Synchropillar
![](https://e7794b2f29.clvaw-cdnwnd.com/bd60f68b9fdf392bee87589e0a942729/200000210-893758a312/synchropillar.jpg?ph=e7794b2f29)
I was invited by Syngress to join a team to create a "LEGO Mindstorms Masters" book, where we got to build whatever creations we want without restrictions to a particular set. We got to describe the science behind the design of the robots in as much detail as we wanted.
![](https://e7794b2f29.clvaw-cdnwnd.com/bd60f68b9fdf392bee87589e0a942729/200000211-58b0359a96/synchropillar_front.jpg?ph=e7794b2f29)
I created and wrote chapters for two designs, both having to do with LEGO pneumatics. The first design was PneumADDic II, and the second was Synchropillar, a pneumatic caterpillar designed using a technique I invented for controlling large numbers of pneumatic pistons in a coordinated way.
When I first got LEGO Pneumatics, I started trying to build circuits that behaved like the simple digital electronic circuits I learned about in college. It never worked. It took me a long time to figure out why, but I finally did.
With this understanding, I invented a new pneumatic circuit design technique called synchronous design. The technique is used almost exclusively in electronic digital design. The alternative to synchronous design is asynchronous design, long considered a black art.
Synchropillar is a pneumatic caterpillar much like my original caterpillar, but it uses half the number of pneumatic pistons and switches, and operates at twice the rate. I don't want to give too much away, as the book has not even gone to print yet, but I'm allowed to show images of the complete design.
![](https://e7794b2f29.clvaw-cdnwnd.com/bd60f68b9fdf392bee87589e0a942729/200000212-167641772a/synchropillar_side.jpg?ph=e7794b2f29)
![](https://e7794b2f29.clvaw-cdnwnd.com/bd60f68b9fdf392bee87589e0a942729/200000213-b8a6eb99f8/synchropillar_top.jpg?ph=e7794b2f29)