Robot Remix - Helicopter

Last summer, the LEGO MINDSTORMS Community Partners were challenged to come up with a creative design using pieces from the EV3 LEGO Robotics kit (31313) and the new LEGO Technic Fire Plane (42040). Four designs were chosen:  a helicopter that flies in a circle, a cat that turns his head back and forth, an airplane that transforms itself into a standing winged robot, and a dancer that shakes his hips like Elvis Presley. Each design was clever and unique, but clearly fairly sophisticated in their engineering and programming. A few weeks ago, the NXTStep blog published the building instructions and program files for all 4 designs. I was intrigued by the helicopter, but I don't have the Fire Plane. I do, however, have the LEGO Technic Fire Truck (8289), so I decided to give it a try.

What I discovered is that most of the specialty pieces from the Fire Plane set are not functional, but structural. Consequently, it was quite easy to substitute something similar from elements I had on hand. My biggest concern was the helicopter blades, but the swords from the EV3 home edition worked well. The only difficult part was figuring out how to attach them to the rotor in a way that would allow them to spin freely and provide the lift needed to lift the tail and spin the helicopter.

It took me 2 tries to build the main body of the helicopter (the gearing system is very complex). The hardest part was not having access to the original CAD files so that I could observe the model from different directions. The pictures in the building instructions are quite good, but with all the black on black pieces, it's difficult to see how to connect the lower section to the upper section in the last few steps.

I think this is a great STEM activity for those fast finishers who need an extra project. Challenge them to build the helicopter (or one of the other Robot Remix models) using only the components you have on hand in your classroom. Give them the building instructions knowing they are going to have to improvise at points along the way and see what they come up with. Remember, this is a working model, not a decorative one, so "close" isn't good enough to get the copter flying. Good luck and have fun.