Lego's New Robotics Set Will Teach Your Child How to Code The new set lets children build a cat, guitar and even a Lego 3-D printer. Well, sort of.

By Will Greenwald

This story originally appeared on PCMag

Lego via PC Mag

Lego announced a new building set at CES, with a focus on introducing young children to the basics of programming. Lego Boost combines building blocks with sensors, motors and app control to let kids build a variety of robots that can respond to stimulii.

The Boost kit is controlled by the Move Hub, a special Lego brick with a tilt sensor and a selection of connections for the included motors and visual/color sensor. The Move hub communicates with a smartphone or tablet running the Boost app, which determines how the hub and its connected devices behave. The kit and app provide instructions for building five different robotics projects, including a Short Circuit-like robot, a cat, a vehicle, a guitar and even a 3D printer.

Learn to code

The robot, cat and vehicle all seem like fairly standard projects for electronic building block kits like Boost, and versions have been seen in Lego's more complex Mindstorms robotics kits. The guitar shows off unique potential with the visual/color sensor, responding to colored bricks on the fret to signal the connected mobile device to produce different tones. The 3D printer is even more unique, assembling its own Lego creations using a simple conveyor belt and hopper assembly.

Boost creations are programmed using a variety of interconnecting blocks in the Boost app. The system is similar to Lego Mindstorms programming, but with a simpler interface targeting younger users. It still provides logic functions for use with input from the kit's sensors and output from the motors and the connected mobile device's speaker. Users can code their own robots to work any way they want in Creative Canvas mode, providing access to the programming tools outside of the five premade projects.

Mindstorms's little brother

Boost is not a replacement for Lego Mindstorms, which has been the company's flagship robotics platform for several years. The Move Hub is solely a transmitter and receiver device, offloading all programming and processing to the connected tablet and app.

Instead of running code itself, it simply sends input out over the app and triggers its motors when the app tells it to. The Mindstorms EV3 Brick is a programmable microcomputer on its own, able to retain and execute code directly without a connected device. Mindstorms is a more expensive and more powerful system, with more sensor and motor modules, and Lego has stated it will remain part of the company's offerings alongside Boost.

I saw Lego Boost in action, and it has a lot of potential as a robotics kit in the same vein as Mindstorms. The robotics components in Boost show some engineering advancements that could also help produce a new fourth generation of Mindstorms. The Move Hub and motor and sensor modules are smaller than the Mindstorms equivalents, and while the Move Hub doesn't have its own processor for directly running code, it's still an advanced wireless receiver and transmitter with sensors and connections for motors, which means the next Mindstorms processing brick could be much smaller than the chunky one used with Mindstorms EV3. Lego hasn't announced specific plans for any upgraded Mindstorms sets, but Boost hints at some welcome changes.

Lego plans to ship Boost in the second half of 2017, with a $159.99 retail price. The kit includes the Move Hub, a distance/color sensor, a motor and 843 Lego bricks.

Wavy Line
Will Greenwald

Senior Analyst, Consumer Electronics

Editor's Pick

She's Been Coding Since Age 7 and Presented Her Life-Saving App to Tim Cook Last Year. Now 17, She's on Track to Solve Even Bigger Problems.
Lock
I Helped Grow 4 Unicorns Over 10 Years That Generated $18 Billion in Online Revenues. Here's What I've Learned.
Lock
Want to Break Bad Habits and Supercharge Your Business? Use This Technique.
Lock
Don't Have Any Clients But Need Customer Testimonials? Follow These 3 Tricks To Boost Your Rep.
Why Are Some Wines More Expensive Than Others? A Top Winemaker Gives a Full-Bodied Explanation.

Related Topics

Business News

'All Hell Is Going to Break Loose': Barbara Corcoran Issues Warning About Real Estate Market, Interest Rates

The "Shark Tank" star appeared on FOX Business' "The Claman Countdown" this week.

Growing a Business

Entrepreneur+ Subscribers-Only Call | June 8: Discover How These 2 Founders Turned Their Side Hustle into a Million-Dollar Lifestyle Brand

Learn how you can transform your personal brand into a thriving business empire with co-founders of The Skinny Confidential

Business Plans

How to Change Careers: A Step-by-Step Guide

Want to make a career change without compromising your finances or future? Check out this step-by-step guide on how to change careers to learn more.

Branding

How I Made Money From My Book Without Selling a Single Copy

Did you know you can make money with a book without selling copies? Here's exactly how I did it.