Lego Mindstorms NXT

By Jimmy Daniels
Contributing Writer, RealTechNews

This has to be one of the coolest things I have seen in awhile, the Lego Mindstorms NXT is a kit for sell from the Lego Group, in August of this year, that lets you build and program your own working robot. It comes equipped to communicate with your PC or Mac thru USB 2.0 or Bluetooth, and, using Bluetooth, it can communicate with say your phone and vice versa.

The Mindstorms robots are built with four sensors: Ultrasonics that function as eyes, as well as those that react to light, sound or touch. Further, the robots are Bluetooth-enabled, meaning they can be controlled by, and can control, any Bluetooth device.

Lund demonstrated, for example, how with his Bluetooth phone, he could direct the movement of one of the robots. Then he showed how the robot was programmed so that when it moved and bumped into something, it would send a signal to his phone directing it to snap a digital photograph.

He also showed off the other sensors by waving his hand in front of a scorpion robot, which then swiped its stinger at him. But when he put his hand further out in front of the scorpion and moved it slowly toward the toy, the scorpion retreated warily. Source:News.com

We Say: I can’t wait to see this, just too bad I don’t have a kid with a birthday in August, when it is expected to debut. They said they have been working with Mindstorm enthusiasts to create the new version, paying beta testers in Lego kits and getting their input on design an programming. These people actually get a four month head start over everyone else. Sounds like a cool hobby, wonder how I could get on that panel without actually owning one, hehe.