New IR Seeking Sensor

HiTechnic has done it again with the introduction of their newest sensor: The NXT IRSeeker. The new sensor does exactly what it is named for: it seeks out infrared light sources. Outfitted with an array of infrared sensors, the IRSeeker has a 135 degree field of vision. With the multiple sensors inside, the IRSeeker can display approximately where and how far away an IR light source is from the sensor.

One real world application that HiTechnic has pointed out is locating the infrared RoboCup soccer ball.

HiTechnic has take it one step further by detailing the process of programming the new sensor and how to use it in your NXT programs.

You can check out the IRSeeker and more information at HiTechnic.

Mindstorms Cellular Bluetooth NXT Control

With the addition of the bluetooth technology in the Mindstorms NXT system a whole new area of control was opened. The guys over at LEGO have introduced bluetooth support for the Mindstorms NXT system in the area of bluetooth enabled cell phones.

Recently, LEGO has made available their NXT Mobile Application that allows you to control your robot wirelessly via bluetooth technology. According to their specifications the following cell phones are supported:

• Nokia: 6680, 3230
• Sony Ericson: W800i, W550i, K610i, K800i, K750i, Z710i, Z550i, K510i
• BenQ-Siemens: CX75, X75

With the software provided by LEGO, you can control your robot in two different modes: remote control and program control. In the remote control setting you can direct and drive your robot with a joystick/command wheel. On the other hand, in program control, you can select what program you want the NXT to run and then use the numbers to send the NXT messages during the program.

It's amazing to see what LEGO has done with bluetooth in the NXT system. With such great innovations already, I'm excited to see what the future holds for bluetooth and the NXT!

Check out the official LEGO Mindstorms NXT Mobile Application page for more info and downloads.

Sharing Your Creations

The NXTLOG is a fully moderated community set up on http://legomindstorms.com where users can share their creations with the rest of the world. The basic idea of the NXTLOG is to share your projects, archive the results, and get inspiration from other people's inventions.

The four step process to sharing your creations as described by Lego:

1. Build your project!
2. Document what you did. Take pictures, make notes, describe problems and how you overcame them.
3. Build your NXTLOG. Register with Lego and start a new project log. Post pictures, code, descriptions, notes, and programs for your new project. Tag your project so that others can find it easily. Finally, publish your NXTLOG for the rest of the world to see!
4. Check out your personal projects that are now online to share with everyone.

You can find the NXTLOG's and more information over at Lego's website: http://mindstorms.lego.com/NXTLOG/default.aspx