I will reveal right after the contest ;-)
Ironically, I learned about this contest right after spending the last few
months developing a pretty complex machine for the upcoming Syngress Book
"LEGO Mindstorms Masterpieces" (big title, I know...). I've contributed a
chapter (quite a bit of text, plus step-by-step instructions, plus DAT
files) around MOC "Shape-Shifting Camera Tank" or SSCT for short. This baby,
unrelated to the Marie Curie project above, is a tank with a camera attached
... and the ability to change it's shape, to "fold at the centre". Here are
some pics - I apologize for the bad quality (quick loaders, though) and hope
to post something better later on.
Main view
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=357834
Side
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=357839
Front
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=357836
Top
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=357838
After moderation (and soon with more pics!)
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=38203
Anyway, I hope they bring extra inspiration (the SSCT is not entering the
contest). You can also check out the original machine on which the SSCT is
based on, Inuktun's VGTV. Inuktun is a robotics company with plenty of cool
professional vehicles -
http://www.inuktun.com/
And the VGTV
http://www.inuktun.com/products/systems/SystemDetails.asp?Systemid=14&systemscategoryid=3
Enjoy!
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