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When LEGO released their robotics series, it caused a huge stir both with children and also with adults. The appeal of bringing your creations alive has been central to LEGOs strategy in the toy market - now, take a good idea and then add a complete new layer of flexibility, a progammable microcontroller, the appeal just soars! Now, take an excellent software package, and a clearly illustrated book to help the user start, and you have a sure winner. Indeed, I've never had more fun with a toy in my life.

RIS revolves around the RCX microcontroller (shown right). This little beauty can store up to five programs simultaneously, and can have programs downloaded to it via an IR transmitter. It can even communicate with other RCX controllers! In your kit, you get one of these controllers, two touch sensors, two motors, and a light sensor. Also included are a huge variety of LEGO pieces, axes, bolts, wheels, wires and other related building materials. It is then your choice whether to build and program the LEGO challenges, or explore everything yourself.

Starting

The tutorial takes you through all the necessary steps to program your robot. The building steps are left to the Constructopedia you are given - a large book with huge, clear diagrams for constructing your robots. Each step only illustrates several piece additions at any one time, so you'll never miss out a piece or not understand where to put it. The book is pretty much purely visual with no written instructions.

Once you have built the robot you go back to the RIS software to learn more about programming, the sensor fundamentals, and then on to the challenges. I chose to create the roverbot with the tank treads and a light sensor. The robot took about an hour to build using the Constructopedia and about 15 seconds to load the program on to the robot. I then used the test pad (a large piece of paper with various calibration markings on it) to watch the robot use its light sensor to follow a black line. The robot looked cool and acted cool - I've never been happier with something I've built. There is a huge satisfaction with watching something you've built come to life like that.

Creations

Each of the creations taught me something new, the first pathfinder introduces me to everything. The roverbot introduced me to some complicated gear and wheel arrangements along with a rather novel ways to follow a black line. Basically, the robot will only switch on one of its motors at any one time. If the light sensor reads light, then the left motor is engaged, otherwise the right motor is engaged. Think about it, and you will realize that this will work for a closed circuit with only right-hand turns! The final grabber taught be how to utilize the motors for things other than driving wheels - it also uses a very novel way of controlling it. Basically, the light and touch sensors are used together as a remote control (see the three wires at the bottom of the picture).

The Good and the Bad

Something else I like is that LEGO has released a pre-alpha (!) SDK that allows the more advanced users to program the RCX outside of the RIS environment. I love it when companies do this, since it shows that they are interested more in what their consumers can do with the product than what money can make from it.

Were there things I didn't like? Yes, definitely. I really thought that for the price you pay, LEGO could have squeezed in another sensor or at least another motor. Two motors, two touch sensors, and a light sensor go quite a way, but not as far as I might want. Also, the IR pod uses a 9V battery which I didn't like - I prefer peripherals to have a mains adaptor.

Conclusion

	9.0
	Price: £159.99 Liked: Great idea, educational, ease to use, visual results, great manual and support! Disliked: I really wanted another sensor or two. Website: http://www.legomindstorms.com/