EV3 hackathon at the OHM2013 Event!

If you haven’t heard of the OHM2013 event then you’ve probably been living under a bit of a rock.  It’s a truly massive hacking event in the Netherlands that takes place every 4 years (albeit under a different name each time).  This year is extra special because Steven Canvin, the former manager of the MINDSTORMS robotics community, will be there to present the new LEGO® MINDSTORMS™ EV3 and hold a hacking contest. Seeing as the system runs on Linux, this should result in some very interesting hacks, indeed!  Check out the official press release:

PRESS RELEASE
Friday, July 5, 2013

LEGO® MINDSTORMS™ EV3 premiere to be hacked at OHM2013
On July 31, 2013, former LEGO® MINDSTORMS™ community-manager Steven Canvin will reveal the new MINDSTORMS release, EV3, at Dutch outdoor hacker conference OHM2013: Observe. Hack. Make. His goal is to have the EV3 hacked before the end of the conference on August 4, 2013.

“I would love to see the EV3 hacked, and I mean properly hacked, at OHM2013”, Steven says. He will provide information on the MINDSTORMS EV3 firmware and software to the visitors of OHM2013, when the LEGO Group’s embargo on this information lifts on August 1. Before that date, he will reveal the great stories about the process of building the EV3. Steven will share his first-hand experience of letting go of traditional product development and involving a worldwide community of creators, modders and hackers.

OHM2013 is a 5-day outdoor camping festival that hosts some 3,000 hackers and makers from all over the world. It is a four year tradition in The Netherlands to hold such an event. This year’s event will take place from July 31th till August 4th. Besides a full program of over 300 lectures, workshops, lightning talks, films and other presentations, it also hosts a big hardware-hacking area. All kinds of hardware hacking will be present; blacksmithing and welding, laser cutting, 3D-printing, CNC routing, electronics, robotics, and obviously: LEGO MINDSTORMS hacking. More information about the event and the program can be found at ohm2013.org.

As LEGO has announced last January, you can turn your LEGO creations into live robots that follow your every command with LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3. The new LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 set includes everything you  need – motors, sensors, programmable brick, 550+ LEGO Technic elements, remote control – to create and command robots of even your wildest  imagination, including five cool robot characters. Download the 3D building  instructions and the app to command your robot via your smart device. Then program your robots to walk, talk, move and do whatever you want  them to do to via the intuitive software program, the programmable brick or your smart device.