For anyone looking for more of this, there are several channels that are all pushing LEGO Technic to its limits, not just Brick Technology (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@BrickTechnology" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/@BrickTechnology</a>).<p>Some of my other favorites in this niche include:<p>Brick Experiment Channel: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@BrickExperimentChannel" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/@BrickExperimentChannel</a><p>Dr. Engine: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@DrEngine" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/@DrEngine</a><p>Brick Machines: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@BrickMachinesChannel" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/@BrickMachinesChannel</a><p>Jamie's Brick Jams: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@JamiesBrickJams" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/@JamiesBrickJams</a><p>Build it with Bricks: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@BuilditwithBricks" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/@BuilditwithBricks</a><p>GazR's Extreme Brick Machines!: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@GazRsExtremeBrickMachines" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/@GazRsExtremeBrickMachines</a>
Blog spam for <a href="https://youtu.be/HY6q9hwYcoc?si=VCBF2FlHADUZyH_1" rel="nofollow">https://youtu.be/HY6q9hwYcoc?si=VCBF2FlHADUZyH_1</a>
This is very impressive and looks quite fun! Do higher end competitions, like FRC, can also support the iterative approach of trial and error to solve a problem ? Not sure if due to lot of small parts and dependencies - particularly with software- its much harder to iterate around it
Slightly off-topic, but I was recently very disappointed to learn that Lego Mindstorms was discontinued some time ago without replacement. It’s such a shame that hardly modifiable licensed IP shovelware sets are now by far the most profitable product lines for Lego. Supposedly that’s true in Asian markets in particular. The kinds of sets we grew up with that inspire creativity and technical understanding are at best kept as a niche, at worst abandoned.
For the climber, I thought the final solution was going to end up being rails that just pushed a weight further out from center mass at the top of the tower. The ball pendulum was cool nonetheless!
About half-way in they encounter problems with the barrel jamming, which reminded me of this interesting challenge wintergaten had with his ball separator: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y83I8mLKufo" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y83I8mLKufo</a>
I'm disappointed to see that he didn't try the simplest and most obvious solution: deploy a telescopic boom that pushes the tower against the floor.