It seems the NXTified Astro Blaster’s game turned out to be a popular idea! For the last couple of weeks, we’ve been building up two drivable robots that will be remote controlled using Mindsensor’s Sony PlayStation 2 Controller interfaces for NXT.

So far, we have a platform, a hopper to store the balls, and a ball lifting mechanism to pull the balls into the robot.

Still to accomplish are motorized wheels, steering, a cannon, and targets.

For the base, we settled on Black Boat Hovercraft Bodies. They have a limited number of Technic style holes, so we are adding some of our own. You can see them in this picture of the platform with the ball catcher on board. They are along the skirt just below the ball catcher. The ball catcher is a Duplo Loading Chute.

This is the rear view with the ball retriever installed. We’ve been testing it with the LEGO 41mm Foam Ball but at about a buck a piece, I decided instead to get a bulk order of ping pong balls online. Ping pong balls are around 40mm and I think they’ll be a little more likely to trigger the targets than those foam balls which weigh even less.

Another view of the work in progress.

The key unusual LEGO items we have used so far for this build.

We’re wrapping up ButlerBot and our North Tampa Robotics Club is now in search of a new project idea!

Contender #1 is a LEGO MINDSTORMS version of the Buzz Lightyear Astroblasters ride at DisneyQuest. Here is a fan video.

Each robot will be outfitted with a target. I have a nice collection of LEGO foam balls that we can use. Using PS2 game controllers, we will drive the robots around to pick up the balls and try to shoot the targets on the opponent’s robot. A successful hit will cause the other robot to spin wildly and flash lights for five seconds. We’ll have to add a fancy scoring system too.

Post a comment if you have other ideas!

Our North Tampa Robotics Club is bringing ButlerBot to the Tampa Bay Mini Maker Faire on March 31st! Our little group has been hard at working building an NXT robot controlled by an XBox 360 Kinect controller. We’re excited to be there to show off what the kids and their dad’s accomplished.

What is a Maker Faire? It is a place where we celebrate the processes of learning and doing, and where we share our discoveries, curiosities, inventions, innovations and ideas as inquisitive, explorative amateurs. Tampa Bay Mini Maker is a celebration of regional do-it-yourself (DIY) character and spirit.

There will be dozens of other displays and a food truck rally. This family friendly event is being held at the University Area Community Development Center at 14013 North 22nd Street, Tampa, Florida 33613. Tickets are $5 if you order online, or $8 at the door. You can order them in advance here.

I know many of you are already planning your summers so we have been working extra hard to find a venue for our South Tampa Robotics Camp. I’m pleased to announce our first session is now open for registration the week of June 11-15, 2012.

There will be many all new activities along with some of the kid’s favorites from last year.

In addition to South Tampa, we currently have weeks available in North Tampa, Lutz, and in Riverview.

Please visit us at http://inanimatereason.com/camp for all of the details and to see the complete schedule. Camps will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis and space is limited!

We also still have spots open in our community robotics clubs meeting now on Mondays and Thursdays in Riverview and Carrollwood. Details are online at our camp page. The North Tampa group is up to pretty exciting things! Check out our latest blog post about the robotic gripper we built for ButlerBot!

For the last few weeks, a number of kids at MacFarlane Park IB Elementary have been working on ideas for a couple of GBC modules. One of the kids decided he wanted to build a ball shooter to feed a ramp he built using some large, quarter round slopes. I helped him put his ideas to work and we came up with this:

There will be a liftarm across the top to help the gears stay engaged and it’s being displayed upside down to show off the mechanism. The H-pins are offset to keep the vertical gear centered over the two idler gears. The only trick will be accurately feeding it the balls. A motor will power the shooter from the red axle. It works pretty smoothly.

I am so pleased that all three of my FIRST LEGO League teams qualified to move on to the regional qualifier here in Tampa! Not only did they qualify, they’ve all stepped up their game to give their best possible showing at the event! Win or lose, I’m proud of the integrity and dedication they are showing as we get ready to compete.

The Robochef Tampa Regional Tournament is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 4th at the University Area Community Development Corporation (UACDC) Community Center, 14013 North 22nd Street, Tampa, FL 33613. The center is located north of the USF Campus.

This is one of six regional qualifiers being held around the state. Top teams from each qualifier will move on to compete at the state level at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne on Feb. 26th.

The event is open and free to the public. You don’t have to stay all day. The general schedule is

8:30 am Opening Parade and Ceremony
9:15 am – 2:00 pm (with a break for lunch) Competition rounds (Robot Arena)
2:45 pm Blind Pirate’s Robot Challenge (robots are teamed up and compete in direct elimination rounds for a bonus trophy during awards).
4:30 pm Awards Ceremony in Robot Arena

The robot arena will be setup in the gymnasium and there is bleacher seating for spectators. It’s pretty exciting to watch. I hope to see some of you there!

Linda Chion Kenney from the Brandon Patch interviewed me today at a local FLL tournament.

Patch Talk: Bill Shaw on Lego, Kids, Mindstorms, Robotics and MOSI

My grammar was really bad but I was between rounds and pretty frazzled. Still, it was a nice piece of press!

My teams did really well today. They stepped up and got serious about earning their spots at regionals. I’m proud to say that both teams are moving forward and they even took trophies!

Robotic Raptors – Rising Stars Award
Terminators – Rookie Team Award (and that was with I believe nine rookie teams present!)

We are now just under two weeks away from Florida’s FIRST EVER Jr. FLL Expo at MOSI. Join us on the afternoon of January 8th at MOSI to be part of the Amazing Snack Attack Race! This is where you can see how hard Junior FIRST LEGO League teams worked and what they accomplished with their Jr. FLL projects!

There are still a few spots open for teams to participate. It doesn’t matter if you are currently enrolled in a robotics program. The expo is open to ALL teams who participated in Jr. FLL for the Snack Attack season.

Not only will teams be able to show off their projects, they will also get to see other FIRST teams in action including FIRST LEGO League teams with their LEGO robots, FIRST Tech Challenge teams with their hybrid LEGO/TETRIX robots and the big bots fielded by FIRST Robotics Challenge teams from Hillsborough High School.

Our expo theme is The Amazing Snack Attack Race. Many teams will be stops for the public who are invited to solve a set of amazing race style puzzles by finding out about the team’s food journey’s and research.

In addition, MOSI will have a number of LEGO themed activities in their IDEA Zone! In partnership with MOSI, we are offering access to all of MOSI at a group rate of $8 per person and a fantastic special for family memberships to everyone who attends the expo. Keep in mind that MOSI admission or membership is NOT required to attend the expo. Parking for MOSI members is free.

The expo starts at 1:30 and lasts until 4:30. The full schedule for the expo is available on the expo website at http://inanimatereason.com/expo.

Every single team member who attends will be recognized at the awards ceremony with their team and given a medal. Teams also receive trophies for their participation in the Snack Attack season.

This promises to be a fun day for everyone! Join MOSI and Inanimate Reason for a rewarding afternoon celebrating the accomplishments of almost 100 elementary students during the Jr. FLL Snack Attack season!

I have been wondering a lot lately which global issue FIRST would tackle next. With the rapid increase in our elderly population, the challenges faced by seniors as they struggle to make ends meet while living longer than previous generations are unprecedented.

From 2012 Jr. FLL Super Seniors Challenge,

Can Junior FIRST® LEGO® League teams improve the quality of life for seniors by learning about the obstacles some people face as they get older? In the 2012, SUPER SENIORS(SM) Challenge, teams will learn about simple machines as they build a model made of LEGO® elements with a motorized moving part and create a team Show-Me Poster to represent their findings. Over 16,000 children ages 6 to 9 from 5 countries will learn about the challenges some seniors may have getting around, keeping in touch with friends and family or staying active and fit.

Jr. FLL® has captured the imagination and minds of thousands of kids. Each year, the Challenge Advisory Team designs a new and exciting Challenge to ignite the inherent creativity in young kids. The end result of the design process is a Challenge with two defined parts – the Show-Me Poster and the Model.

And from FLL 2012 Senior Solutions Challenge,

Can FIRST® LEGO® League teams improve the quality of life for seniors by helping them continue to be independent, engaged, and connected in their communities? In the 2012 Senior SolutionsSM Challenge, over 200,000 children ages 9 to16* from more than 60 countries will explore the topic of aging and how it may effect a person’s ability to maintain his or her lifestyle – solving issues like getting around, keeping in touch, or staying fit. Teams will research obstacles and then suggest ways to improve the quality of life for the seniors affected. Teams will also build, test, and program an autonomous robot using LEGO MINDSTORMS® robot to solve a set of missions on an obstacle course. Throughout their experience, teams will operate under FLL’s signature set of Core Values.