The new kit includes directions for up to 17 different robots, most of which look like scary-style animals such as snakes and scorpions. The third full generation of Lego's programmable robotics platform, EV3 is aimed at both enthusiasts - young and older - and educators, and blows past the previous generation with a long list of new features that add speed and power, intelligent programmability, and more ways to communicate with the robots.
MINDSTORMS EV3 marks the first time that users can program directly onto the brand new EV3 Intelligent Brick. In past iterations, users were only allowed to program their robots from the computer, and then run the application through the robot. The Intelligent Brick allows users to add or change commands and actions directly from the brick.
Each programmable EV3 brick comes with an ARM9 robotic processor, an SD expansion slot and embedded 16MB flash memory, Linux, Bluetooth 2.1, iOS and Android compatibility, a USB 2.0 interface allowing Wi-Fi connectivity, four input and output ports, a Matrix display with a loudspeaker.
MINDSTORMS EV3 features three interactive servo motors (two Large similar to NXT ones and one Medium); one touch sensor; one color sensor able to detect six colors and absence of color; one infrared seeker sensor that can measure distance, movement, giving robots the ability to see and detect various objects; and one infrared "beacon" designed to control the robots remotely from a distance of up to 6 feet. Up to four bricks can be daisy-chained, and the USB port and Wi-Fi connectivity allow for a wide range of expansion. MINDSTORMS EV3 is also backwards compatible with all MINDSTORMS NXT robots, allowing users to utilize everything they bought during the NXT generation with EV3.
The most important element of the MINDSTORMS EV3 platform is its programming environment. The system runs on Linux-based firmware. While the primary way users can program their MINDSTORMS robots is to do so in the development interface on their computers, and then download the instructions to the robots, the intelligent bricks also have an interface that allows for simple programming. At the same time, LEGO will soon release mobile apps that can be used to design programs for the robots.
MINDSTORMS EV3 marks the first time that users can program directly onto the brand new EV3 Intelligent Brick. In past iterations, users were only allowed to program their robots from the computer, and then run the application through the robot. The Intelligent Brick allows users to add or change commands and actions directly from the brick.
Each programmable EV3 brick comes with an ARM9 robotic processor, an SD expansion slot and embedded 16MB flash memory, Linux, Bluetooth 2.1, iOS and Android compatibility, a USB 2.0 interface allowing Wi-Fi connectivity, four input and output ports, a Matrix display with a loudspeaker.
MINDSTORMS EV3 features three interactive servo motors (two Large similar to NXT ones and one Medium); one touch sensor; one color sensor able to detect six colors and absence of color; one infrared seeker sensor that can measure distance, movement, giving robots the ability to see and detect various objects; and one infrared "beacon" designed to control the robots remotely from a distance of up to 6 feet. Up to four bricks can be daisy-chained, and the USB port and Wi-Fi connectivity allow for a wide range of expansion. MINDSTORMS EV3 is also backwards compatible with all MINDSTORMS NXT robots, allowing users to utilize everything they bought during the NXT generation with EV3.
The most important element of the MINDSTORMS EV3 platform is its programming environment. The system runs on Linux-based firmware. While the primary way users can program their MINDSTORMS robots is to do so in the development interface on their computers, and then download the instructions to the robots, the intelligent bricks also have an interface that allows for simple programming. At the same time, LEGO will soon release mobile apps that can be used to design programs for the robots.