LEGO MINDSTORMS 2013 includes 3 interactive servo motors, remote control, improved and redesigned color sensor, redesigned touch sensor, infrared sensor and 550+ LEGO Technic elements. For 10 years and over.
21 comments
AmyNisbet
15 Sep 17#1
Lego motorised model robot kit:
LEGO MINDSTORMS 2013 includes 3 interactive servo motors, remote control, improved and redesigned color sensor, redesigned touch sensor, infrared sensor and 550+ LEGO Technic elements. For 10 years and over.
fireman1
15 Sep 17#2
Good to see Lego are still managing to find ways of charging ever more ridiculously high prices for their kids toys.
Baz8755 to fireman1
15 Sep 17#3
You've obviously never tried mindstorms. I am a software developer of over 30 years experience and I have 4 sets that I love creating and programming in my spare time.
Jestint to Baz8755
15 Sep 17#4
Translation : you have lots of disposable income :grin:
Oneday77 to Jestint
15 Sep 17#7
If you consider training and education a disposable spend then I suppose he does.
fireman1 to Baz8755
16 Sep 17#14
It's a few moving Lego pieces run with simple commands, not Honda Asimo.
Baz8755 to fireman1
16 Sep 17#15
You've obviously never used it, install LeJOS and you will then have a full Java dev platform at your fingertips. The range of sensors is quite impressive and includes GPS, Gyros Acceleratometers, stepper motors, etc. You can cross platform develop with mobile phones to utilise their processing power.
Simple Lego pieces could no do this
Or the myriad of other examples on the internet.
It's only limited by the mind working with it, but then maybe some people would be better off buying this :grin:
jameshothothot to Baz8755
16 Sep 17#16
What about integration with scratch? Lego wedo does although so far we have only used the built in command blocks as my son hasn't got into scratch yet.
jameshothothot to Baz8755
16 Sep 17#19
that last video is amazing!!!
jameshothothot
15 Sep 17#5
Hmmm interesting... On list for my son's xmas present but he hasn't finished all lego wedo projects yet
hamster_2500
15 Sep 17#6
When is EV4 out?
jameshothothot to hamster_2500
15 Sep 17#8
googling didn't say much. boost is out? seen as earlier than mindstorms? maybe between wedo and mindstorms?
interesting review on the tesco site suggests I might push my son towards mindstorms as coding is a bit more flexible and he has done some for loops on hourofcode. He is only 7 3/4 but his dad likes coding...
Good entertainment, not great education
The big failing with the EV3 robotics system is that after building a model it just gives you the program to run it. It does not really teach you how to code the program to run the model, or what different coading options are available or appropriate. Lego Boost does not have this failing. There is a large number of coading exercises and options that are given at various points throughout the build of each of the 5 models provided. However, it does have some significant disadvantages compared with EV3.
Despite what it says on the box, it is not going to help your child to learn to code. There are no variables, conditional looping, and only very limited switching in the scratch-like code. As a result, programming is limited to executing strings of commands. There are some built in functions that allow the robot to react to its environment, but these cannot be coaded using the standard instructions. Your child will learn how to put together stings of instructions, but will not learn any real coading.
The builds are rather complex. As they mostly use the standard lego stud bricks, rather than the lego technic bricks there are a lot of complex, specialized pieces in the set. The build instructions are very systematic and clear, so there should not be problems with the standard builds, but the complexity of the peices will make it difficult for your child to build their own designs.
One other shortcoming is that the software is quite buggy. At many points, I had to shut down the software, and restart it, and restart the robot to get the example programs to work. Lego’s software QA has never been great, but I hope that things will improve as there are newer releases of the software. Also, be aware that the software will only run on specific iOS and android tablets. There is no PC based software, which is very frustrating. I have to steal my wife’s iPad to run the software. Make sure that you have the right hardware before you purchase.
The educational We-Do set suffers from similar building and coading issues. If your child has been using a we-do set in class, this Boost set compliments We-Do well, so is a good option if they want to continue their learning at home. The set is well thought out and very entertaining, but it will not teach them anything significant about coading or robotics. For this you will have to step up to an EV3 set. The Boost Crative Toolbox set is a very entertaining set, but is not great for educatio
Baz8755 to jameshothothot
16 Sep 17#13
The original installed mindstorms firmware will teach you logic and get you up and running very quickly. It does have very simple variables, conditional looping and multi threading.
If you want to use a proper programming language then install leJOS which is Java.
LabVIEW (EV3, NXT) LabVIEW for LEGO MINDSTORMS (LVLM) and LabVIEW for Education (LV4E) are visual programming environments. The EV3 Software was built in LabVIEW, so LVLM provides a great next step for students who are familiar with that programming language and ready for something more powerful and versatile. Browse all LabVIEW posts on this site.
RobotC (EV3, NXT, RCX) RobotC is a C-based programming language with a fully integrated software debugger that supports a range of different hardware platforms. Extensive documentation and online support is available. For more information, visit: robotc.net/.
EV3dev (EV3) Ev3dev isn’t actually a programming language, but rather a Debian Linux-based operating system that can run almost all languages that any other linux distribution can run, including C++, Node.js, and Python. For more information, see: ev3dev.org/.
leJOS (EV3, NXT, RCX) LeJOS (pronounced like the Spanish word “lejos” for “far”) is a tiny Java Virtual Machine that supports Java. For more information, see: lejos.org/ev3…php.
OpenRoberta (EV3, NXT) Open Roberta is a free, drag and drop, cloud-based platform for programming LEGO EV3 and NXT robots. For more information, see: Open Roberta: A Review.
EV3 Basic (EV3) EV3 Basic is a textual programming language. For more information, see: Introducing EV3 Basic.
Scratch (EV3, NXT) Scratch is a very popular visually programming environment. Several extensions have been created to support the NXT or EV3. For more information about Scratch, see: scratch.mit.edu/ Scratch can also be used with LEGO WeDo as described in Scratch-ing the LEGO WeDo.
Enchanting (NXT) Enchanting is a programming environment for the NXT that is built on Scratch. For more information, see: enchanting.robotclub.ab.ca/.
ROBOLAB (NXT, RCX) ROBOLAB is a visual programming language built in LabVIEW that was developed by the Tufts CEEO. ROBOLAB was the dominant programming language for educational LEGO robotics prior to the release of the NXT Software. Browse all ROBOLAB posts on this site.
jameshothothot
16 Sep 17#20
this chart suggests it's normally around £210-£220 so not the 33% discount we might think?
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Opening post
LEGO MINDSTORMS 2013 includes 3 interactive servo motors, remote control, improved and redesigned color sensor, redesigned touch sensor, infrared sensor and 550+ LEGO Technic elements. For 10 years and over.
21 comments
LEGO MINDSTORMS 2013 includes 3 interactive servo motors, remote control, improved and redesigned color sensor, redesigned touch sensor, infrared sensor and 550+ LEGO Technic elements. For 10 years and over.
The range of sensors is quite impressive and includes GPS, Gyros Acceleratometers, stepper motors, etc. You can cross platform develop with mobile phones to utilise their processing power.
Simple Lego pieces could no do this
Or the myriad of other examples on the internet.
It's only limited by the mind working with it, but then maybe some people would be better off buying this
:grin:
uk.pcmag.com/rob…set
amazon.co.uk/LEG…ost
will have to discuss with my son this weekend as mindstorms at 33% off is a good deal!
tesco.com/dir…prd
tesco.com/dir…prd
interesting review on the tesco site suggests I might push my son towards mindstorms as coding is a bit more flexible and he has done some for loops on hourofcode. He is only 7 3/4 but his dad likes coding...
Despite what it says on the box, it is not going to help your child to learn to code. There are no variables, conditional looping, and only very limited switching in the scratch-like code. As a result, programming is limited to executing strings of commands. There are some built in functions that allow the robot to react to its environment, but these cannot be coaded using the standard instructions. Your child will learn how to put together stings of instructions, but will not learn any real coading.
The builds are rather complex. As they mostly use the standard lego stud bricks, rather than the lego technic bricks there are a lot of complex, specialized pieces in the set. The build instructions are very systematic and clear, so there should not be problems with the standard builds, but the complexity of the peices will make it difficult for your child to build their own designs.
One other shortcoming is that the software is quite buggy. At many points, I had to shut down the software, and restart it, and restart the robot to get the example programs to work. Lego’s software QA has never been great, but I hope that things will improve as there are newer releases of the software. Also, be aware that the software will only run on specific iOS and android tablets. There is no PC based software, which is very frustrating. I have to steal my wife’s iPad to run the software. Make sure that you have the right hardware before you purchase.
The educational We-Do set suffers from similar building and coading issues. If your child has been using a we-do set in class, this Boost set compliments We-Do well, so is a good option if they want to continue their learning at home. The set is well thought out and very entertaining, but it will not teach them anything significant about coading or robotics. For this you will have to step up to an EV3 set. The Boost Crative Toolbox set is a very entertaining set, but is not great for educatio
If you want to use a proper programming language then install leJOS which is Java.
LabVIEW (EV3, NXT)
LabVIEW for LEGO MINDSTORMS (LVLM) and LabVIEW for Education (LV4E) are visual programming environments. The EV3 Software was built in LabVIEW, so LVLM provides a great next step for students who are familiar with that programming language and ready for something more powerful and versatile. Browse all LabVIEW posts on this site.
RobotC (EV3, NXT, RCX)
RobotC is a C-based programming language with a fully integrated software debugger that supports a range of different hardware platforms. Extensive documentation and online support is available. For more information, visit: robotc.net/.
EV3dev (EV3)
Ev3dev isn’t actually a programming language, but rather a Debian Linux-based operating system that can run almost all languages that any other linux distribution can run, including C++, Node.js, and Python. For more information, see: ev3dev.org/.
leJOS (EV3, NXT, RCX)
LeJOS (pronounced like the Spanish word “lejos” for “far”) is a tiny Java Virtual Machine that supports Java. For more information, see: lejos.org/ev3…php.
OpenRoberta (EV3, NXT)
Open Roberta is a free, drag and drop, cloud-based platform for programming LEGO EV3 and NXT robots. For more information, see: Open Roberta: A Review.
EV3 Basic (EV3)
EV3 Basic is a textual programming language. For more information, see: Introducing EV3 Basic.
Scratch (EV3, NXT)
Scratch is a very popular visually programming environment. Several extensions have been created to support the NXT or EV3. For more information about Scratch, see: scratch.mit.edu/ Scratch can also be used with LEGO WeDo as described in Scratch-ing the LEGO WeDo.
Enchanting (NXT)
Enchanting is a programming environment for the NXT that is built on Scratch. For more information, see: enchanting.robotclub.ab.ca/.
ROBOLAB (NXT, RCX)
ROBOLAB is a visual programming language built in LabVIEW that was developed by the Tufts CEEO. ROBOLAB was the dominant programming language for educational LEGO robotics prior to the release of the NXT Software. Browse all ROBOLAB posts on this site.
uk.camelcamelcamel.com/LEG…VJ6