Newsgroups: comp.robotics
Path: brunix!sgiblab!uhog.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!fredm
From: fredm@media.mit.edu (Fred G Martin)
Subject: Re: MIT Lego Robot Project ???
Message-ID: <1994May18.132250.13763@news.media.mit.edu>
Sender: news@news.media.mit.edu (USENET News System)
Organization: MIT Media Laboratory
References: <763195168snz@stellar.demon.co.uk> <2rckgn$rpr@search01.news.aol.com>
Date: Wed, 18 May 1994 13:22:50 GMT
Lines: 70

In article <2rckgn$rpr@search01.news.aol.com> sgomes@aol.com (SGomes) writes:

>In article <763195168snz@stellar.demon.co.uk>, Joe@stellar.demon.co.uk (Joseph
>Michael) writes:
>
>In article <2lftts$jkb@gate.fzi.de> tan@ford.fzi writes:
>
>>>Is there anyone who knows more about the "famous" MIT Lego-Robot project.
>>>There is a book about this project as far as I know. 
>
>>Interesting.. how is this Lego-Robot different from normal robots?
>>What can it do other robots cannot do?
>
>Yes, there is a great book about this Lego-Robot project.  Its title
>is "Mobil Robots: Inspiration to Implementation" It's a fantastic
>book.  A MUST for any robot hobbist!  It's written by Joseph L. Jones
>and Anita M. Flynn.  Published by A K Peters, Ltd.  289 Linden Street/
>Wellesley, MA 02181

Let's not get confused here.  The Flynn/Jones book and the MIT Robot
Design project are -not- the same project!  There has been some
technology-sharing between the two projects, and all of the people
involved in the two projects are from MIT, but these are two different
endeavors!

The Flynn/Jones book focuses on the design of two specific robots (a
hard-wired "Tut-Bot" and a 6811-based "Rug Warrior") which were
created to be used as educational examples for the purpose of
explaining themes in mobile robotics.

The LEGO Robot Design Competition is an annual student-operated course
and workshop in which teams of MIT students build robots using LEGO
Technic parts and a custom microprocessor controller (the "6.270 board")
to play in a head-on-head competitive sporting event.

To answer the initial question, how to find out more about the MIT
LEGO Robot Design project: the course notes have been available for a
couple of years via anonymous FTP to cherupakha.media.mit.edu in
directory pub/6270/docs.  Additionally, last month I finished my PhD
thesis which studies the way that students learn about engineering as
they construct their robots for the contest.  Copies of the thesis,
entitled "Circuits to Control: Learning Engineering by Designing LEGO
Robots," are available via anon FTP from the same server in directory
pub/el-publications/Theses/Martin.

To answer the second question: the importance of the LEGO robots is
not that they're different from normal robots, or that they do
anything particularly unusual, but is the learning experience that
students have when building them.  Keep in mind that over 150
students, organized as 50 teams, participate in the course each year,
so there FIFTY different robots running around at the end---that in
and of itself is pretty exciting.  (There is demand for even more
participation; we have to limit enrollment with a lottery each year.)

Finally, to return to my earliest comment about technology overlap
between the Robot Design project and the Mobile Robots book: both the
6.270 board used by students in the Robot Design class and the
Flynn/Jones "Rug Warrior" robot use the Interactive C software
environment developed by Randy Sargent and myself.  Note that the
6.270 board usage came first: Interactive C was developed for the
Robot Design course, and was later adopted by Flynn and Jones (with
our blessing) for use in the robot they were developing for their
book.

I hope this clears up any misconceptions.

	-Fred

Fred Martin | fredm@media.mit.edu | (617) 253-5108 | 20 Ames St. Rm. E15-320
Epistemology and Learning Group, MIT Media Lab     | Cambridge, MA 02139 USA
