For several years now, Lego has thrilled and inspired many kids, hobbyists and students with its Mindstorms Robotics Kit. Lego introduced the RIS kit in 1998. This was an instant success with all the enthusiasts. The RIS comes with an RCX control brick, and about 700 pieces which enable you to build pretty interesting robots. Some of the other key elements are the motors, the touch sensor and the light sensor. The RCX has 3 input ports where you can connect the sensors and 3 output ports from which you can drive the motors. The kit also comes with the software where you can graphically develop programs for your robot, that are essentially flowcharts.

In 2005, Lego announced its new robotic kit based on the NXT controller. The NXT is similar to the RCX in many ways, but with some significant improvements. The new kit also includes servo motors that replace the simple motors of the RCX kit. [See Lego Mindstorms NXT - An Overview.]

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Visit the Lego and Mindstorms official sites to learn more.

[Continued in Lego Mindstorms NXT - An Overview.]