Lego Mindstorms EV3: Build, program a robot in 20 minutes

Many tech-savvy kids can operate a smartphone before they can swim or make their own meals. If the folks behind Lego Mindstorms have their way, they'll be creating robots before doing those other things, too.

Lego Mindstorms gets a lot of credit for kick-starting the "smart toy" category when it launched its first wave of programmable robots in 1998. Now, the Danish company is set to unleash a new robotic invasion, its first since unveiling second-generation Lego Mindstorms NXT robots 7 years ago. The result is Lego Mindstorms EV3, a new consumer-oriented platform shown at CES that targets Lego builders ages 10 and older. Lego Mindstorms says the robots' modular designs can enable a youngster to build and program a robot in as little as 20 minutes.

That would just be the start, of course — hobbyists can hack away from there. There are many enthusiasts, with Lego leagues and robotics competitions. The prestigious Carnegie-Mellon University has developed a curriculum based on Lego Mindstorms.

The $350 EV3 kits are due out the second half of 2013, and will be sold online and at major toy retailers. Reflecting Lego Mindstorms' international presence, the robots will also be released in numerous countries overseas, including first-ever native-language editions for Russia, China and Korea.

The EV3 system is powered by an "Intelligent Brick" that has an ARM processor, embedded 16 megabytes of Flash memory, 64 MB of RAM, plus an SD expansion slot. The Linux operating system is at its core, and the brick has USB 2.0, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and ports that would let you connect up to four other bricks. Out of the box, the EV3 is compatible with iOS and Android, letting you control robots with your phones or tablets.

On the hardware side, there are three interactive servo motors, two touch sensors, and an infrared beacon that can control the robot remotely from up to 6 feet away. Lego Mindstorms says an improved color sensor can detect the presence of six colors or the absence of color. The system is backwards- compatible with previous-generation Lego Mindstorms NXT robots.

To help novices get started, EV3 will include building instructions for 17 robots. These include "Everstorm" a Mohawk‐sporting humanoid that shoots mini‐spheres as it walks, "Spiker" a scorpion‐like robot that searches for an IR beacon "bug," and "Reptar" a robotic snake that slithers, shakes and — as I discovered during an early demonstration — strikes with menace.

Camilla Bottke, who leads the Lego Mindstorms project globally, says, "We are equipping today's tech‐literate generation of children with a more accessible, yet sophisticated robotics kit that meets their tech play expectations and abilities to truly unleash their potential so that they may surprise, impress and excite the world with their creativity."