With a lot of us spending so much time at home, there’s probably no better time for Lego to launch something new. And boy, have they delivered or what – You can now go out (or rather, go online, just to be safe) and buy the Lego Mindstorms Robot Inventor 5-in-1 set, which also happens to be the first Mindstorms set in seven years.
It sure took Lego long enough to give us a new Mindstorms set, but what they’ve come up with should gladden all tech nuts (and parents who’d like to encourage their kids to fiddle around with robotics and programming): You can create five different robots: Blast, the ‘action hero’ which can fire darts; Charlie, the ‘quirky sidekick’; Tricky, a ‘sporty bot’; Gelo, your four-legged robotic pal; and MVP, a a modular vehicle that you can customise. These bots can be programmed via the Robot Inventor app which offers a drag-and-drop interface, and also supports Python for the advanced coder.
But the best news is that the Robot Inventor set also brings us the Intelligent Hub – a new command-centre-slash-brain, which features 4 motors, Bluetooth, a speaker, a color sensor, a distance and obstacle sensor, LED eyes, an expansion adapter for third-party accessories, a 6-axis gyro, and a 5×5 LED – you can hook up Bluetooth controllers, or use this with your other Technic or System kits to build something completely new! Like what you see? The Lego Mindstorms Robot Inventor set will go on sale for $359.99.
Supercar fan? Pick up this Lambo set!
If you’re looking for something a little more mechanically complex and a lot more old-school, Lego’s got another new set that should be perfect – The Technic Lamborghini Sián FKP 37. This 1:8 scale kit was launched alongside its big-brother Lamborghini, of which only 63 wil be made. With 3,696 pieces, we reckon this could keep you happily occupied throughout this pandemic! All those pieces mean loads of complexity, so you get a miniature V12 with moving pistons, an 8-speed sequential gearbox, and even neat little touches like the adjustable rear spoiler. At $379.99, it’ll cost just a wee bit more than the Mindstorms, but hey, can’t we just get both for Christmas?
