Summer of LEGO - "The Beast"

The Summer of LEGO continued on well after the construction of Mondrian City. As my son and I sat across from each other at our dining room table with a pile of LEGOs between us, other creations sprang to life. With very little guidance, he was able to create a number of masterpieces. Here are some of my son's beautiful creations:

While he opted for volume, creating a veritable army of vehicles, dwellings and abstractions, I opted to design and build a single vehicle. I always tell my students that whenever you are creating art or designing something, you push the art and the art pushes you. As I started to combine LEGO pieces from the hodge-podge of kits in front of us without any real objective, a truck started to take shape. One thing I really enjoy doing with LEGOs now as an adult is taking the parts from "prescriptive" LEGO sets (the sets that direct you how to build something specific, with step-by-step instructions) and re-purposing them along with traditional bricks, Technics parts, and elements of EV3 Mindstorms.

I call the truck I created "The Beast," as it's a pretty cumbersome monstrosity of a vehicle. I utilized the brick controller and two large motors from an EV3 kit to get it moving. In order to control it, I downloaded a free app called LEGO Robot Commander to my iPad, switched on the brick's Bluetooth and synced them up. Since I own a GoPro, I also created a custom LEGO mount and placed it on the roof of "The Beast," so I could capture a POV shot.

The beginnings of "The Beast"

The completed vehicle.

Side view.

Taking a peek under the hood where the brick lives.

Custom GoPro mount.

GoPro camera on custom LEGO mount.

The GoPro on top of "The Beast"

A closeup of the GoPro on top.

Admittedly, it's not the best design. It would have been better to create a 3-wheel vehicle, using the omni-directional pinball that comes with the EV3 kit. This would have provided better turning, since all of the wheels are fixed and turns are a little clumsy. I really just wanted to see if I could get the Bluetooth control breathing and get the GoPro on board. If I had more time, I would have incorporated the medium motor and created a turntable for the GoPro to swivel it like a tank turret. Next time!

Check out the video below (kinda low quality as I shot it on my iPhone):

Thanks for checking out my blog! Hope you found it entertaining and/or inspiring. Go build something cool!

SPEAK 2014 - "Stay Strong"

Hi Everyone! It's been quite a while since I posted. I originally intended to get back on the horse when summer break began, but my brain was telling me otherwise. So, I have spent much of the last month relaxing and traveling with my family, which was much needed after a very hectic and demanding school year. My brain is finally back online and I am ready to be creative again!

However, during my downtime, I did have the opportunity to work again with the wonderful students and advisers at the SPEAK program in Eatontown, NJ. This summer camp instills values and the importance of community service in young people, all while providing them with fun and entertaining activities that draw upon their creativity.

As in previous years, I met with the students twice - on Monday, we met for 4 hours and again on Thursday. On Monday, students brainstormed and wrote lyrics pertaining to the theme of drug resistance. With the remainder of the time, they performed and engineered a recording session, utilizing Apple's Garageband (like big-time producers!). When we met again on Thursday, students worked with a choreographer (the amazing Julius), putting together some great moves. Once this session ended, students directed and produced a music video, using a green screen (chroma key) and shooting with an iPad2.

The final result is a catchy, pop/hip-hop track entitled, "Stay Strong." We hope you enjoy it. If you do, please share it with your friends!

Thanks to Lori, Dawn, Jill, Kim, Lindsay, Mr. G and Officer Henley for the opportunity to work with you incredible program again. It gets better each time! The students are fortunate to have good people like you in their lives.

"Stay Strong"

Some behind the scenes shots from the making of "Stay Strong":

 Writing a masterpiece.

Dropping some rhymes.

 Ready for her close-up.

 A brief pause in the action.

 Some of the SPEAK crew.

 Practicing some dance moves.

Directing the music video.

Next week, I'll be attending a robotics camp for educators, which I'm very excited about. Stay tuned for some LEGO robot awesomeness!