Lego Boost is going to turn all your Lego toys into programmable robots CES is full of robots, but Lego robots... well, that doesn't happen every year.Educational codable robot toys have been a mega-trend in kid tech over the last year, from Jimu to Cozmo. Lego has had its own Mindstorm educational robotics kit for years, but its pieces come from the older-skewed Technics sets, as opposed to the piles of multicolored bricks everyone's basements are full of.Lego Boost is the idea that Lego was overdue to debut. It's a set of motors and programmable bricks that can work with existing Lego kits and turn them into motorized or motion-sensitive toys. And the app can record voice effects... so, yes, you can make your robot Lego-cat speak.The $160 set, coming in the second half of 2017, comes with instructions to build five different things out of the box: "Vernie the Robot, Frankie the Cat, the Guitar 4000, the Multi-Tool Rover 4 (M.T.R.4), and the Autobuilder." After that, any existing Legos can be glommed onto new creations, according to Lego: "a walking base for making animals like a dragon or a pony, a driving base for building vehicles like a dune buggy or rover, and an entrance base so that children can make their own castle, fort, or even a futuristic space station."
The kit is targeted at kids 7 and older.A companion Android and iOS app will handle the programming parts, using what Lego claims are basic coding instructions. Similar ideas live in most toy robot kits made over the last couple of years. Lego's advantage is, clearly, that you could potentially make a dancing dinosaur, a DIY Batmobile or a robotic Star Wars base. Or something of the sort.The Lego Boost comes with three Boost bricks that do most of the robotic heavy lifting, including a tilt sensor, a color and distance sensor and a motor. The set also comes with 843 pieces and a special playmate that the robots can move on.Stay tuned for hands-on impressions at CES, but this sounds like the Lego holiday gift to beat all Lego gifts. The connected home experience you didn't know you wanted Everything you need in a phone, except the headphone jack Apple iPad Pro (9.7-inch) The best iPad ever can't quite kill your laptop -- yet Visit manufacturer site for details.
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You'll have hours of mechanical fun with the LEGO® Mindstorms EV3. Create and command your own robot, then recreate it into various forms, whether that be a serpent or a magnificent monster. The set has everything you need including motors, sensors, a programmable brick, 550+ LEGO® Technic elements and a remote control. Back to top 1 Tech Age Kids Local CODING ROBOTS ELECTRONICS MINECRAFT CROWDFUNDING How do you choose between the LEGO Mindstorms EV3 and Meccanoid G15 (and G15 KS) robots? This was a question from one of our readers at Tech Age Kids so I thought I'd put a post together to answer the question in detail. We've written about the LEGO Mindstorms EV3 and Meccanoid G15 robots before so try those articles first if you want a basic introduction. They are both fun and interesting robot kits for kids but they're quite different and each will be the right choice for some families and children. If you're kids are robot crazy then you might want to acquire both over time but you'll still need to decide which one to pick first.
Update: Meccano have now released Meccanoid 2.0 and 2.0 XL the latest versions in the range. The comparison with the EV3 still stands, the new models aren't radically different but have an upgraded Mecca brain and other smaller improvements. Both of these robots are based on well-known and loved construction toy brands. Mindstorms uses LEGO pieces and can be extended with regular and Technic pieces. Meccanoid uses plastic rather than metal pieces but is compatible with regular Meccano and uses nut and bolt construction techniques. Both kits have an element of construction but they are quite different. Mindstorms offers several models that are fairly quick and easy to build for an experienced LEGO builder who has built kits from the Technic range (or other sets that use those pieces.) There are lots of different models to build from Mindstorms including ones that have been shared by the community. You can buy books with further ideas. Meccanoid is quite different.
It's a big build. Expect to spend several hours even on the smaller version of the robot. It's not a very difficult build and there are videos to follow along, but it is a big build. Kids will need to have plenty of patience or a willing adult helper. Dexterity is also important for working with the small nuts and bolts. Meccanoid also has instructions for Dinosaur models that can be built from either the G15 or G15 KS kits. It's not quick to change between models so you're likely to keep the robot in one form for a while. Meccanoid is very new so we may well see new models from the community and from SpinMaster Meccano in the future. Mindstorms is a very techie-looking kit in black and red and lot of the models are vehicles. The use of LEGO will draw a lot of children to the EV3. The use of Missions and the ability to build cool machines will attract kids who enjoy problem solving. Meccanoid on the other hand is a friendly-looking humanoid robot with a quirky personality and big eyes.
I'd say a broader range of kids would be drawn to Meccanoid from an entertainment and fun perspective. Kids definitely interact with Meccanoid as a personality rather than just a machine. Meccanoid, even the smaller G15 model, is much bigger than EV3 so it can appear more impressive at first glance. The G15 KS at 4 feet tall really does have the wow factor. Of course EV3 has the option to build lots of different models and you could add parts to make a bigger robot if you wanted to. Meccanoid G15 (and 2.0) 2 Large and 1 Small motor 4 servos in the arms (8 in the KS model) plus 2 motors for the feet Individually programmable RGB LEDs in eyes and servos Color Sensor, Touch Sensor, Infrared Sensor / Receiver Servos act as movement sensors. Phone camera used for motion control. Infrared Remote, Bluetooth, Physical Buttons. Voice, Bluetooth, Physical Buttons Meccanoid does very well in terms of output with its servos and motors and individually programmable RGB LEDs which are very appealing.
Mindstorms does better with sensors with a range of interesting sensors included in the box. Both platforms are extensible and you can already by a range of add on modules for EV3, an add-on servo for the Meccanoid is also available. Meccanoid has some interesting features with its built in commands (like Dance and High Five) and it's options for programming by physically moving the robot or using motion capture (replaced by behavior builder in 2016) to mimic a person's movement. It also tells (bad!) jokes and is fun at a birthday party. It has more built-in entertainment than Mindstorms EV3. EV3 on the other hand currently has more educational material with it's fun Missions that come with the software. LEGO Mindstorms has a Robot Commander app for quick and easy interaction and remote control play. It also has the EV3 Programming Software which uses drag and drop graphical coding and included 25 missions (using several different robot models) that kids can build and code their way through.
This offers some structured learning which is also entertaining. For more experienced coder there are also options for programming EV3 in C, C++, Python and other languages. There are lots of third party libraries, books and tutorials. Initially Meccanoid is 'programmed' using a choice of innovative approaches: Learned Intelligent Motion (physically moving the robot), Ragdoll Animation and Motion Capture (replaced by behavior builder in 2016). These are more about controlling and recording behaviour than true coding, but a lot can be accomplished with them. But there's hope for a lot more in the future as SpinMaster Meccano have said that it will be possible to program Meccanoid from a variety of languages in future: "Open Source Programming: Communication protocols will be made openly available on our website." This sounds very promising but we don't have the details yet. Update: The Meccanoid now has support behaviour builder drag and drop coding in the app. This is proper coding and works for Meccanoid G15 and 2.0 models.
This seriously increases the scope of programming for Meccanoid. It's early days for the app and there are some usability issues, but it's a huge step forward. Update: 2015 Smart Protocols details. Support for programming the Meccanoid with regular programming languages is limited so far and require the use of an Arduino rather than using the Mecca Brain. Mindstorms EV3 is recommended from age 10+ (though as we've said, it's definitely suitable for younger techie kids.) Meccanoid is also recommended for age 10+. Younger kids will get a lot from a robot once it's built but would struggle to construct the robot initially. Meccanoid G15 is battery powered whereas the G15KS has a useful rechargeable battery. The Meccanoid 2.0 smaller version is still battery powered whereas the larger XL version comes with a rechargeable battery pack. Mindstorms EV3 uses batteries but you can get a rechargeable battery pack (and one is included in the education edition.) LEGO Mindstorms already has a big community with forums, competitions and sharing of experiences.
Meccanoid is new and it will take time to reach the same level. Both robots have the possibility to be extended both in terms of their construction (via LEGO or Meccano) and their components. Meccanoid is interesting for its ability to use lots of motors. SpinMaster Meccano have also said that 3D models will be available so that add on parts can be 3D printed which is very interesting. (Update: This hasn't happened yet and there hasn't been any further mention of it, but users have started designed their own parts.) Mindstorms currently has more add-on modules with a range of sensors available. Price and Value for Money Mindstorms EV3 has a retail price of $349.99 whereas Meccanoid G15 is $179.99 and G15KS is $399.99. However, Meccanoid is more likely to be found at a discount. Update, at time of writing the brand new 2.0 versions of Meccanoid are available at a significant discount on Amazon. The Meccanoid does offer a lot of hardware and entertainment value for the price.