Date: 2024-11-18
tags: random, physics, robotics
Lego Mindstorms is a robotics "kit." It has motors, sensors, and a central controller that can be programmed from the computer. Normally, in order to get the motors to turn, the central controller needs to be powered and send out a signal. The normal MO was to have the motor plugged into the main controller. It blew my mind when I saw someone plug two motors into each other and use one motor to turn the other motor with no power source other the human! My understanding is that when you give power [1] to an electric motor, it generates movement and vice verse: when you turn a motor, it generates power.
I had basically all of my Mindstorms exposure in elementary school, and this happened to me in high school. So, perhaps this is one of those situations I only had knowledge from one area (Mindstorms) and only had exposure to the second (physics) much later, I didn't make the connections that I otherwise would have if I had exposure with higher temporal proximity.
[1] Whatever power means