Robot Remix #5 - FOOD TRUCK

Food Truck by Young-jun YI

Robot Remixes offer new possibilities for your MINDSTORMS set. The Food Truck Robot Remix is a combination of the LEGO MINDSTORMS 31313 set and LEGO Technic 42076 set. It was created by Young-jun YI, a ROBOTMAKER from Korea.

Using MINDSTORMS, the Technic Hovercraft set is brought to life.

The Design Phase:

Young-jun came up with the idea to create a MINDSTORMS food truck when he saw the two sets. He was inspired by the propellers and linear actuators in the Technic 42076 set. The propeller parts looked like the exhausts of a food truck to him. The linear actuators could be used to open and close a door on the side of the truck just like in a real food truck.

A food truck is a common sight in all major cities around the world. The side of the truck lifts up to reveal a vendor who prepares and serves the food from inside the truck itself. The elements in the Technic set gave Young-jun the inspiration to create a truck with a side that lifts up. He started with the following detailed sketch which included the two key LEGO elements and explained how the mechanization might work.

How it Works:

Young-jun's final model remains very close to his original sketch. The mechanism for this model is simple. The side door is activated using the touch sensor. The same sensor is used to both lift open and close the door.  In addition, the vendor inside the truck serves food when activated using the infrared sensor.  When you wave your hand in front of the infrared sensor, the vendor raises his arms and serves two options. When you pick one of the options, the vendor says, "Thank you!"

For additional playability, you can manipulate the wheels of the food truck and spin the large propeller blades by hand. You can watch the video below to see the model in action.

Build Instructions and Code:

You can build a Food Truck yourself using these build instructions and this code.

Acknowledgements:

A special thank you Chung Su Yeon for assisting with translations.