LEGO Mindstorms: three generations of robotics

Every child dreams of even a small set of designers "LEGO". And smart parents know that this is a good desire, which is worth doing, because the work with details not only allows you to take the baby for a while, but also develops small motor skills, affects the speech center, promotes the development of engineering skills. In addition, through the game, children learn the world and society. That's why the company "LEGO" has developed many rulers for all ages. For example, the DUPLO series is suitable for kids of 1.5-5 years, the FRIENDS line is designed for girls 5-12 years old, CITY is suitable for boys 5-12 years old, and for the older age there is a special set of LEGO Mindstorms. About this unusual designer is worth talking to separately, because it is a complex for creating and programming.

LEGO Mindstorms RXT

First of all, it is important to pay attention to the difference of this set from other series of "LEGO". The fact is that the LEGO Mindstorms robot is not just a designer, but a set of elements and power supplies that allow the figure to move and react to stimuli.

For the first time the company released such a designer in 1998. True, that version did not resemble the modern one. It was a set of standard parts like axles, wheels and gears, which included a processor, an infrared bidirectional port, a display with a built-in speaker and several sensors.

Of course, with such a set of details you will not fantasize much, but the number of instructions that can be found today, alas, was not. But nevertheless it was this designer who caused a lot of excitement and gave life to the line of LEGO Mindstorms. The creators worked hard to expand the capabilities and resources of this series and soon launched a new version of the designer.

Mindstorms NXT

In 2006, the second generation of robots Mindstorms, which was named NXT, was on sale. It is worth noting that there were several versions of this series. In 2009, released version NXT 2.0, which was slightly different from its predecessors and contained 613 dice. In it, in addition to the standard basic parts, there were already more advanced elements that allowed you to diversify the variations of the assembly and increase the functionality of the set. NXT 2.0 also included:

• Programmable unit.
• 3 servo motors, which can be used as rotary encoders.
• A color sensor that can determine the basic colors.
• Two touch sensors.
• Ultrasonic sensor, capable of determining the distance to objects and reacting to movement.
• A lot of axial and gear mechanisms, which allow you to drive separate parts.

Thanks to all these innovations, the robot assembled from the designer could sort by color small parts or balls, move and execute maneuvers, avoiding obstacles, etc. And especially advanced amateurs were able to program their fighter on the assembly of a cube-rubik. However, perhaps this is just a myth?

Mindstorms EV3

A modern set of EV3 appeared on the market in 2013 and immediately found a lot of fans, because the composition of the designer was improved, there were even more diverse sensors and sensors. Its distinguishing feature was the LINUX operating system and increased RAM up to 16 MB. In addition, there was more display, there was support for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. All this allowed the creators to fantasize! Only on the official site of LEGO Mindstorms instructions are presented for 17 assembly options (in the box there is a manual for only one model) of the available 601 parts. And on amateur forums you can find more than 50 models!

LEGO Mindstorms Education

It happens that there are not enough details for the idea. To buy them separately in Russia is unrealistic, and you can not take an expensive set of the Technic series for the sake of one gear. The company also took care of this! Today, the resource kits of LEGO Mindstorms Education are presented for attention. In their composition, even more variety of details, so that your child will be satisfied. Often, it is Education used in general education institutions, as well as in the centers of leisure creativity, where mugs of "LEGO" -construction are represented. Of course, together with the base set, there are as many as 1418 parts, from which you can create the most unimaginable robot!

Also, sets of Education are used in world competitions. Students and students between the ages of 10 and 21 can participate in them. Otherwise, this Olympiad is called the International Robots Contest (MCP). In Russia, they are held in 4 stages, and the winners are awarded a ticket to the summer robot camp!