Niko - LEGO Robot Equipped With Nokia N900 Phone and Controlled via Twitter

During the PUSH N900 competition, initiated by Nokia in the United States, teams where asked to develop new ways of using the Maemo smartphone. One of the most original projects is called Niko, which is a LEGO robot that can be controlled by making use of the Twitter.

The robot is made entirely from LEGO Mindstorm NXT 2.0 parts. Featuring custom software, Niko uses Twitter API to check a special Twitter account for instructions. The account @N900Niko has been set up exclusively for the project.

By sending commands from the Twitter account, users are able to use the 5Mpx camera, mounted on the robot, to take pictures or instruct the machine to move around the room. After taking a picture, Niko can automatically upload it to Twitpic. Photos taken by the robot are available here.