LEGO: Mindstorms NXT product range

Following up on recent LEGO posts, Simen at Bengler pointed this out:

LEGO just released information about their Mindstorms NXT product line. To launch in August this year, it introduces USB and Bluetooth connectivity, a smarter Mindstorms NXT Brick and new servos and sensors to play with. There’s an ultrasound sensor for detecting barriers, a sound sensor for responding to sound commands (it even has tone recognition), as well as improved touch and light sensors. This makes a good starting point for simple physical computing.

All in all Mindstorms NXT looks like an exciting package. If the 3D rendered press images are anything to go with, this is definitely a futuristically styled update to a LEGO range popular with the over-20 demographic. There’s a "Call for NXT Great Developers" if you’re feeling lucky.

LEGO also announced that it’s sponsoring a new blog: nxtbot.com. Written by LEGO veteran Jeff James, nxtbot promises to “provide coverage of the entire spectrum of consumer and personal robotics”. Note that while nxtbot handily references the NXT name, it’s not wrapped in LEGO graphics and explicitly states that it won’t just cover LEGO products. That could mean one of two things:

1. It’s a genuine independent blog.
2. It’s a LEGO blog planted to leak viral marketing.

You be the judge, we’re just paranoid.

Wired News has a feature on the development of Mindstorms NXT: Geeks in Toyland. Favorite soundbite: “”Imagine Flickr for robotics.” That’s from Mindstorms Director Søren Lund.