Earlier this morning, we talked about how NASA managed to successfully land their Curiosity Rover on the red planet, and here we are with someone who was inspired by the real deal, and with some Lego wizardry, managed to come up with a Lego Mindstorms version of the Mars Curiosity Rover. Doug Moran and Will Gorman are the ones behind this particular Lego Mindstorms model, where it is part of the “Build the Future in Space” event that is happening at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. This particular Lego creation holds over thousands of pieces of Lego Technic and Mindstorms bricks, and I guess you can call this a true blue Lego creation since it relies on the Lego bricks and pieces to hold together without the help of any glue.
Four out of the six wheels are powered, where the rover is able to perform 360 degree turns. Its arm and mast are not just there for show either, as they can be controlled using a separate NXT over Bluetooth, while the Rover itself is controlled using a separate NXT joystick which was specially designed by Philo Hurbain. Here is a little bit of trivia for those who love facts and figures – this Lego Mindstorms Curiosity Rover was created using 7 NXT bricks, 13 NXT motors, 2 Power Function Motors, and over a thousandLego Bricks.