WEBVTT 00:00:04.960 --> 00:00:11.280 With Lego Mindstorms and your computer, 00:00:08.320 --> 00:00:17.279 you can build and program robots that do what you want. Airing on TV in 1998, 00:00:15.120 --> 00:00:21.359 this is the commercial that sparked my interest in robotics and programming. 00:00:19.199 --> 00:00:25.279 It's for the Lego Mindstorms RCX robotics invention kit, which a kid 00:00:23.279 --> 00:00:30.000 could use to build and program almost any kind of robot they could imagine. 00:00:27.680 --> 00:00:35.040 Lego Mindstorms has been an enormous source of learning, fun, and inspiration 00:00:32.320 --> 00:00:39.920 for millions of kids and adults. And if you don't believe me, just search for 00:00:36.960 --> 00:00:44.320 Mindstorms on YouTube to be blown away by some of the incredible things that 00:00:42.160 --> 00:00:48.719 people have built and programmed using these kits. And the LEGO Group has 00:00:46.879 --> 00:00:54.320 continued to update the Mindstorm's platform over the years with RCX, NXT, 00:00:51.920 --> 00:00:58.160 and finally EV3, the kit I'll be reviewing today. I know I'm three years 00:00:56.320 --> 00:01:02.320 late to the party, but this is still their flagship robotics kit, and I 00:01:00.239 --> 00:01:07.520 wanted to see how it stacks up against new competitors like VEX IQ. That and 00:01:05.600 --> 00:01:18.400 Lionus would only buy it if I made a video. So, here we go. 00:01:18.400 --> 00:01:24.080 Corsair's ML fans feature magnetic levitation technology and custom 00:01:22.400 --> 00:01:27.360 engineered rotors to provide a high performance, low-noise experience. Learn 00:01:26.240 --> 00:01:34.400 more at the link in the video description. Opening up the box, we see a bunch of 00:01:31.200 --> 00:01:37.280 disposable bags full of Lego pieces and 00:01:34.400 --> 00:01:41.840 no storage tray. The first generation of Mindstorms came with a storage tray, but 00:01:39.600 --> 00:01:46.560 ever since then only the educational versions have had them, which is a shame 00:01:44.320 --> 00:01:50.640 really. I consider it essential to have something like this for organization. 00:01:48.799 --> 00:01:54.880 How much would that have cost, LEGO Group? Anyway, to complete your first 00:01:53.040 --> 00:01:59.280 mission, all you need to do is follow the characteristically excellent paper 00:01:57.200 --> 00:02:03.759 instruction booklet, which walks you through the first stage of building and 00:02:01.600 --> 00:02:08.560 running your first robot. You can drive it around with the included IR remote, 00:02:06.240 --> 00:02:13.440 and it's preloaded with a demo that autonomously knocks tires around on the 00:02:10.800 --> 00:02:18.800 included testing mat. The paper instructions then prompt you to download 00:02:15.520 --> 00:02:20.720 the free EV3 programmer app, which is 00:02:18.800 --> 00:02:26.000 very easy to install and get started with. Other companies take note. Kids 00:02:23.360 --> 00:02:31.920 and Terren do not have the patience to wrestle with poorly designed software. 00:02:28.400 --> 00:02:34.160 And the EV3 software itself is actually 00:02:31.920 --> 00:02:38.800 fantastic. There's been a lot of development since generations 1 and two. 00:02:36.480 --> 00:02:42.400 Each of the five featured robots and the 12 additional robots come with 00:02:40.800 --> 00:02:47.680 instructions for building and programming. This involves the placing 00:02:44.640 --> 00:02:49.680 and modifying of programming blocks onto 00:02:47.680 --> 00:02:54.879 the programming canvas. You're introduced to motor control first, then 00:02:52.400 --> 00:02:59.120 loops, switches, variables, multitasking, and functions, which are 00:02:57.120 --> 00:03:02.800 called myblocks. Following along with these step-by-step programming 00:03:00.400 --> 00:03:07.680 instructions is easy, and the complexity of both the robot and the programming 00:03:05.280 --> 00:03:12.640 increases from one mission to the next. You are also given the option to load 00:03:10.159 --> 00:03:17.440 the finished programs for each mission. I'm glad that they did this, but it's a 00:03:14.959 --> 00:03:21.200 bit of a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it's good if you want to doublech 00:03:19.200 --> 00:03:25.840 checkck your own solution, but on the other hand, like answers at the bottom 00:03:22.879 --> 00:03:30.159 of a crossword, it makes cheating easy, potentially taking out a lot of the fun 00:03:27.840 --> 00:03:34.640 and learning. Again, though, it's clear that a ton of research and development 00:03:32.000 --> 00:03:39.200 has gone into the EV3 software. When you modify variables, the icons change to 00:03:37.280 --> 00:03:43.120 match. When you add a sound or an on-screen image to your program, you get 00:03:41.040 --> 00:03:47.519 to hear or see a preview on your computer, which helps a lot if you need 00:03:44.879 --> 00:03:52.319 to debug a script. And each mission comes with a short video that shows you 00:03:50.000 --> 00:03:57.120 exactly what your robot will do if programmed successfully. This process 00:03:54.879 --> 00:04:01.120 can feel a little slow sometimes, but you're probably learning more than you 00:03:58.640 --> 00:04:06.000 think. The method of programming is quite simplistic. This is important to 00:04:03.599 --> 00:04:11.120 keep the barrier of entry low enough for kids, but it also results in a lower 00:04:08.560 --> 00:04:15.680 learning ceiling. Fortunately, there are several third-party options for 00:04:13.200 --> 00:04:20.880 programming the EV3 brick if you want more control and complexity. There are a 00:04:18.320 --> 00:04:25.520 few things I did not like about the EV3 software. Worst of which was how it 00:04:23.040 --> 00:04:30.000 inexplicably crashed about five times during normal operation. They might want 00:04:27.919 --> 00:04:36.320 to look into that. So, I'd give it a solid A minus. Let's move on to the 00:04:32.320 --> 00:04:40.080 hardware. I was not impressed. In fact, 00:04:36.320 --> 00:04:43.120 I was pretty disappointed. The EV3 is in 00:04:40.080 --> 00:04:46.560 many ways a step backwards from the 00:04:43.120 --> 00:04:49.040 previous generation NXT 2.0. First of 00:04:46.560 --> 00:04:54.080 all, the EV3 brain brick, which requires six AA batteries, takes at least 20 00:04:51.680 --> 00:04:58.960 seconds to turn off and even longer to turn on. That's as long as my work 00:04:56.479 --> 00:05:05.360 computer. And Linus built that. Turns out the EV3 brain is literally booting a 00:05:02.320 --> 00:05:08.160 complete Linux OS. And this software 00:05:05.360 --> 00:05:12.720 bloat means that it needs more RAM and a better CPU than it otherwise would, 00:05:10.320 --> 00:05:17.600 which just drives up the price. Now, there are many features on the EV3 brain 00:05:15.199 --> 00:05:22.000 that I do like, such as the SD card slot, the Bluetooth and wireless 00:05:19.199 --> 00:05:28.479 connectivity, and the RGB LED behind the buttons, but the EV3 actually comes with 00:05:24.960 --> 00:05:31.039 fewer sensors than the NXT 2.0. It's got 00:05:28.479 --> 00:05:35.280 a color sensor, just one touch sensor instead of two. And the ultrasonic 00:05:33.440 --> 00:05:40.160 sensor is replaced by the infrared sensor that pulls double duty as 00:05:37.440 --> 00:05:45.280 distance sensor and as receiver for the beacon. The infrared beacon or remote 00:05:42.639 --> 00:05:50.080 control has five buttons and a switch that can select one of four channels. 00:05:47.759 --> 00:05:54.960 The problem here is that there are only 11 possible ways to use these buttons. 00:05:52.960 --> 00:05:59.440 And the lack of joysticks means that there's no proportional control. And 00:05:57.280 --> 00:06:03.680 with the standard control scheme, if you want to control a third or fourth motor, 00:06:02.080 --> 00:06:07.039 you'll have to switch to another channel. But with only four total 00:06:05.440 --> 00:06:11.440 channels, you'd better hope that there are no other LEGO enthusiasts nearby 00:06:09.280 --> 00:06:16.560 with beacons of their own. Compared to radio control, infrared is awful anyway 00:06:14.560 --> 00:06:21.280 with short range and frequent disconnections. The large EV3 motors, 00:06:19.520 --> 00:06:25.199 however, feature several welcome improvements with attachment holes in 00:06:23.520 --> 00:06:29.440 positions that offer more build flexibility. They're even backwards 00:06:27.280 --> 00:06:34.880 compatible with NXT, which is pretty cool. EV3 also comes with a new medium 00:06:32.639 --> 00:06:39.039 motor. It's weaker, so you won't use it to power a drive shaft, but its shape 00:06:37.120 --> 00:06:43.039 makes it better for attachments like arms and claws. I just wish that there 00:06:41.280 --> 00:06:48.240 were two of these included for the price. Let's talk about the rest of the 00:06:45.280 --> 00:06:53.600 pieces. Now, the most iconic Lego piece is probably the 2x4 studded brick. This 00:06:51.360 --> 00:06:57.759 is classic LEGO, and it's easy and quick for kids to attach and detach while 00:06:56.000 --> 00:07:02.319 still ensuring a strong connection. So, it may surprise you to learn that all 00:06:59.599 --> 00:07:07.919 the Lego pieces in the EV3 kit are studless. They've been designed to be 00:07:04.560 --> 00:07:09.680 attached using pins and axles instead. 00:07:07.919 --> 00:07:14.319 It's great in theory because it allows for a predictable 8 millimeter 00:07:12.000 --> 00:07:18.560 three-dimensional grid system. But here's the problem. When they removed 00:07:16.400 --> 00:07:23.919 the studs, they removed half the attachment points on a typical beam. So, 00:07:21.280 --> 00:07:28.160 studless beams cannot be stacked on top of each other without extensive 00:07:25.759 --> 00:07:33.360 additional support. One solution would be a double or triple wide beam, but the 00:07:30.960 --> 00:07:38.160 LEGO Group doesn't make any pieces like that. So, they've effectively removed 00:07:35.919 --> 00:07:42.560 functionality that we used to have and never bothered to replace it. There's 00:07:40.319 --> 00:07:47.599 actually a lot of Lego Technic pieces that really should exist but don't. I 00:07:45.520 --> 00:07:51.680 even 3D modeled a bunch of them and I sell them at cost on Shapeways where 00:07:49.759 --> 00:07:56.080 people are still willing to pay unreasonable amounts of money to get 00:07:53.919 --> 00:08:01.360 them. Despite all of that, Lego Mindstorms is still great and it still 00:07:58.720 --> 00:08:06.800 plays an important role in getting kids interested in STEM fields. I just don't 00:08:04.400 --> 00:08:11.039 see the same enthusiasm as I do from the Technic and Power Functions teams who 00:08:09.039 --> 00:08:16.479 continue to push the boundaries by releasing interesting and even insane 00:08:13.440 --> 00:08:19.759 sets like this one. But Mindstorms has 00:08:16.479 --> 00:08:21.440 just stagnated. And it's especially 00:08:19.759 --> 00:08:28.240 apparent when you look at the competition. Vex IQ came out several 00:08:24.560 --> 00:08:30.639 months before LEGO Mindstorms EV3 and 00:08:28.240 --> 00:08:35.680 the electronic hardware is objectively better in almost every single way 00:08:33.440 --> 00:08:41.519 without compromising quality. Check out that video review over here. So, here's 00:08:38.880 --> 00:08:46.959 the conclusion. People still ask me all the time if they should buy VEX IQ or 00:08:44.240 --> 00:08:52.320 Mindstorms, and I tell them, if you're more interested in robotics and 00:08:48.959 --> 00:08:54.320 programming, get VEX IQ. But if you're 00:08:52.320 --> 00:08:59.600 more interested in building and engineering and you already have Lego 00:08:56.560 --> 00:09:02.080 Technic pieces, Mindstorms or Power 00:08:59.600 --> 00:09:07.360 Functions is the better option. Ultimately though, the best robotics kit 00:09:04.560 --> 00:09:12.959 would be some miraculous fusion of VEX IQ inspired electronics and Lego Technic 00:09:10.320 --> 00:09:16.959 pieces. I certainly hope that the LEGO group will step up their game for 00:09:14.480 --> 00:09:20.720 Mindstorms Generation 4. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Thanks a lot 00:09:18.880 --> 00:09:24.720 for watching everyone. Give the video a like or a dislike and get subscribed if 00:09:22.880 --> 00:09:29.120 you aren't already. Also, you can buy some LT merch or shop at Amazon using 00:09:27.040 --> 00:09:33.120 our affiliate link. And please let us know in the comments below what your 00:09:30.959 --> 00:09:37.200 Mindstorm's experience has been like, and have you tried the EV3? What did you 00:09:35.680 --> 00:09:43.600 think of it? And if you're looking for something else to watch, check out the aforementioned VEX IQ review for one of 00:09:41.040 --> 00:09:48.880 the best robotics kits on the market. or check out my Mechenoid review for the 00:09:46.399 --> 00:09:53.279 absolute worst robotics kit on the market. And I'll see you next time.