Page 206 - LEGO MINDSTORMS - Robotics Invention System-2 Projects

Robot 7 • The LEGO Safe

The vault area of the LEGO Safe is the perfect place to keep valuables pro-
tected from intruders. The Safe is automated and requires a special sequence to
be pushed into the touch sensors in order for the door to open. The light sensor
hidden inside the Safe will sound an alarm when the door opens. Additional
LEGO bricks may be used to make the Safe bigger to hold more items.
Unlike the bank safes seen in Westerns, the LEGO Safe is computer con-
trolled and doesn’t have a dial. To open the door, the owner must remember a
sequence of pushes on the touch sensors. The touch sensors are color coded
with colored bricks to aid the owner in remembering the code. If someone
snoops and finds out the code, re-programming the RCX can easily secure the
Safe again.
You could invent variations on the Safe; for example, you could make it a
music box by programming the light sensor to play a tune instead of sounding
a warning. A LEGO figure attached to the end of a bendable tube could pop
out and spin around using the power from a second motor—just like the balle-
rina inside a beautiful music box!
Follow the instructions in this chapter, adding your own final touches, to
create a personal LEGO Safe to keep belongings secure.

192