Lego Mindstorms NXT

A humanoid robot made of Lego bricks, with a programmable module for a torso.
Build it, and it will walk. Photo: Lego

Lego Mindstorms is a kit containing sensors, motors, and a computing module. It allows children (and adults) to use Lego bricks to build and program autonomous robots. No soldering required!

Creator

Lego

Year
2004
Country
Denmark 🇩🇰
Categories
Features
Lego robot solves Rubik's Cube. Video: Robotic Solutions

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Did you know?

Mindstorms is named after the book "Mindstorms: Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas" (1980), by computer scientist and educator Seymour Papert.

A humanoid robot made of Lego bricks, with a programmable module for a torso. behind it are two other shapes for the robot.
The Mindstorms NXT kit in three different configurations. Photo: Toru Hanai/Reuters

History

Lego offered the first version of Mindstorms, based on an 8-bit microcontroller, for retail sale in 1998. In 2006, the company unveiled the next generation, called Lego Mindstorms NXT, which included more advanced sensors and computing capabilities. The Mindstorms NXT 2.0 was launched in 2009. The brain of the Mindstorms set is a computing brick called NXT, which can be programmed with easy-to-use software powered by LabVIEW from National Instruments. In 2013, Lego announced the Mindstorms EV3, which the company described as a more "hackable" robotics kit.

Specs

Overview

Has 619 parts, graphical programming environment, Bluetooth-enabled for wireless operation.

Status

Ongoing

Year

2004

Website
Weight
2.1 kg
Sensors

Two touch sensors, one ultrasonic sensor, one color/light sensor.

Actuators

Three servomotors

Degrees of Freedom (DoF)
3
Materials

ABS plastic for most regular bricks.

Compute

Lego NXT brick with 32-bit microprocessor, matrix display, four input and three output ports, Bluetooth and USB communication link.

Software

NXT software, powered by National Instruments LabVIEW.

Power

Six 1.5-V AA batteries

Cost
$280 (Lego Mindstorms NXT 2.0)