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Continue reading Lego printer writes ‘Hello World’ with felt-tipped pen (video)

Lego printer writes ‘Hello World’ with felt-tipped pen (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Jun 2010 14:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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For $15, you can turn your notebook computer into what looks like a box of Lego. Those keys are in fact stickers which sit atop your MacBook keycaps and turn the keyboard into a sea of dimpled plastic bricks.

The stickers, made from easily-removed vinyl, come from Etsy-seller openandclose. They’re kind of neat, but the toy-nerd in me can’t help spot the non-Lego elements in these “Lego-style” bricks. First, the colors are way off. Whoever heard of pink Lego?

Second, the circular nubbins are too small on the function keys and too big on the letters. Only on the spacebar do you see anything approaching Lego-like proportions. Going by the shadows, though, it looks like openandclose at least made the stickers in real 3D, and didn’t just shade the tops to look as if they are raised.

Available now, for you to buy and use for five minutes before ripping them off in a fit of annoyance.

Lego Style MacBook Keyboard Decor Decal Sticker [Etsy via Oh Gizmo!]

It can take someone anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours to solve the Rubik’s Cube puzzle. But a neat contraption built out of an Android powered Motorola Droid phone and a Lego Mindstorms NXT kit can whip the Cube into shape in just under 25 seconds.

Folks at ARM, whose architecture the Motorola Droid processor is based on, created the device and have called it the Speedcuber. With the use of the yellow Lego pieces and the droid, the robot is extremely attractive. But it’s not just about looks.

An Android App running on the Motorola Droid uses the phone’s camera to take pictures of each face of the cube and sends the solution to the Lego NXT controller via Bluetooth.

Check out the video above to see the cube twisted into the right configuration in seconds.

The Speedcuber was on display at the Embedded Systems conference that ended Wednesday.

See Also:

• Wired 14.02: Geeks in Toyland
• Robotic Spider Melds Legos and 3-D Printing
• Frank Lloyd Wright Lego Sets
• Beautiful Polaroid Camera Sculpted in Lego

[via Make]

Video: Armflix

How do you know you’ve reached status as an internationally-recognized icon? When someone decides to make a Lego representation of you, that’s when — so our hats go off to you, BlackBerry Tour, for this distinguished accomplishment. Well-traveled Lego artist Nathan Sawaya was recently tapped to turn RIM’s global CDMA traveler into a life-sized monolith of plastic bricks, though with an unusual twist: his unnamed patron wanted a working video display, too, which required some “trial and error” to integrate. It might not fit in a pocket, but we reckon you could still find a belt holster that could swallow this thing. Follow the break for video!

Continue reading Lego-borne BlackBerry Tour probably still lacks WiFi

Lego-borne BlackBerry Tour probably still lacks WiFi originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 13 Mar 2010 21:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In 2007, steampunk musician Yoshi Akai wrote his master’s thesis on how to turn color into sound, and he’s been dreaming up unorthodox ways of producing music ever since. Case in point: the Lego Sequencer MR II, a contraption that uses three-dimensional Lego structures to emulate a three-channel, eight-step sequencer, where each differently colored plastic brick produces a different sound and complex combinations (including tremolo and overdrive) are possible when the blocks are stacked. Akai tells us it works using resistors embedded in each and every block, with parallel networks of resistors formed as the bricks pile up, equalling lower resistance and thus a higher frequency sound generated by the contraption. While the result certainly won’t back a techno track — Akai says he’s “building sound more than playing sound” — it looks like a good step up from the lethargic phaser noise produced by his Wireless Catcher, a lot of fun to play with, and much less expensive than hiring a team of hot models. Video after the break.

Continue reading Steampunk sequencer generates audio from Lego blocks

Steampunk sequencer generates audio from Lego blocks originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink MAKE  |  Yoshi AKAI, Interactive Institute  | Email this | Comments