Released in 2013, Lego Mindstorms EV3 marked a major leap in robotics for children. Building on the work from the excellent Lego NXT series, EV3 gave children and adults the freedom to create pretty much whatever their heart’s desired. Now, 7 years later, Lego is hoping that their newest entry into the Mindstorms series will take the next giant leap in robotics education.
Lego Mindstorms Robot Inventors is designed around building and coding your own robots. The kit features 949 pieces, which includes a colour sensor, distance sensor, four motors, and Lego’s Bluetooth-enabled “Intelligent Hub.”
The new Mindstorms set looks fabulous straight out of the box, You receive lots of little bags packed full of colourful parts, some stickers and a small booklet with some links. There are no instructions in the box, with digital instructions being favoured instead. The model instructions, as well as videos, code examples and the coding software are all contained within the new Mindstorms app.
The app is well designed and easy to navigate. Upon opening, you are presented with large icons which lead you to the pages for each of the 5 starter robots. Charlie is a cute little android packed with personality. Tricky is the sports bot and comes with many different games to play. MVP is a utility bot that can feature a grabber, brick eater and even a missile launcher. Gelo is a robotic canine, similar to the famous Boston Dynamics creations. Finally there is Blast, the humanoid ‘main bot’ of the Robot Inventors kit.
Each of the 5 robot models starts with a base build. The builder is then presented with the option to choose from several additional activities to further develop and refine their robot. Charlie, which is the first robot we tested, has ten additional activities to add to the base model including: a golf multiplayer game, a drum kit and a ski board. This new approach is a welcome improvement over the EV3 set. When you wish to start a new project, it’s as simple as removing the additional parts/code and starting again with your base model already built. This is in contrast with the EV3 kit, which only has one mode for each of its 5 robots. Once you get bored, you have to tear the entire thing down and start again.
The biggest improvement that the 51515 Robot Inventor kit brings is in the coding software. The new Mindstorms app allows a choose from Scratch or Python style coding, giving the user the option of block base coding or text based coding. This is such a drastic improvement over the coding software provided with the previous EV3 system. Speaking as an educator who has used the Mindstorms sets in school classrooms, this new approach to the coding is a game changer and will allow so many more children (and adults) of just about any ability to enjoy playing and learning with Lego Mindstorms.
The Robot Inventor Kit isn’t a perfect new addition however. There are a few complaints from hardcore Mindstorms users which shouldn’t go unmentioned.
The wires which connect the motors to the “intelligent hub” are now hard wired rather than removable. Users will need to be more careful when pulling robots apart, because snapped cables will be a lot more expensive to replace now that they are built into the motors. It is a little disappointing that this new kit appears to be less flexible in its design than the previous EV3 was.
Another point of contention is Lego’s decision to remove the ability to link multiple “intelligent bricks” together (also knows as “daisy chaining”). Hardcore Lego Mindstorms enthusiasts have voiced a lot of criticism over this removed feature, as it seemingly limits the scale and scope of the creations that can be built.
Overall, the Lego Mindstorms Robot Inventor kit is a wonderfully impressive addition to the Mindstorms series. The base package is a smart upgrade on the previous entries in the series with hours and hours of content to make and play with out of the box. This is before you factor in all of the fantastic creative possibilities that users will be able to design & make for themselves. The new coding software is head and shoulders above the previous EV3 software in accessibility and user-friendliness.
Let’s hope that Lego will continue to support the 51515 kit with extra features and add-ons for users to enjoy later down the line. Hopefully some of the negative aspects that current hardcore Mindstorms enthusiasts are disappointed with will be addressed throughout the product’s life.
JD Build Lab 