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Events
Robo Tour
The trip from Vienna to Zurich took us through the Alps and we spent the night in a mountain village. When we woke up in the morning, we could see the steep faces of the mountains.
Switzerland is famous for its daring climbing tours, so it's only natural that we want to send our LEGO robots on a climb. However, the mountains seem a little too tough for our robots, so we construct our own climb. We make a LEGO wall, and in the afternoon, in a Zurich theater, we demonstrate our talented climbing robots.
A number of holes have been built into the wall (like little windows) to allow our robots to scale it. They insert their arms in the window and pull themselves up a 2 meters (6˝ feet) high wall. To make it even more exciting, the two robots compete against each other. The first to reach the top is the winner.
The robots are made up of two parts: a Driving Base, which has one RCX, and the Climber which has two. The Climber is transported to the wall by the Driving Base which uses Light Sensors to follow a line to the wall. Then the arms grip the holes in the wall and the robots begin their climb - first with the right arm and then with the left. We have a Blue Climber and a Red Climber here in Zurich. Blue climbs to victory by an arm's length.
We also have a special guest at the climb, Seymour Papert. Seymour worked on the development of LEGO MINDSTORMS and RCX Code at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States of America.
Seymour is someone who knows exactly what goes on in an RCX. However, for many of us, the big yellow brick is a mystery. To shed a little light on the brick, tomorrow we will drive about an hour to the place where LEGO MINDSTORMS are produced.
RoboGladiators
Electronic Entertainment Exposition (E3)
Los Angeles Convention Center
May 13-15, Booth 1524 in the South Hall
Let The Real Games Begin at E3
We're not talking PC or video games, but rather the hottest event (and visuals) at E3 -- RoboGladiators, real-life competitions featuring the top names in Championship Robotic Combat. Watch some of the entertainment industry's most proficient model builders and special effects designers place their reputations and LEGO MINDSTORMS robots on the line as they battle it out in a post-apocalyptic gladiator pit. Also on display will be the actual full-scale, battle-hardened robot warriors that have helped to make our competitors household names in the world of robotics.
When: May 13 and 14 (all day, each day)
Where: West Hall Lobby
Competitors: Peter Abrahamson, Jason Bardis, Carlo Bertuccini, Christian Carlberg, Dan Danknick, Rick Galinson, Luke Kmanlian, Clint Lynch
RoboGladiators at the E3 Convention in Los Angeles - May 1999
In a highly anticipated sequel to last year’s Gamers' Challenge at the E3 convention, LEGO® MINDSTORMSTM brought together the top competitors in championship robotic combat for a hard-fought LEGO battle royale. Dubbed RoboGladiatorsTM, the two-day, round-robin competition boasted eight of the most well known names in mechanical robot fighting, including many from Hollywood’s special effects community, who used the LEGO MINDSTORMS Robotics Invention System to build and compete their robotic warriors.
The rules were easy enough — competitors had to build a robot capable of withstanding the pushing, prying and crashing of the competition, while ensuring that their own robot could dish out its share of robotic destruction. Needless to say, the minimal restrictions left our contingent of special effects designers ample room to be creative.
The inventions that entered the custom-made 8’ diameter RoboGladiators arena were awesome testaments to their creators’ skill. Included were pusher robots, smasher robots, one with a giant ramp made to lure competitors onto its flipping platform and another armed with a hammer, grappling hook and a smaller internal robot that could lend support to the attack.
In the end, one robot in particular made a name for itself — Battlebots, the creation of Carlo Bertocchini and Trey Roski. A monolithic cube of LEGO bricks standing 1.5’ square and powered by 70 AA batteries, this brutish bot had its way with the rest of the field, holding an undefeated record entering the final match.
During the championship match, Battlebots’ strength became its Achilles heel. In an exciting turn of events, its power supply literally blew up, allowing competitor Peter Abrahamson and his robot "Mifune" to take the upset and the RoboGladiator title.
Special thanks to all our competitors: Peter Abrahamson, Jason Bardis, Carlo Bertocchini, Christian Carlberg, Dan Danknick, Rick Gallinson, Luke Khanlian, Clint Lynch and Trey Roski, who helped to keep the spirit of innovation and invention alive at E3 this year.
The Cybernetic Challenge
March 19 - September 13, 1999
The Department of Cybernetics at The University of Reading United Kingdom
The Department of Cybernetics at The University of Reading in the UK, along with four other universities in the UK and Ireland, are currently designing robots using the LEGO MINDSTORMS Robotics Invention System to compete in games of volleyball.
Each university will design two autonomous robots which will act as a team during the competition.
Each game starts when the ball, an American softball, is rolled into the playing arena by the referee and ends after 10 minutes. The idea is to push the ball out of one's half of the court into the opponent's half. A point is scored if the opponent fails to push the ball out of their own half within 45 seconds.
The robots will need to communicate with each other so that they can respond quickly and adaptively when the ball enters their court.
The finals will be held at the University of Reading on September 13, 1999. In addition to Reading, the University of Edinburgh, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Manchester and University College Cardiff will also field teams.
Mind Feast
Come join us for MindFest: a festival of designing, inventing, and learning.
A new generation of computerized construction kits, such as LEGO MINDSTORMS, is opening up new possibilities for playful learning. Kids (and adult hobbyists) can now build creatures, contraptions, and other creations that once required an advanced engineering background. MindFest is a celebration of the creativity unleashed by these new technologies.
Kids, educators, researchers, and hobbyists are all welcome. We encourage all of you to bring your own creations and inventions to show off in the MindFest exhibition space.
Panels will focus especially on the role of "tinkering" in learning and creativity -- and, more generally, on the ways new technologies are transforming how we think and learn.
The festival will include:
exhibitions of your creations
panel discussions
hands-on workshops
show-and-tell sessions
informal tutorials
demonstrations of new technologies
We want all of you to help shape MindFest. If you would like to organize a session, please send your ideas to mindfest@media.mit.edu
Advanced registration required. Attendance is limited: Please register early to guarantee a spot.
For more information, see http://www.media.mit.edu/mindfest
MindFest is organized by the Epistemology and Learning Group and the Okawa Center at the MIT Media Laboratory.
THE ROBOCUP EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP 2000
The Co-Evolutionary Robot Soccer Show is a game that allows you to develop robot soccer players by using the concept of co-evolution. You can develop the robot soccer players in the software provided for free. You evolve different robot soccer players by changing the parameters for the evolution (the population parameters and the fitness formula parameters). When you have evolved a good robot soccer player, you can send the player to a server. Each night (European time), the server will play 50.000 matches between the uploaded players and generate a new Highscore List every morning. So you can keep track on how your player(s) is/are doing by going to the site every morning. At the end of the competition, the first players on the Highscore List will win the sponsored prizes. These prizes include a LEGO MINDSTORMS Robotic Invention System.
Further, the best four Dutch players younger than 18 years old will be invited to come to Amsterdam during RoboCup European Championship 2000 (May 28-June 2), where there will be a RoboCup Jr. event. At the RoboCup Jr. event, the four virtual players will be downloaded to the real Khepera robots and they will play a "real" robot soccer tournament with semi-finals and final.
For more information, see http://www.legolab.daimi.au.dk/cerss/
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The National LEGO Maniac® Kidvention
July 8 - 16, 2000!
This will be your chance to be one of the first to see the new VISION COMMAND™! You will be able to:
See all the capabilities of VISION COMMAND in a product presentation by LEGO MINDSTORMS representatives
Ask LEGO MINDSTORMS representatives questions about its many functions
Have an opportunity for a hands-on trial of VISION COMMAND
There will be LEGO MINDSTORMS representatives available to answer questions about other LEGO MINDSTORMS products, and opportunities to see some of LEGO MINDSTORMS' other "SOON TO BE RELEASED" products.
