With Lego Mindstorms and your computer,
you can build and program robots that do what you want. Airing on TV in 1998,
this is the commercial that sparked my interest in robotics and programming.
It's for the Lego Mindstorms RCX robotics invention kit, which a kid
could use to build and program almost any kind of robot they could imagine.
Lego Mindstorms has been an enormous source of learning, fun, and inspiration
for millions of kids and adults. And if you don't believe me, just search for
Mindstorms on YouTube to be blown away by some of the incredible things that
people have built and programmed using these kits. And the LEGO Group has
continued to update the Mindstorm's platform over the years with RCX, NXT,
and finally EV3, the kit I'll be reviewing today. I know I'm three years
late to the party, but this is still their flagship robotics kit, and I
wanted to see how it stacks up against new competitors like VEX IQ. That and
Lionus would only buy it if I made a video. So, here we go.
Corsair's ML fans feature magnetic levitation technology and custom
engineered rotors to provide a high performance, low-noise experience. Learn
more at the link in the video description. Opening up the box, we see a bunch of
disposable bags full of Lego pieces and
no storage tray. The first generation of Mindstorms came with a storage tray, but
ever since then only the educational versions have had them, which is a shame
really. I consider it essential to have something like this for organization.
How much would that have cost, LEGO Group? Anyway, to complete your first
mission, all you need to do is follow the characteristically excellent paper
instruction booklet, which walks you through the first stage of building and
running your first robot. You can drive it around with the included IR remote,
and it's preloaded with a demo that autonomously knocks tires around on the
included testing mat. The paper instructions then prompt you to download
the free EV3 programmer app, which is
very easy to install and get started with. Other companies take note. Kids
and Terren do not have the patience to wrestle with poorly designed software.
And the EV3 software itself is actually
fantastic. There's been a lot of development since generations 1 and two.
Each of the five featured robots and the 12 additional robots come with
instructions for building and programming. This involves the placing
and modifying of programming blocks onto
the programming canvas. You're introduced to motor control first, then
loops, switches, variables, multitasking, and functions, which are
called myblocks. Following along with these step-by-step programming
instructions is easy, and the complexity of both the robot and the programming
increases from one mission to the next. You are also given the option to load
the finished programs for each mission. I'm glad that they did this, but it's a
bit of a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it's good if you want to doublech
checkck your own solution, but on the other hand, like answers at the bottom
of a crossword, it makes cheating easy, potentially taking out a lot of the fun
and learning. Again, though, it's clear that a ton of research and development
has gone into the EV3 software. When you modify variables, the icons change to
match. When you add a sound or an on-screen image to your program, you get
to hear or see a preview on your computer, which helps a lot if you need
to debug a script. And each mission comes with a short video that shows you
exactly what your robot will do if programmed successfully. This process
can feel a little slow sometimes, but you're probably learning more than you
think. The method of programming is quite simplistic. This is important to
keep the barrier of entry low enough for kids, but it also results in a lower
learning ceiling. Fortunately, there are several third-party options for
programming the EV3 brick if you want more control and complexity. There are a
few things I did not like about the EV3 software. Worst of which was how it
inexplicably crashed about five times during normal operation. They might want
to look into that. So, I'd give it a solid A minus. Let's move on to the
hardware. I was not impressed. In fact,
I was pretty disappointed. The EV3 is in
many ways a step backwards from the
previous generation NXT 2.0. First of
all, the EV3 brain brick, which requires six AA batteries, takes at least 20
seconds to turn off and even longer to turn on. That's as long as my work
computer. And Linus built that. Turns out the EV3 brain is literally booting a
complete Linux OS. And this software
bloat means that it needs more RAM and a better CPU than it otherwise would,
which just drives up the price. Now, there are many features on the EV3 brain
that I do like, such as the SD card slot, the Bluetooth and wireless
connectivity, and the RGB LED behind the buttons, but the EV3 actually comes with
fewer sensors than the NXT 2.0. It's got
a color sensor, just one touch sensor instead of two. And the ultrasonic
sensor is replaced by the infrared sensor that pulls double duty as
distance sensor and as receiver for the beacon. The infrared beacon or remote
control has five buttons and a switch that can select one of four channels.
The problem here is that there are only 11 possible ways to use these buttons.
And the lack of joysticks means that there's no proportional control. And
with the standard control scheme, if you want to control a third or fourth motor,
you'll have to switch to another channel. But with only four total
channels, you'd better hope that there are no other LEGO enthusiasts nearby
with beacons of their own. Compared to radio control, infrared is awful anyway
with short range and frequent disconnections. The large EV3 motors,
however, feature several welcome improvements with attachment holes in
positions that offer more build flexibility. They're even backwards
compatible with NXT, which is pretty cool. EV3 also comes with a new medium
motor. It's weaker, so you won't use it to power a drive shaft, but its shape
makes it better for attachments like arms and claws. I just wish that there
were two of these included for the price. Let's talk about the rest of the
pieces. Now, the most iconic Lego piece is probably the 2x4 studded brick. This
is classic LEGO, and it's easy and quick for kids to attach and detach while
still ensuring a strong connection. So, it may surprise you to learn that all
the Lego pieces in the EV3 kit are studless. They've been designed to be
attached using pins and axles instead.
It's great in theory because it allows for a predictable 8 millimeter
three-dimensional grid system. But here's the problem. When they removed
the studs, they removed half the attachment points on a typical beam. So,
studless beams cannot be stacked on top of each other without extensive
additional support. One solution would be a double or triple wide beam, but the
LEGO Group doesn't make any pieces like that. So, they've effectively removed
functionality that we used to have and never bothered to replace it. There's
actually a lot of Lego Technic pieces that really should exist but don't. I
even 3D modeled a bunch of them and I sell them at cost on Shapeways where
people are still willing to pay unreasonable amounts of money to get
them. Despite all of that, Lego Mindstorms is still great and it still
plays an important role in getting kids interested in STEM fields. I just don't
see the same enthusiasm as I do from the Technic and Power Functions teams who
continue to push the boundaries by releasing interesting and even insane
sets like this one. But Mindstorms has
just stagnated. And it's especially
apparent when you look at the competition. Vex IQ came out several
months before LEGO Mindstorms EV3 and
the electronic hardware is objectively better in almost every single way
without compromising quality. Check out that video review over here. So, here's
the conclusion. People still ask me all the time if they should buy VEX IQ or
Mindstorms, and I tell them, if you're more interested in robotics and
programming, get VEX IQ. But if you're
more interested in building and engineering and you already have Lego
Technic pieces, Mindstorms or Power
Functions is the better option. Ultimately though, the best robotics kit
would be some miraculous fusion of VEX IQ inspired electronics and Lego Technic
pieces. I certainly hope that the LEGO group will step up their game for
Mindstorms Generation 4. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Thanks a lot
for watching everyone. Give the video a like or a dislike and get subscribed if
you aren't already. Also, you can buy some LT merch or shop at Amazon using
our affiliate link. And please let us know in the comments below what your
Mindstorm's experience has been like, and have you tried the EV3? What did you
think of it? And if you're looking for something else to watch, check out the aforementioned VEX IQ review for one of
the best robotics kits on the market. or check out my Mechenoid review for the
absolute worst robotics kit on the market. And I'll see you next time.