Subject:
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Re: Lego Technic: R.I.P. ?
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.robotics
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Date:
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Thu, 14 Nov 2002 17:28:49 GMT
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Original-From:
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Steve Baker <SJBAKER1@AIRMAIL.antispamNET>
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Viewed:
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765 times
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Marco Correia wrote:
> LEGO should turn to it's roots and expand the *ORIGINAL* LEGO philosophy
> (modularity, "infinite" expandability) to today's electronic hardware. The
> RCX was (is?) a good *START* (not a good *END*). RCX 3.0 should evolve to
> something even more capable and flexible.
I think we all agree on that point - a more modular computer with as
few limits on expandability as the technology can manage. RCX is OK -
but you immediately run into three problems:
1) Not enough motor and sensor ports. No matter how many they added
onto the box, it would never have been enough. It needs to be
expandable in a bus-like structure.
2) The brick is too big. That's largely because of (1) - putting those
six ports, plus the IR plus the (largely useless) LCD control
panel - and all of those batteries. If the system were modular,
the power supply could be separate and you wouldn't have to
design Lego-scale robots around a honking great solid lump in the
middle.
3) Communications to the outside world and between RCX's could have
been better.
The technology of 2002 can do *MUCH* better.
> I think LEGO stopped making tools for kids (and adults) to learn and dream
> and started beeing simply another average toy factory with it's (cumbersome)
> action figures, racing cars... bah.
Yep.
> LEGO should explain why they think that someone in it's right mind will
> prefer a blocky LEGO action figure instead of a perfectly articulated and
> anatomic replica toy of a Action-Man or whatever ?
The deal here is that you don't sell only to kids - you sell to their
parents. Parents remember Lego as being the infinitely flexible
learning tool it once was - and without thinking too much about it,
they just assume that a "Lego Action Figure" is obviously much better
for their child's development than an ActionMan/GI-Joe kind of a
thing...Lego make another sale of a Bionicle and think this is the
way to go.
Lego can probably trade on *that* reputation for a good few years yet
- but they'll come horribly unstuck when THIS generation of kid grows
up and associates the LEGO name with crappy plastic toys like
Bionicles. Once LEGO lose their reputation, they are doomed.
> I like LEGO. The true, "old" LEGO. The flexible, expandable, not juniorized
> LEGO.
Yep...but they could design "new" Lego with all the wizz-bang
electronics to the same principles and wind up with something just
as relevent to modern kids as "our" Lego was to
us.---------------------------- Steve Baker -------------------------
HomeEmail: <sjbaker1@airmail.net> WorkEmail: <sjbaker@link.com>
HomePage : http://web2.airmail.net/sjbaker1
Projects : http://plib.sf.net http://tuxaqfh.sf.net
http://tuxkart.sf.net http://prettypoly.sf.net
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Message has 2 Replies:
 | | RE: Lego Technic: R.I.P. ?
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| (...) Yep. (...) Yep. At least, separate the CPU power supply from the motor output power supply. We already have those power supply boxes: the 6xAA or 1x9V batt box :) (...) Yep again :) IR's ok for local, short range comms... but radio is a must. (...) (22 years ago, 14-Nov-02, to lugnet.robotics)
| | | Modular advanced RCX - yes, it's called JCX
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| (...) Well, that's the idea behind JCX ((URL) which has now been in beta test for over a year. We are nearing the final stretch and hope to release early 2003. A student class at the University of Utah is using them, here's a link to the team page: (...) (22 years ago, 14-Nov-02, to lugnet.robotics)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | RE: Lego Technic: R.I.P. ?
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| (...) Only if the lesson learned was: "hmmm... ok, let's see what happens if we put a few more basic sensors, another motor, some leds, some more memory and maybe a PC link... just in case someone might want to actually program these little things." (...) (22 years ago, 14-Nov-02, to lugnet.robotics)
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