Moon Rover
A remotely controlled probe with a live feed onboard camera. Features remotely controlled camera turret, drive and steering, and a complex arm.
Datasheet:
Completion date: 27/07/2008
Power: electric (Power Functions)
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 1.3 kg
Suspension: pendular bogies
Motors: 7 x PF Medium, 1 x PF XL
This construction resulted from a concept of using a custom wireless live feed camera to have a vehicle that can be controlled from the front of a computer. It used all 8 IR channels offered by the PF system for remote control. The chassis was built around a battery box, and consisted of 4 identical pendular bogies, all driven, and all equipped with separate tracks.
The body housed a motor that turned lights on or off remotely, a motor rotating the camera turret, and the entire arm. The arm was protruding forwards, in order to appear within the camera’s limited field of view while facing forwards. It consisted of two sections, second one could be elevated and rotated lengthwise by 360 degrees, and housed a simple claw mechanism. Finally, the camera turret could rotate through 180 degrees, and the camera could be elevated through 75 degrees. To make it possible to adjust the camera’s position without looking at the vehicle, there was an azimuth marker on the front part of the body. In the same front part of the body was an array of lights, present also in the camera turret and in the arm.
The rover did pretty well, it was able to drive and look around, and to pick up small objects with satisfactory precision. Thanks to the arm’s location, it was easily possible to see the picked object through the camera. I have initially intended this construction to be followed by a line of several other, more sophisticated and more specialised rovers, but this never happened.
@Daniel
I don’t think it has a name. It’s just a simple industrial surveillance camera, you can buy plenty of these at eBay. Or, better, you can use your phone instead, like I did here: http://sariel.pl/2012/10/nxt-peeping-tom/
@Sariel
What camera did you use? Please give me the name because I think I would really like that camera.
@SPARTA
Not much, it was mostly for the fun.
How useful was the camera?
@Mecho123451
No.
You glued the camera to a brick… By my rules that counts as not a purest. Anyway do you know of any digital live cameras about that size?
@Mecho12345
I am a purist. Guess you missed that fact.
Wow cool one thing you should of done is slice a pf extension wire in half, get the 2 + and – cords out and put them on the camera so you have a camera that is powered by a battery box. (unless your a purest)
you can actually have more than 8 channels for a pf system. also, why lego does not make stuff this awesome is beyond me
@Tim
Analogue to digital signal converter and a software called EZ Grabber.
waht did u use to capture the video from the wireless camera?
@tinesubic
Try eBay, look for industrial surveillance cameras.
Where did you get that camera? I’m really interested in buying one.
@RjbsNXT
No peeping on girls, remember! 😉
I love the raw design of this model and how there are so many functions in such a small space. I also have that camera but the battery connector is broken :(. I am considering building something like this in the future with an onboard camera because it is so useful for spying 🙂
@Isaac
The font is called Nasalization: http://www.dafont.com/nasalization.font
What is the name of the font? I’m making a compact rover that drives out of a spaceship, and I want a font fitting when I’m done.
yes i have them,you mean that rings of the technic 8294 excavator, sounds simple ,thanks
@sergio
Well, you can use a single motor for multiple functions if you have the transmission driving rings. Just like in the latest Lego sets, you can use rings to switch the motor from one function to another.
very cool
i want build same as yours but i only have 4 motors, 2 medium and 2 XL
do you think there is a way to build a moon rover with arm with 4 motors?
P.S. sorry for my bad English
@NoName
It’s controlled by standard infrared handset, there is no problem with the signal, it bounces off the walls.
Than you operate yours Rover? After all it not radio system. And you cannot operate it from the standard panel when are in a room behind the computer, when in the meantime it not in visibility radius.