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Turing Machine brought to life with Lego

Researchers put their Mindstorms to it

Check out this badass Turing Machine made from a single Lego Mindstorms Nxt kit, an impressive reincarnation of the classic concept conceived by maths boffin Alan Turing in 1936.

While Turing's idea had an infinite tape, the researchers that built this particular machine were limited to just 32.

Put together by Jereon van den Bos and Davy Landman, the Lego Turing machine is on display at the Centrum Wiskunde and Informatica in the Netherlands as part of a Alan Turing exhibition.

The famed scientist would have received his birthday letter from the Queen this Saturday and there are Turing events being organised worldwide to celebrate the landmark. ®

Re: Not really a LEGO Turing Machine!

True - Whilst a lovely demonstration, it would be more impressive were it a purely mechanical device.

Of course we'll both be downvoted for such an opinion by pseudo-fanbois who will then spluff all over the place when they actually see a purely mechanical LEGO one.

You know, like this:

http://www.turing2012.fr/?p=530&lang=en

13
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I must get some Mindstorms kit

it looks like great fun

Err, I mean I'm sure it would be a useful educational resource for my son.

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Re: What a job

What happens if that was the Carling or Foster's brewery?

7
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Not really a LEGO Turing Machine!

Yes it includes physical LEGO as a very small and insignificant part of the system, but all the real work is done inside an actual electronic computer.

6
1

Cool.

Really cool.

Let's send one into space.

(What happens to Lego in space? Does anyone know? Does the air in the brick cavities break the model up? I think someone should be finding this sort of thing out.)

4
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