The Turing Machine Made Real, In Lego

#computerhacks #toyhacks #lego #legoideas #turingmachine #hackaday
posted by pod_feeder_v2

Lego Ideas - Working Turing Machine

What is a #Turing machine?

Depending on who you ask, it's either an abstract model of an algorithmic machine or an esoteric programming language. It's named after its creator, Alan Turing– an English #cryptologist.
The machine consists of:

• an infinitely long (in real life: long enough to do all practical programs) tape with symbols that can be moved left and right
• a "head" over one of the symbols that can read it and overwrite it with a new one,
• some registers containing the state of the machine,
• a table linking each combination of state and symbol to an instruction what to do next.

…and the working cycle of the machine looks like this:

• read the symbol from the tape
• based on the symbol and the state, see what to do next in the table
• based on the instruction, go to a new state and print a new symbol in place of the one that has been read
• also based on the instruction, move the tape 1 symbol left or right or exit the program

The cycle continues until the machine stops. This way it can execute any computer algorithm.

https://ideas.lego.com/projects/10a3239f-4562-4d23-ba8e-f4fc94eef5c7

#Lego #encryption #BletchleyPark #WWII #analog #computers #LegoIdeas

The people wanted Lego bike lanes, and Lego is finally listening

For years, the streets in Lego’s city sets — once called base plates — had space for cars, people, even tiny storm drains, but no designated lanes for zero-emission, human-powered vehicles like bikes. Even worse, it appeared that Lego’s streets had become more hostile toward pedestrians and cyclists over time. As compared to Lego sets from years ago, the cars seem to have grown larger — evolving from four- to six-studs wide — and the roads appeared to be getting wider, while the sidewalks were getting more and more narrow.

Support bike lanes on Lego City Streets on Lego Ideas!

#bicycle #bike #cycling #cycle #lanes #bikepaths #pistecyclable #lego #legoideas #city #urban #townplanning #infrastructure