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LEGO Mindstorms Robotics Invention System 2.0

I have always been a fan of LEGO's Mindstorms Robotics Invention System 1.5, and I finally got the chance to see the improvements LEGO made for the 2.0 release of their popular kit.

Most changes occurred in the software side of the RIS but a few hardware changes were made. Most notably, the IR tower is now a self-powered USB device - removing the annoyance of serial interfaces as well as the need for a separate 9V battery in the IR tower itself. The IR tower itself also looks quite different, a bit taller and sleeker, with LEGO connectors on the top, bottom and sides. A comparision of the RCX and IR tower is shown below:

RIS and IR tower comparisions for 1.5 (left) and RIS 2.0 (right)

As you can see, the RCX unit itself is identical although I was really hoping LEGO would bring back the 9V power adapter jack they removed after the first release.

Software

Changes are much more evident in the software portion of the kit, which LEGO has made considerable effort to expand in terms of accessibility. LEGO has not only increased usability for beginners, but also added a few more advanced features for large number of adult users out there. The software has the basic tutorials that bring inexperienced LEGO builders up to scratch, then on to more advanced robots that are detailed in the Constructopedia.

A new addition is the inclusion of "Pro Challenges" - a selection of advanced robotics projects with a five-stage process. The challenge brief introduces you to the robot with a movie and spoken introduction of the robot's planned capabilities. The design brief has a 3D view of the completed model, as well as key steps to building the robot. The programming stage and verification phase complete the project. The final stage gives additional ideas to expanding on the robot.

Pro Challenge

The Pro Challenges demonstrate the remarkable breadth and depth that Mindstorms can be applied to: from a safe with a security keycard, a candy dispenser that sorts by colour or an automated robotic arm. Unfortunately, I did feel that the robots in the Missions and the robots in the Pro Challenges were something of a quantum leap apart. Mission robots had step-by-step instructions, whereas the key steps in the Pro Challenges were sometimes unclear or skipped ahead too far. I would liked to have seen "solutions" to the Pro Challenges, even if they were only available on the LEGO Mindstorms website and not integrated into the RIS GUI.

Programming

Programming within the RIS GUI has been improved, with additional capabilities as well as a new "Big Block" feature that encompasses much of the functionality of the featured robots into reusable blocks. A few other tweaks have been added for people wanting a little more control over their robots. For example, turning motors off now includes the option to either brake them or allow them to coast to a stop.

While the RCX environment is a visual, drag-and-drop interface, it proves to be remarkably effective. The interface has a good feature that allows you to try certain parameters that you may be trying to configure. For example, if you need to configure a light sensor to return "light" or "dark", the RIS GUI will give you real time feedback as you move the light sensor about.

Pro Challenge

Of course, anyone that wants to do serious programming with the RIS kit has a plethora of other possibilities. LEGO now actively supports "hackers" with their Mindstorms SDK and the number of tools available for Mindstorms enthusiasts is mind-blowing. You can program the RCX in C, C++, Java, Forth, MASM and NQC to name a few. Many tools actually replace the firmware (essentially, the operating system) on the RCX, giving the programmer a greater deal of control.

Conclusion

While I must say, there hasn't been much of an evolution between RIS 1.5 and RIS 2.0, the changes are definitely welcome. The self-powering USB tower in particular makes development that little bit easier. The RIS GUI has received a few changes that may aid beginners, but many people wanting to squeeze every last bit of functionality from their kit will still look at third-party tools such as NQC or brickOS.

9.0

Price: £136

Liked: New USB tower, Pro Challenges, still retains appeal of 1.5

Disliked: No solutions to Pro Challenges.

Website: http://www.active-robots.com/

Submitted: 07/07/2004

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