Hasta La Gadget!

Sure, you’ll have seen Lego-based Wall-E imitators before, but few recreate both the cuteness and the basic functionality of the drone quite like this one here. Programmed using Lego Mindstorms, this adorable little creation can transform itself into a box (like the real Wall-E!), pick up and carry objects, look up and down, and even produce and respond to sounds. It can be controlled remotely or left to do things by itself. Follow the break to see it on video.

Continue reading Transformable Wall-E gets recreated with some love, Lego and DIY skills (video)

Transformable Wall-E gets recreated with some love, Lego and DIY skills (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Jul 2010 05:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’ve taken your Lego Mindstorms NXT kit to the Nerd Cup, created a 3D scanner to digitize your Precious Moments collection, and trained it to solve a Rubik’s Cube, you might think you’ve run out of things to do. Perhaps this was the problem that Peter Cocteau faced — or maybe he just wanted to make the most bombastic NXT project yet. He created an 8-bit sample drum machine with 24 sounds controlled entirely by two Lego rotation sensors. He did have to make a few augmentations to get the audio output working (and to add in that bitching DJ-style light to make it more club friendly). He’s kindly provided all the source that you’ll need to get your little blocks bumpin’, but if you want yours to be just like his you’ll need to do your own soldering.

Continue reading Hacker creates Lego Mindstorms NXT-606 drum kit, just because he can (video)

Hacker creates Lego Mindstorms NXT-606 drum kit, just because he can (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Jul 2010 09:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading AIR for Android app turns Nexus One into slot car controller (video)

AIR for Android app turns Nexus One into slot car controller (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Jun 2010 17:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s a geek fantasy come true as two Netherlands-based designers have created a piece of furniture built entirely out of Lego blocks.

Designers Mario Minale and Kuniko Maeda took 25,000 Lego pieces and replicated the design of a sideboard that Dutch designer Gerrit Rietveld had sketched in 1919.

“Lego is the perfect contemporary material for it as it is  available to everyone,” says Minale. “It is simple yet relies on complex and perfect moulds and production systems.”

The Lego pieces were sourced partly from the company itself but also from the bricklink.com website. The entire project took two months to plan and sketch on computer and three weeks to build.

What makes the table stunning is not just the intricate design and the use of the same color throughout, but that it is completely functional piece. The drawers and the doors for the table open and it can be used in a home, if you can afford it.

“It shows us that the seriousness of developing a system that serves a good purpose is ultimately grounded in our desire for playfulness,” says Minale.

Only five of these Lego tables will be made and sold through the droog website, says the designboom site. Pricing for the tables have not yet been disclosed.

The Rietveld Lego table is on show at the ongoing Design Miami/ Basel event. It’s not the first time the designer duo who own the firm Minale-Maeda have worked with Lego bricks.  In 2004, they designed a chair using red, blue and black lego bricks. The chair had an aluminum frame and only seven of those were made.

For now, feast on more views of the Lego table.

[via Technabob]

Photos: Minale-maeda

The past week Inhabitat saw solar-powered transportation soar into space as Japan successfully unfurled the world’s first solar sail aboard its Ikaros spacecraft. We continued our transportation coverage by taking a took a look at a futuristic plant-powered photosynthetic concept car that seats riders within an enclosed jungle canopy. However if the Inhabitat editors commuted to work, it would probably be via these amazing solar-powered shrub cars!

In other news, the world of architecture is heating up with the onset of summer as countries around the globe gear up to unveil high-tech sun-powered homes at the European Solar Decathlon. This week we took a look at two of our favorites – the solar shelled Armadillo Box House and Finland’s hyper-insulated Luuku House, which is expected to generate more energy than it consumes. We also celebrated the launch of the 2010 World Cup by taking a look at the technologies behind five stunning green stadiums that will be hosting this year’s games in South Africa.

Speaking of the World Cup, this week were also excited to see the unveiling of a brand new version of the sOccket, an energy-generating soccer ball that scores a goal for green power in developing countries. We also took a look at a cheap solar-powered refrigerator for the developing world that can be assembled using local materials and could save millions of lives by storing and distributing vaccines.

Renewable energy was also a hot topic this week — the UAE is blazing a trail with plans to construct a record-toppling solar plant that eclipses the size of every photovoltaic farm to date. We also saw home-grown algae power make its domestic debut in this gorgeous green Latro Lamp, which is fueled by a pond-scum powered bio-battery. And renewable energy took to the streets this week as telecom provider Orange unveiled a set of spiffy set of thermoelectric galoshes that charge your cellphone using heat from your feet.

Finally, this week we unveiled some incredible new uses for everyday materials as we announced the grand-prize winners of our 2010 Spring Greening DIY Design Competition. Speaking of innovative examples of repurposed design, we were also blown away by this open-source printer made from LEGO bricks and a felt-tip pen. And if you insist on continuing to use a standard printer, you can rest assured that there’s an inspired re-use for those expired ink cartridges – Australia recently unveiled a bike path made from them!

Inhabitat’s Week in Green: solar buildings, solar stadiums, and an algae-powered lamp originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 13 Jun 2010 21:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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