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"Lego scored a new generation of fans--and made a lot of geeky adults happy-- with the 1998 release of Mindstorms, a robotics invention kit aimed at ages 12 and up. The kit sells for about $220 and contains about 800 Lego pieces, including gears, motors and wheels.
Legions of robot-builders sprang up around the globe, but the company was eager to deliver a cheaper follow-up that also would appeal to a younger audience. The new release, Spybotics, will hit stores this summer and promises to make a lot of kids yearn for their 9th birthdays.
While Mindstorms encourages robot construction, Spybotics encourages human-and-machine interaction.
Priced at $60, Spybotics includes a build-it-yourself, remote-control robot and software that sends players around the world to accomplish a variety of imaginary, secret missions. After receiving their orders, players can rearrange a room or head outdoors to create obstacle courses their robots must conquer.
The robots store a variety of information, like speed and attempted maneuvers, that determine a player's score when the machine is reconnected to the computer. Lego hopes to spark global competition by inviting players to post their scores online....
The mastermind behind some of the most sophisticated NQC-powered Lego robots is J.P. Brown, an archaeological conservator at the Field Museum. Brown, who considers Mindstorms 'unspeakably cool,' has built robots that can solve the Rubik's Cube, play the xylophone and commandeer a kite....
The company has teamed with For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, known as FIRST, to sponsor global robot-building competitions for children 9 to 14. About 1,250 Illinois youths are expected to compete in the state contest, coordinated by a team of Motorola engineers, to be held in December.
The annual event requires young inventors to build robots that accomplish tasks consistent with a particular theme. Web discussion groups already are buzzing about this year's title: 'City sites.' Competition details will be released Sept. 16." [Chicago Tribune, requires free registration]
Although not technically a robot, how long do you think it will be before someone builds the first Lego PDA?
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