The Beginnings of a Robot

A few months ago, I purchased and old lego mindstorms kit from a friend. He wasn't using it much and I wanted to play around with some robotics in my spare time (as PhD funding is so hard to secure). I figured before investing in a new kit, it would be good to have a play around and install LeJos on an older model.

Since it is not a USB kit, it has in fact caused a lot of hassle. Firstly, connecting to the Com1 port and making sure that the environment variables are set up. Secondly, ensuring that the battery that is used for the infra red port doesn't drain quickly and thirdly having to re-install the firmware for LeJos everytime the battery dies on the RCX block.

All I want to do is install LeJos so I can write code, instead of using the mindstorms software, which is in fact for kids!!! So tomorrow, I will set out in buying a new battery for the IR tower.

In the mean time, here is a photograph of the robot so far. Currently, I have only built it in it's basic elements. Additions to come soon...



I am hoping to invest in the newer NXT Model soon.

Lastly, watch this space for more updates on progress.