The University of Canterbury is currently running a new campaign and we had the privilege of showcasing our work. The photo was taken at a professional studio and shows a typical human-robot interaction study setup.
Category: Design
Tutorial on how to create a LEGO Mosaic (Part 1)
Creating mosaics made of LEGO is a popular activity and you may enjoy looking at some examples at Mosaic Blocks or at the Flickr LEGO Mosaic Group. I started out with absolutely no LEGO mosaic experience and I wrote this tutorial along my way towards my first mosaic. I hope that the lessons I learned may also help you creating your own mosaics.
1. Selection of a source image and basic dimensions of the mosaic
Selecting your source image does seem like an easy task, but you need to be aware of some of the constraints to make a good choice. First, you should have as little detail in the photograph as necessary. You will be heavily limited on the resolution of the mosaic. The smallest unit of a LEGO mosaic is a single 1×1 plate that measures 8×8 mm (actually 7.8mm plus 0.1mm of play between bricks). This results in a resolution of 3.175 dots per inch (DPI) or 1.25 dots per centimeter. Maybe it would be wiser to refer to this as 3.175 bricks per inch (BPI) or 1.25 bricks per cm. A large base plate is 48×48 studs, resulting in 38.2 x 38.2 cm dimension (0.8*48-0.2). Photographs often use the proportion of 2:3 and hence a 2×3 base plate design would result in 96×144 bricks or 76.4 x 114.6 cm.
For my mosaic I selected a portrait of Robert M. Pirsig, one of my personal heroes. The source image is a grey scale image, but creating colorful mosaics follows the same process as a grey scale mosaic.
Continue reading “Tutorial on how to create a LEGO Mosaic (Part 1)”
RACE2 – Super fast LEGO RC off road car
RACE2 is the fastest LEGO off road car. The 4WD RC car can get over rocks and obstacles fast. It is an improved version of my original RACE car. The building instructions are available as well as the LEGO Digital Designer file (LXF). It is a simplified and more robust version of the original RACE car.
Here is the 3D model in Sketchfab exported from Stud.io. Unfortunately Stud.io does not yet have the L-motor (88003) in their parts list, so you have to use your imagination to fill the gaps.
Fast, small, agile and light LEGO RC Car
This video shows a very fast LEGO car. It is light, small and agile. The batteries can be easily exchanged. The servo steering make it easy to drive around in small spaces. But it can also speed up big time on long straights. The building instructions are available here and also as a LDX file. The MOC has been posted to Rebrickable.
This video is public. LEGO Mini Off Road Car With Servo Steering
This video shows the smallest remote controlled LEGO Off Road car I have build so far. It features a servo steering, an L motor for driving and full suspension.