The Arduino is a tiny programmable computer, with connections for motors, sensors and networking, that's taking the electronics hobby world by storm, with new projects showing up every day, so I thought I'd have a go.
The Arduino board (left) is powered by a USB plug, in this case a phone charger, and is able to directly drive servo motors, making it ideal for small robotics projects. The prototype board (right) lets you set up additional circuits, in this case a button to reset the position of the motors.
I built a simple robot arm out of Lego, with servos for the shoulder and elbow joints.
The servos have removable drive wheels, which have been glued to Lego pulley wheels for a strong but adjustable connection.
Every time the button is pressed, the arm randomly moves to a new position. Not exactly "Number 5 is alive", but it's still pretty fun to watch it swinging around. Look at it go!
