Lego Mindstorms + Lasers

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Posted by ryuzaki0 on Thursday October 5, 2006 @03:28PM from the robots-with-friggin-lasers dept.

hamsan writes "My brother just hacked a laser pointer into an NXT light sensor and fully documented the process. From the page — 'Total Project Cost — $16.99 plus shipping. Time Required — Approximately 2 hours of tinkering. Having an Alpha Rex with a Laser — Priceless!' Of course, the usual warnings about voiding warranties and avoiding lasers apply."

18 of 122 comments (clear)

At lasst! by MrNaz · 2006-10-05 15:29 · Score: 5, Funny

I can now have sharks with frikkin' laser beams! Albeit, Lego sharks instead of real 400kg Tiger Sharks and laser pointers instead of 2kW flesh-vaporising, ship-sinking Frikkin' Laser Beams(tm), but it's a step in the right direction.

--
I hate printers.
1. Re:At lasst! by Skidge · 2006-10-05 15:47 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  I wonder what the odds were that the first comment wouldn't be about sharks?
2. Re:At lasst! by MrNaz · 2006-10-05 15:56 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  I'd say zero, but according to John Titor, everything is possible and everything has happened in a parallel universe. According to his theory, there would, believe it or not, be a reality in which up is down, black is white, George W. Bush can string a sentence together using the Queen's English and the first comment on a Slashdot post involving an application of lasers is not about sharks.
  
  That being said, the last point there is a strong argument against the infinite multiverse theory, as it is entirely possible that the probablility of the first post not involving sharks is exactly equal to zero, and thus, could never happen in the multiverse. Perhaps another /.er can help me formulate a proof?
  
  --
  I hate printers.
3. Re:At lasst! by EvanED · 2006-10-05 16:48 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  He has. Didn't you see the bit about everything happening in a parallel universe?
4. Re:At lasst! by MarkRose · 2006-10-05 19:38 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  What, were you expecting one about ill-tempered seabass?
  
  --
  Be relentless!
5. Re:At lasst! by afaik_ianal · 2006-10-05 19:59 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  Yes, but his last sentence is saying he has zero chance of getting laid in any universe.
Small Child + Lasers by nead · 2006-10-05 15:42 · Score: 5, Insightful

How do you explain to a small child not to stare into a laser beam? The little guy in one of the last pictures obviously couldn't read or understand that safety label.
1. Re:Small Child + Lasers by $RANDOMLUSER · 2006-10-05 15:48 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Just tell him: "Now Billy, don't look at the laser with your good eye - you remember what happened last time."
  
  --
  No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism. - Winston Churchill
And he can say... by Xybot · 2006-10-05 15:43 · Score: 5, Funny

"My brother just hacked My Webpage into a 'Service temporarily overloaded 502 Error' and fully documented the process. From the page -- 'Total Project Cost -- $00.99 plus shipping. Time Required -- Approximately 5 Minutes of submitting site to SlashDot. Having a DIY Geek project page -- Priceless!' Of course, the usual warnings about 'cannot process the request due to a high load' apply."

--
God was my co-pilot, but then we crashed and I was forced to eat him.
1. Re:And he can say... by eln · 2006-10-05 15:48 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  Come on now, I think that's a little unfair. Total Project Cost is going to be way over $.99 when the bandwidth bill arrives.
[Nearly] Pointless Hack by runlevel+5 · 2006-10-05 15:47 · Score: 3, Insightful

Not to sound like a naysayer, but honestly the laser adds almost no functionality whatsoever to the Mindstorms kit. In a course I am taking we are designing and building ten different kinds of robots out of these kits, and there isn't one that would benefit from having a frickin laser beam on its forehead.
1. Re:[Nearly] Pointless Hack by MrNaz · 2006-10-05 15:49 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Truly, your team's lack of vision is astounding!
  
  --
  I hate printers.
2. Re:[Nearly] Pointless Hack by __aaclcg7560 · 2006-10-05 15:59 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  Get a fog machine and Borg music from Star Trek. The possibilities are endless.
3. Re:[Nearly] Pointless Hack by naoursla · 2006-10-05 18:00 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  Add two cameras a known distances apart. Write a blob tracker that can locate the point where the laser hits. Use the difference in the laser point positions seen by the two cameras to determine the distance the surface hit by the laser. Now make the laser track back and forth. You now have a poor-mans SICK laser range finder (which cost thousands of dollars).
Earn money through slashdot. by LoverOfJoy · 2006-10-05 15:52 · Score: 3, Insightful

1. Build something extremely nerd-friendly out of items found at Amazon.com 2. Create website explaining how to do it (complete with amazon referal links) 3. Submit website to Slashdot 4. ??? 5. Profit!
Re:Ummm.. by BronsCon · 2006-10-05 15:55 · Score: 5, Funny

Mind you, you'd have to put a '1' in front of the price tag...

1$16.99? What the hell country do YOU live in where THAT is the proper number format for currency?

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APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
Re:How to wreak revenge on your brother?? by SydShamino · 2006-10-05 16:31 · Score: 3, Funny

The web server is also running on the NXT.

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It doesn't hurt to be nice.
Not a laser rangerfinder. Not even a sensor by Animats · 2006-10-05 17:52 · Score: 3, Interesting

My first thought on reading that was "wow, somebody built a laser rangefinder for Lego Mindstorms". No such luck.
Biggest problem with amateur robotics is crappy sensors and lack of feedback. It's getting better, especially in Japan, but slowly.