Lego Machines

[ItsaGoodyear]

Hey I have seen a few Lego sorters out there and wondered if anyone has ever made a tutorial on something like this-

Or one that can separate colors such as Light Grey & Light Blueish Grey that are the same part.

I would love it if they had a tutorial of how to build something like this.

Any ideas would be awesome ^-^

(If I placed this in the wrong section I am sorry)

[Saberwing40k]

Sorry pal, a machine like this is relatively simple mechanically, but any kind of machine vision is really hard. And, at best, it would be a demonstrator system, not anything you could actually use.

[DrJB]

Agreed, the mechanics are relatively simple. The biggest challenge is in the image acquisition and then processing for shape/color recognition. Well, color is easy, of course. I bet the builder used a computer to do all the shape recognition algorithm.

Edited April 29, 2016 by DrJB

[bj51]

Akiyuki built excellent liftarms and axles sorters :

[mostlytechnic]

That first video is also akiyuki - and yes, it's using a computer with a webcam (plus a digital scale) to do the identification. It's just sorting by plate / technic brick / technic beam / brick / tile / other, but if you watch, it's doing pretty much instant identification to the exact part. It could sort them in more detail if it had a way to handle the different pieces (ie more output bins).

[andrewganschow]

I would love to have the axle sorter built, I've got a million axles to sort. Liftarms aren't as bad, but automated sorting is a major plus when trying to build effectively.

[ItsaGoodyear]

Is there any instructions to build something like the color sorter then but instead of axles being something like 2x2 plates, or disks or 1x1 plates? Cause I have parts of same variations that I have no clue what the color is. (Dark Blue Grey, Dark Gray and Light Blue Grey and Light Grey). Again I am willing to spend money on and make myself but I don't have anywhere near the tech brain power to do that.

MostlyTech- So it is possible to make one of these.... Is there a tutorial out there? Honestly this would be awesome if I could spend my own money on making something like this with a tutorial out there ^-^

[BusterHaus]

You could probably do it with Mindstorms but it will be much cheaper and quicker to find a kid in your neighborhood who's willing to sort bricks for a whole Saturday for $20.

Edited April 2, 2016 by BusterHaus

[ItsaGoodyear]

Sadly I don't have anyone around here like that :/ Everyones around here is lazy and corrupt.

Hell I hired a guy around here just last week here was a few people I hired. 1st day working with him he injured his leg, 2nd-5th day He couldn't come in because said injury , 6th day Couldn't come in because he injured his kid on accident and wife was pissed, 7th Sunday I don't schedule anyone to work, 9th day I couldn't get ahold of him, 10th day his wife came bitching at me on the phone cause she's nuts, 11th day... HE CAME IN! :D OMG! I couldn't believe it!, 12th day sick

1 guy I can only get on Thursdays if I am lucky cause his wife is a control freak. Which is why he works with me. And I have so much to do that I can't have him sort. Again I do more then Legos.

Last guy, I can only contact him if I go to his house and search for him and wait for him all day. No reception, Doesn't get online and no land line. And I don't get that much time to just wait for him.

Again getting instructions for something like this would be great XD

[Boulderer]

Mindstorms can sort the main colours; black, white, red, blue, green, yellow. I'm not sure it could differentiate between light grey ang light bluish grey. That can be tough for the human eye at the best of times.

[Jim]

  On 4/29/2016 at 2:51 AM, ItsaGoodyear said:

Sadly I don't have anyone around here like that :/ Everyones around here is lazy and corrupt.

Hell I hired a guy around here just last week here was a few people I hired. 1st day working with him he injured his leg, 2nd-5th day He couldn't come in because said injury , 6th day Couldn't come in because he injured his kid on accident and wife was pissed, 7th Sunday I don't schedule anyone to work, 9th day I couldn't get ahold of him, 10th day his wife came bitching at me on the phone cause she's nuts, 11th day... HE CAME IN! :D OMG! I couldn't believe it!, 12th day sick

1 guy I can only get on Thursdays if I am lucky cause his wife is a control freak. Which is why he works with me. And I have so much to do that I can't have him sort. Again I do more then Legos.

Last guy, I can only contact him if I go to his house and search for him and wait for him all day. No reception, Doesn't get online and no land line. And I don't get that much time to just wait for him.

Again getting instructions for something like this would be great XD

I get it that you like instructions, but is it really necessary to add al the other details?!