Fourth generation of Mindstorms announced
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Seven years after the release of the third generation of Mindstorms, LEGO has today announced its replacement, 51515 Robot Inventor, which uses the same hub, sensors and motors that were introduced with the educational Spike Prime set earlier this year.
Here's the press release:
51515 Robot Inventor, 949 pieces
Available early in Q4 2020
UK £329.99 -- USA $359.99 -- DE/FR €359.99
Today, the LEGO Group has announced the first addition to the much-loved LEGO MINDSTORMS theme in seven years. The new LEGO MINDSTORMS Robot Inventor 5-in-1 set unleashes a new world of fun, creative coding possibilities and provides the ultimate playful learning experience for young inventors and creators.
For over two decades, LEGO MINDSTORMS has inspired those of all ages to test and build their confidence with technology through play. By combining the LEGO building system with robotic and coding elements, builders can create anything they can imagine, while developing the STEM skills that 7 in 10 parents say are essential to their child’s future success
This latest evolution of the much-loved theme continues this commitment to helping children develop STEM skills in a fun and exciting way at home. The new LEGO MINDSTORMS Robot Inventor 5-in-1 model gives builders aged 10+ the power to bring one of the set’s five unique designs to life or take their own builds to the next level by programming them to walk, talk, think and do more than ever before. Kids can also code their own remote-control features for the models in the LEGO MINDSTORMS Robot Inventor app or connect their own controllers to the app using Bluetooth.
From your new sidekick Charlie to action hero Blast, the five personality-packed bots or new intelligent creations can be easily controlled remotely using the LEGO MINDSTORMS Robot Inventor app. The app is also packed with over 50 fun coding challenges and awesome activities to help those of all abilities build coding confidence. The app uses drag-and-drop coding language based on Scratch to support those getting into coding for the first time, as well as Python for advanced coders looking for new challenges.
Packed with 949 pieces and new LEGO Powered UP components, the LEGO MINDSTORMS Robot Inventor will be available in early Q4 2020 from LEGO.com, LEGO Retail Stores and retailers globally. The LEGO MINDSTORMS Robot Inventor 5-in1 set will be priced at £329.99/$359.99/€359.99 and includes digital building and coding instructions for these five unique robots:
- Blast – this master robot is a stoic action hero. It can fire or hammer its way through obstacles and grab items. Builders can be the ultimate commanders, programming it to scan its environment and fire darts if it senses danger. Perfect for guarding your room!
- Charlie – this quirky sidekick helper can give out high fives, dance, play the drums, deliver small gifts, and charm friends with its smile.
- Tricky – the sporty bot is the ultimate athlete. Code it to complete the perfect slam dunk or master a plethora of robot sports: basketball, bowling or soccer – the list goes on and on.
- Gelo – a real life four-legged robot. Its unique mechanism means it can walk, avoid obstacles, and even perform tricks.
- V.P. – The Modular Vehicle Platform gets the job done. Create and code your own remote control and build the M.V.P. into a buggy, a crane, a shooter turret or even a brick-eating truck to pick up LEGO bricks left by the other robots.
Lena Dixen, Head of Product and Marketing Development at the LEGO Group, commented: “Since the launch of LEGO MINDSTORMS over 20 years ago, we’ve been committed to helping children and adults develop STEM skills through play. We are extremely excited to introduce a new MINDSTORMS product that offers even more creative opportunities for those of all ages, and we thank our fans for continuing to show us what is possible with LEGO MINDSTORMS. We are continually inspired by the creations the community share with us and hope that the LEGO MINDSTORMS Robot Inventor inspires many more children and playful adults to explore the exciting world of robotics and coding.”
LEGO MINDSTORMS Robot Inventor (51515)
The LEGO MINDSTORMS Robot Inventor Kit is intended for builders and coders ages 10+ to discover and expand on their STEM skills at home.
- 949 pieces
- 5 unique models to build and code
- The largest robot Blast stands at over 14” (36 cm) tall
- The free LEGO MINDSTORMS Robot Inventor coding app for kids uses coding language based on Scratch and supports Python for more advanced coders.
- The application works across PC Windows 10 + macOS, iOS and Android tablets and smartphones as well as specific Fire OS devices. Please see updated list at lego.com/devicecheck
- New elements include:
- The new Intelligent Hub is an advanced yet simple-to-use device featuring 6 input/output ports for connecting a variety of sensors and motors. The Hub can also be used with LEGO Technic and System elements to create fun robots, dynamic devices and other interactive models.
- LED 5x5 matrix
- Bluetooth connectivity
- 6 axis gyro/accelerometer
- Includes a micro USB port for connectivity with compatible devices
- Speaker
- Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery included
- Colour sensor – able to distinguish between eight colors and measures reflected and ambient light from darkness to bright sunlight
- Distance sensor – detects obstacles, programmable LED ‘eyes’ and an integrated 6-pin adaptor for third-party sensors, boards and DIY hardware.
- 4 x medium-angular motors feature low-profile design, integrated rotation sensor with absolute positioning
- New 7 x 11 teal baseplate
- New black wheels
- New frames
- The new Intelligent Hub is an advanced yet simple-to-use device featuring 6 input/output ports for connecting a variety of sensors and motors. The Hub can also be used with LEGO Technic and System elements to create fun robots, dynamic devices and other interactive models.
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Are you a Mindstorms user? What do you think of the new platform? Let us know in the comments or complete the survey below.
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32 comments on this article
Is it just me or is Lego trying to hide technic beam bar pieces lately? Are they afraid the Lego product we purchased might look like Lego
Spike Prime: Teal Edition
Im not one to ever mention lego prices but yikes that better be some impressive software
feels more like a friends set with that color scheme.
disappointed tbh, expected something more futuristic or fresh
I think the combination of Scratch and Python is a home-run. Dabbled quite a bit in EV3 for children's education and those two languages are absolutely the best for driving programming skills in kids. Start with Scratch for ages 7-10, then switch to Python for 11 and up. Well done LEGO.
Hmm when they say it charges with micro USB I really hope they mean the type c connection. Any idea is that would be correct?
Does anyone else think the 'Charlie' model shown on the back of the box image looks like HUWBOT.
@Glacier_Phoenix said:
"Hmm when they say it charges with micro USB I really hope they mean the type c connection. Any idea is that would be correct? "
As it the same hub as in the Spike Prime set: no, it is micro USB
Looks excellent, very much evolution that revolution though. I think Lego will always struggle the match the impact the original Robotics Invention System had as that was a game-changer. Maybe it's rose tinted spectacles but I was 9 when RIS 1.0 came out and it was so dramatically different to anything Lego had done before. For instance, all the robotic concepts here are virtually indistinguishable from the RIS - ball throwers, small vehicles that respond to sensory inputs etc. Not that that's a bad thing, it's great fun.
7x11 teal baseplate! "I've been waiting so long for a seven by eleven teal baseplate!" said no one ever. That said, if I had more time I'd definitely be interested. I'll stick with my 9V train setup for the time being.
Goodbye EV3 then?
2013 - 2020
Lived a long shelf life
As Ayliffe mentioned already, this is just a Spike set teal edition. Mindstorms should be the top of the line kit for serious robotic. The "brain" should have significantly more connectors. 2 ports for moving (2 drives or 1 drive + 1 steering) 3 ports for sort sort of an arm with 3 degrees of freedom, 1 port for the actual device that do the work (i.e. pincer or grabber or else). 2-6 ports for different sensors (at least one for navigation, one for controlling the grabbing device, a few more for environmental data, etc.) At the very least 8 ports - 6 is too little: you can do a fully motorised model with no sensors or one with some sensors and limited mobility (perfect for sophisticated GBC though!) There is also a need to connect an extra camera with remote transmission. Maybe Mindstorms 7 in 15 years...
These robots looks so boring and bland, uuuuuuuuuuggh
Could that red ball be similar to the boulder from temple escape, seems visibly smaller but it could have its uses, although I’ve still yet to use my “boulder” in a moc
This will potentially give us the parts to do a white Land Rover.
Seems a repackaging of the Education Spike Prime set 45678 that was shown not so long ago, with 4 medium motors rather than 2 medium and 1 large, and no force sensor, but still keeping the same distance and color sensor. This set up probably makes more sense to use all 6 hub connections, and 949 pieces rather than 529 is a bit more generous, and at a slightly lower price. For those new to Mind storms this seems like the future as it carries on naturally from on screen programming that kids may have already done with boost.
One question, will the boost sensors and Technic powered-up motors be compatible with the Spike hub, and in reverse could you just buy the more powerful Spike motors and connect with an existing boost or control+ hub to create the above creatures?
I have 5 RCX (3 got for pocket change) and 2 barely used EV3... I guess I can skip this
> an integrated 6-pin adaptor for third-party sensors, boards and DIY hardware.
Wow looks like we have a margin of hackability, i super like this.
also, finally some decent sized motors, the EV3 ones were so big and massive, they were an hindrance on most builds
@nicola80 said:
"> an integrated 6-pin adaptor for third-party sensors, boards and DIY hardware.
Wow looks like we have a margin of hackability, i super like this."
Basically that means that you can remove the case of the distance sensor, remove that from the connector and put your own electronics in its place. It's an expensive way to go about it!
It is already outdated in terms of USB connectivity - should have been USB Type-C.
@Brickmasterboy said:
"feels more like a friends set with that color scheme.
disappointed tbh, expected something more futuristic or fresh "
What exactly looks like a Friends set? The white? The black? The teal? The yellow? It's amazing how fragile some people's masculinity is, that colors merely being used in Friends (not even introduced there) seem too "girly" to them.
@HOBBES said:
"This will potentially give us the parts to do a white Land Rover."
RacingBrick has published a video about that. The only olive green part missing was the mudguard, which now became available.
@Lyichir said:
" @Brickmasterboy said:
"feels more like a friends set with that color scheme.
disappointed tbh, expected something more futuristic or fresh "
What exactly looks like a Friends set? The white? The black? The teal? The yellow? It's amazing how fragile some people's masculinity is, that colors merely being used in Friends (not even introduced there) seem too "girly" to them."
I'm not saying it's bad, just would've preferred lego to step out of their comfort zone. I was thinking about the teal and pink/purple/whatever it is, color scheme. Also the fact that the bots look so simple reminds me of smaller/juniorized friends sets.
It's not about masculinity, just uniqueness and futurism. I don't see how that makes me think it's too girly as I never intended to say that.
I've never been into Mindstorms, but that's only because I'm certain if I did, I'd be all in and I just don't really have the time for it. My kids, on the other hand, are just reaching the age... Perhaps I'll find my excuse to take the plunge soon!
I haven't owned any Mindstorms set before, but this one looks very interesting. I'm thinking about getting this one, especially the "integrated 6-pin adapter for third-party sensors, boards and DIY hardware" appeals to me now that I have some coding experience and I can use my electrical engineering skills to make some interesting builds; don't know how much customization in terms of DIY hardware it allows, however, I will definitely take a closer look at that. As for the color scheme, I highly prefer the teal/white/black over the more playful style of the Spike Prime set.
@Brickmasterboy said:
"I'm not saying it's bad, just would've preferred lego to step out of their comfort zone. I was thinking about the teal and pink/purple/whatever it is, color scheme. Also the fact that the bots look so simple reminds me of smaller/juniorized friends sets.
It's not about masculinity, just uniqueness and futurism. I don't see how that makes me think it's too girly as I never intended to say that. "
I'm struggling to understand this reasoning. How are rarely-used colors like teal or magenta within LEGO's "comfort zone"? How are they not "futuristic"? How are they not "unique"? None of your observations about the color scheme have any obvious bearing on the conclusion you're purporting to draw from them — especially when EV3's white, black, and red color scheme on a blue box was far more in line with traditional LEGO colors typical of themes like Town or City.
As for the builds' apparent "simplicity"… have you not paid any attention to how technology in general has been developing in recent decades? Raw, exposed mechanical parts with gratuitous spiky protrusions to catch on things haven't been "futuristic" in a long time. The aesthetics of the future have been trending for a LONG time towards clean, smooth simplicity, smooth contours, and a compact form factor.
Even LEGO Friends illustrates this, albeit in a way that we haven't yet seen in the sets themselves. In the TV series "LEGO Friends: Girls on a Mission", one of the most important characters who has yet to appear in the sets themselves is Olivia's role model Dr. Mallory Alvah — a futurist visionary and brilliant inventor with some not-so-slight megalomaniacal tendencies (think Elon Musk if he were actually a genius rather than just wealthy and self-absorbed).
And the design language that reflects her futuristic vision across her entire brand? Clean, smooth white-on-black minimalism with vivid bluish accents:
https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/legofriends/images/c/c2/AlvaCHQ.png/revision/latest?cb=20180613030153
https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/legofriends/images/a/a3/29Alva%27sGoKart.png/revision/latest?cb=20180814030153
https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/legofriends/images/0/0a/71EvilPosingDuetED.png/revision/latest?cb=20190419091011
If kids ever seem to prefer these sorts of simplified aesthetics even in less "futuristic" contexts, it's not from some lack of vision or sophistication on their part. Rather, it's because they've grown up in a more futuristic world than we did, and are more in touch with the trajectory of the future that they are likely to inherit.
Teal and white is Siemens' color scheme; so it does look pretty cool. I love the box art.
I'm thinking about getting Spike Prime instead, however. I have long wanted to get into Mindstorms--well ever since RCX was the main thing when I was 8 in 2004. What's really interesting is the universal control app; allowing me to set controls up for whatever is needed. I have a 2018 smartphone (which is still a current model with AT&T) now (instead of the 2014 relic that never worked right); and am hoping it will work well with this. I prefer programming on a PC, however. I messed with a Thames and Kosmos set I found on sale at Sam's Club a few years back, and hated using my "mini tablet" (a prepaid smartphone I bought pretty cheap without activating it) to program it.
Now I do identify as a feminist, but this move is probably a little too much. Ev3, for example, did have some appeal to both genders. I’m going to skip this one, for the both reasons above and my lack of interest in Mindstorms anyway.
Feels so good to see Teal Technic pieces again. How long ago 2001 was...
Well, this looks interesting, but I already have the EV3 set, so I don't see any point in buying this one.
This a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one. I thought that Boost had killed off Mindstorms given how long ago EV3 was, but I guess not! More robots is always a win in my book!