EVB Puts BeagleBone In Your LEGO EV3 Projects

LEGO is one of the most popular building systems out there for geeks who like to tinker with robotics and DIY construction. The LEGO EV3 kit has a control system brain that allows the projects to be programmed with complex behaviors to do all sorts of stuff. A new brain for the Mindstorms kit called the EVB, which is a shield for BeagleBone Black, has debuted that aims to make projects built with the EV3 kit more functional.

It is fully supported by the LEGO Mindstorms EV3 system with full support for hardware and software. When used the EVB allows the Mindstorms EV3 system to run on BeagleBone Black. An extra sensor board in the EVB system allows the builder to do a lot more with their creations than is possible with the default Lego control system.

BeagleBone Black is a Linux computer that is about the size of a credit card and is capable of connecting to the Internet. The machine can run Android 4.0 and Ubuntu with power from an AM335x 720MHz ARM processor to provide real-time analysis. Since EVB runs BeagleBone it can be complemented with cape plug-in boards to augment functionality as needed.

The EVB project is on Kickstarter and was seeking $8,000. So far, it has raised over $31,000 and has seven days to go. A pledge of $68 or more will get you a full EVB kit minus the BeagleBone Black with delivery by April 2015. A full kit with seven sensors and the BeagleBone Black will cost $288.

SOURCE: Kickstarter