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Subject: 
Re: challenge: LEGO copier
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.robotics
Date: 
Wed, 4 Aug 2004 16:46:22 GMT
Original-From: 
T. Alexander Popiel <popiel@wolfskeep.com(saynotospam)>
Viewed: 
1023 times
  
In message:  <joe-C8F8C7.09013204082004@lugnet.com>
             Joe Strout <joe@strout.net> writes:
Here's an idea I am certainly not equipped to attempt, but I bet
somebody is...

The user builds some model (constraints: it must be composed of a 1x1,
1x2, and 1x4 bricks in a selection of several colors, and must be flat,
i.e. two-dimensional, and fit within a certain width and height).  User
then places this model into the LEGO robot, which churns away, and then
spits out the original model plus an exact duplicate of it.

I believe this is possible, given the constraints.  It sure would make a
great demo at a brick show, too.  Somebody please do it so this idea
doesn't haunt me for years!

Ugh.  Much harder than it sounds: either the robot needs extreme visual
acuity to spot the brick boundaries (so it can tell two 1x2 bricks of the
same color end-to-end from a single 1x4 brick... or, more importantly,
which order a 1x1 and a 1x4 of the same color are in), or it needs to be
able to disassemble the model to inspect the individual pieces (which
may result in the model falling apart messily as some key piece is
removed).

The grippers needed for disassembly would be very hard to make: they'd
need to be able to exert strong forces (strong enough to nearly pull
themselves apart) in very small spaces (within 1x1 brick spacing).
The grippers for construction of the new model (or reconstruction of
the old) would be similarly difficult.  Then there's the whole issue
of holding the growing (or shrinking) models while they're worked on.

I'd love to be proved wrong on this one...

- Alex, who thinks that a scanning-electron-microscope analog
        would be much more feasible



Message has 3 Replies:
  Re: challenge: LEGO copier
 
(...) Here's an easy 'rule' you could add to resolve that. Just say that a given color may only be used for one size/type of piece. You don't even have to specify what colors are used, as long as any color may only represent one piece type. To make (...) (20 years ago, 4-Aug-04, to lugnet.robotics)
  Re: challenge: LEGO copier
 
(...) Actually, he said "flat". So I would assume that he meant an assortment of bricks simply stuck to one baseplate, sort of like a mosaic. As for brick boundaries... I think the only thing you would need to worry about is the boundaries where the (...) (20 years ago, 4-Aug-04, to lugnet.robotics)
  Re: challenge: LEGO copier
 
(...) <snip> Why not a more positive spin? Reduce complexity by limiting scope to a fixed size panel of colored blocks. Limit colors to black and white, or RGB. Allow brick boundaries to differ. The robot can now simply use 1x1 Lego building blocks (...) (20 years ago, 25-Aug-04, to lugnet.robotics)

Message is in Reply To:
  challenge: LEGO copier
 
Here's an idea I am certainly not equipped to attempt, but I bet somebody is... The user builds some model (constraints: it must be composed of a 1x1, 1x2, and 1x4 bricks in a selection of several colors, and must be flat, i.e. two-dimensional, and (...) (20 years ago, 4-Aug-04, to lugnet.robotics)

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