Lego kits such as the Mindstorm NXT line help prove the point that the toy bricks aren't just for kids. The kit sells for an impressive $250, and includes all manner of goodies, from programmable software to ultrasonic sensors. If the beauty of such an expensive kit is that you can build anything you dream up, then Anders Søborg’s color image scanner built from a Mindstorm NXT set is a testament to that claim.

Søborg used a HiTechnic color scanner popular with Mindstorm NXT fans that swiftly pans across an image and is able to save it in both color and grayscale on the NXT's flash memory. An LCD on the scanner allows you to sift through its options, and the end scanning results — while it won't replace your copy machine at the office — are impressive, especially for a Lego kit.

Click continue for a video demonstration that also shows you how to build your own.

Søborg’s NXT Scanner, via Thoughts From The Sidelines