LEGO Models Rocket to the Future!

LEGO Models Rocket to the Future!
Magazine Article
Issue	January-February 2006

LEGO Models Rocket to the Future! was an article in the January-February 2006 edition of the LEGO Brickmaster Magazine. The article discusses the technologies shown in several LEGO themes, including BIONICLE, and speculates whether those technologies could ever become a reality. The article was written by Nicki Soscia and Jeff James.

Contents

Science fiction and fantasy stories are full of exciting ideas like machines that think, robots, and cyborgs (beings that are a combination of living parts and mechanical parts). You don't need to look any farther than the LEGO aisle in any store to see examples of how you can build an awesome science fiction/fantasy universe of your own with EXO-FORCE and BIONICLE sets.

But how do Toa and EXO-FORCE battle machines work in their worlds? And could such things ever exist in the real world?

What Makes a Toa

Virtually everything in the BIONICLE universe - Piraka, Toa, Matoran, Rahi beasts - is biomechanical. That means it is a combination of muscles, organs, and mechanical parts. Most BIONICLE characters are not robots, but living, thinking beings who just happen to have machine parts and armor.

For example, Piraka can plan and scheme and feel emotions like anger and happiness. They need to breathe, sleep, and consume nutrition to keep energized. They have muscles that help them run, jump, and fight, lungs that take in air, eyes that see and wicked smiles. But they aren't all organic and they aren't robots - they are a combination of living being and machine!

How does this help them? Their machine parts and their armor make them much less vulnerable to injury. If they are injured, they can repair themselves much easier than a human being. BIONICLE beings consist of mechanical parts connected by muscle, so if they need to rebuild themselves, they can simply attach another part to their bodies. The muscle grows to connect it and they are ready for action!

The result of this is powerful beings who are very hard to hurt, have extremely long lifespans, and who can even upgrade themselves as long as they have the technology to help them do it. Matoran, for example, are known to live for thousands of years and have completely rebuilt themselves at least once in the BIONICLE story.

Could BIONICLE Beings Exist?

Right now, the answer to this question is no, but it's certainly a possibility in the future. Some humans have already had their lives saved by the addition of artificial hearts and other man-made parts, so the idea is not new. But could there be a being that is more mechanical than living, yet still powered by real muscle?

It sounds like sci-fi, but it's true. Scientists at the University of California created one of the first mechanical beings moved by muscle power. It's a silicon micro-robot, only 50 micro meters wide (that's thinner than one strand of your hair!), with legs powered by a living heart muscle! There are still many challenges to be overcome before a Toa or Matoran could exist - such as how to protect the organic tissue from the environment - but new breakthroughs could someday make BIONICLE beings a reality!

Time to Power Up!

The humans of EXO-FORCE face extreme danger. An army of robots in powerful battle machines is trying to conquer Sentai Mountain, and after that, the world. Only a small number of brave heroes stand between the robots and their horrible goal.

Fortunately for the humans, they have battle machines of their own. With names like Stealth Hunter and Grand Titan, these amazing mechanical devices make it possible for EXO-FORCE to battle the robots and win. The battle machines combine strength, speed, armor, and weaponry into a powerful package.

But what exactly is a battle machine? It's very simply a machine piloted by someone and controlled by that person's movements. For example, if the Stealth Hunter pilot moves his right arm, the Stealth Hunter battle machine moves its right arm. If the Grand Titan pilot kicks out with his right leg, the Grand Titan will kick out with its right leg, slamming into its foe.

Since a battle machine's movements are controlled by its pilot, it requires a lot of training to learn how to use one. Move too fast and you could throw off the battle machine's balance. Move too slow and you leave your battle machine wide open for an attack. That is why EXO-FORCE pilots spend long hours training outside of their battle machines, practicing fighting maneuvers so they can duplicate them when they are in the cockpit.

Of course, battle machines are more than just tough and strong. Some, like the Stealth Hunter or the Fire Vulture, can fly. All have awesome weapons like lasers and flamethrowers. These features are controlled by the pilot using a special hook-up that allows his mind to turn them on and off. If a pilot is knocked unconscious inside the cockpit, the battle machine will stop fighting.

Both the humans and the robots are constantly trying to make their battle machines more powerful, adding more armor and more weapons all the time. Go to www.EXO-FORCE.com to play the new Battle Machine game and learn to be a pilot!

Building Battle Machines?

With EXO-FORCE sets, you can build amazing battle machines and stage your own fights for Sentai Mountain. Do battle machines, or anything like them, exist in the real world?

We don't have anything as sophisticated as the EXO-FORCE battle machines... yet. But scientists have developed a mechanical arm that can be controlled by signals from the brain. Not only can it move at the shoulder, elbow, and wrist, but it even allows the wearer to sense pressure and feel the hand open and close.

Machines that can be controlled by body movements are also real. Researchers working with dangerous chemicals or radioactive elements used robot arms that could be controlled by the movements of the scientist's arms. This allowed them to pick up and manipulate the items without risk to themselves. Today, movie animators use hand or body rigs to feed their motions into a computer, which then makes computer-generated images move in the exact same way on screen.

Just How Smart Are They?

The humans of EXO-FORCE are up against a fierce and unpredictable enemy. Robots originally built to work as miners have turned evil and rebelled against the humans. Displaying remarkable intelligence, they have improved their battle machines, built totally new ones, and managed to take over half of Sentai Mountain. The robots' inventors designed them to be able to learn, though not in the way humans can. This was important because the robots would be working in places humans could not go. If they encountered an obstacle, they needed to be able to figure out a way around it. Somehow, something caused them to grow even more intelligent, begin to think independently, and to desire conquest.

The robots of EXO-FORCE can think, plan, set traps, learn from their defeats, create new concepts, and do many other things that humans can do. At the same time, they have no emotions, so they cannot be angered or feel overconfidence. That makes it harder to defeat them.

Exploring the World of Personal Robotics: LEGO MINDSTORMS and FIRST LEGO League

If you've ever wanted to design, build and program your own personal robot, you don't have to look that far! The LEGO MINDSTORMS Robotics Invention System has been used to create everything from bedroom alarms and table cleaners to wall-climbing gadgets and card shufflers to functional ATM machines and even a Rubik's Cube solver.

LEGO MINDSTORMS: Robotics Invention System 2.0

What has more than 700 LEGO play elements, an RCX microprocessor, a bunch of wheels and lots of potential? The LEGO MINDSTORMS Robotics Invention System,.... that's what!

Using the RIS 2.0, you can design, build and program your own personal robots. Developing a basic robot is simple, and you'll learn valuable building skills that will help you build even more complex robotic creations. How complex, you say? Check out this Rubik's Cube solver as an example!

LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT: The Next Generation

Cutting edge technology, redesigned motors and programming software and a switch to the versatile and durable LEGO TECHNIC building system create a next generation LEGO MINDSTORMS robotics toolkit. Take the power to create LEGO robots to the next level!

The new intelligent brick - the NXT - has increased speed and memory, while new motors with built-in rotation sensors and a newly developed ultrasonic sensor add optimal performance. A newly overhauled programming software, with PC and Mac compatibility, is just as intuitive but easier to use, and the NXT is Bluetooth enabled for wireless communication with Bluetooth compatible computers and cell phones, allowing for easy downloading and remote, on-the-go programming. And that's just a taste of what's new. Visit www.mindstorms.com to learn more!

Can Machines Think?

The idea of machines that think involves a concept called artificial intelligence, or "AI." Artificial intelligence is the science of making intelligent machines, especially intelligent computer programs. The ultimate goal of some AI research is to make computer programs that solve problems and achieve goals as well as humans.

No one can predict when, if ever, this will happen, but some progress has been made. In 1997, an IBM robot named Deep Blue defeated world chess champion Gary Kasparov in a six-game match. Deep Blue was able to examine 200 million possible board positions every second, making it very hard to beat! Plus it never got angry, worried, or tired, the way a human would.

Some scientists believe that delays in achieving AI have less to do with the speed or capabilities of the computer, and more to do with the fact that humans just don't know how the mind works very well. Until we have that understanding, we may have a hard time programming computers to behave like the human mind.

So next time you are building or roleplaying with your BIONICLE or Exo-Force sets, stop and think - someday, you might be the scientist that makes LEGO science fiction real!

Solving the Cube

With two clamping arms, a camera, a number of RCX bricks, some custom software programming and a bunch of other LEGO elements - not to mention a Rubik's Cube - this inspiring robotic creation can solve this popular blocky puzzle on its own in just ## minutes!

FIRST LEGO League

A great way to start exploring or practice your robot building and programming skills and have a lot of fun is to join a FIRST LEGO LEAGUE (FLL) team in your local area. Organized by schools, scout troops, and other youth and community groups, FLL team members are kids between the ages of 9 and 14 who design and build their own robotic creations as part of the national FLL competition.

Developed by the LEGO Group in partnership with the non-profit organization FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), FLL pits teams of young robot designers against each other in friendly competition to solve an annual Challenge. Each year has an overall theme (underwater exploration and preservation in 2005) that changes each year, and state and regional competitions provide plenty of opportunities to get involved. Joining a team to design, build, and compete with unique LEGO robotic creations is lots of fun, and what's more, you'll feel the thrill of working on a team to accomplish a goal. For more information, please visit the following websites:

LEGO MINDSTORMS:

www.mindstorms.com

FIRST LEGO LEAGUE:

www.firstlegoleague.org

External Links

• LEGO Models Rocket to the Future! LEGO BrickMaster Magazine January-February 2006 page 1, page 2, page 3, page 4, (archived on www.biomediaproject.com)