Robotics - Home Innovations  
        
        
          
       
LEGO Mindstorms We have a sister note to this (Robots - Interesting Video), in which I have posted some videos of interesting robots developed by commercial corporations and institutions.  While these are great in themselves, there is a whole range of innovation carried out by hobbyist and amateurs. In this note, I intend to post videos of interesting robotics projects I come across which have not been developed by big institutions. 
  LEGO Mindstorms
  For anyone who doesn't know, Lego Mindstorms is a robotics kit comprising of a controller, various sensors, stepper motors and ... well Lego pieces.  In addition to being great for introducing robotics to children, people have used the system to build some unique things - domino layers, bridge builders, 3D printers, plant watering, etc.  Two particularly good ones are:
  Rubik's Cube Solver
  Called the CubeStormer II, this machine not only solves the puzzle, but it does in in a world record time. 
   
    
  Beer Delivery Machine
  Besides the beer, the ingenuity of this machine is appealing.  It selects a bottle of beer, removes the top, chills it down to a drinkable 8°C and then delivers it to the consumer.  
   
    
  In this instance the builder has also posted a series of learning videos which illustrate how each part of the machine work:
    What to see more robots in action.  Visit our Robots - Interesting Videos note.