Lego Vending Machine

Name of Model: Vending Machine II

Created by: Ricardo T.

Found at: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=229618

Details: Today's fascinating model of the day is a Lego Vending Machine built by Portuguese Lego enthusiast Ricardo T. It features a number of amazing building feats - for example, the lettering on the top made of really small pieces in the somewhat difficult to find light blue color. As someone who has attempted a similar project, I am also impressed by the sturdiness of the machine and the ability of the motors - in order for a project like this to work, the structure of the machine needs to be braced with other Lego parts to handle the weight of soda cans and motors needs to be geared in ways that will enable them to handle the load of the products. Specialized programming and careful arrangement of motors and sensors was required, as it is with most any Lego robot. Sadly, some cheating was neccessary - non-Lego springs and glass was used. In this case, I'll make an exception to my usual rules about sticking with Lego elements. A number of pictures of this stunning creation are available at it's directory on BrickShelf. If you poke around a bit there, you can see some details of the machine's inner workings.