So, you think building things with Lego is just kids’ stuff? Actually, we know it’s not just kids’ stuff – Technic kits can be intricately detailed and incredibly complex, but the real beauty of Lego comes with the fusion of creativity and engineering.
If you need proof, look no further than this brilliant video from the Brick Experiment Channel on YouTube. Actually, the channel is filled with all kinds of clever videos, with this gap-crossing challenge being the most recent. The goal is to cross ever-increasing gaps with a simple Lego vehicle, built using a modest assortment of bricks and more complex Technic components with gears and motors to add functionality. But there’s so much more to this than just playing with Legos.
It starts simple enough with a very basic car on four wheels, trying to cross a small two-inch gap between tables. The gap is widened with each successful crossing, requiring new modifications to keep the car going at each step. The early solutions are simple ones – add bigger wheels, make the car longer, add more drive wheels, and so forth.
But as the gap grows ever larger, the fusion of creativity and engineering begins to shine through. A stronger frame keeps the lengthed car from bottoming out, and when the frame is too long, moving the center of gravity lets one side of the car hang over the gap at any given time.
From there it gets even more inspired. Wheels are added and removed. Moving beans are created as a type of portable bridge. Support structures are lightened without reducing strength. Folks, this is legitimate engineering in action, and as a result, this Lego test car ultimately clears a span of nearly three feet. All from a collection of interlocking brinks with gears, motors, and wheels.
Sure, you can build cool little houses and neat spaceships. But underneath it all is a level of creative engineering that sparks the imagination, and that’s something everyone can appreciate.
Source: Brick Experiment Channel via Nerdist
Source: Read Full Article