New Lego Challenges Players to Put Their Minds in Gear
From the day man created his first hammer, he has wanted someone else to actually pound the nails. And although the word “robot” has been around only since Czech author Karel Capek coined it in 1921, stories of mechanical people built to take care of the most mundane tasks have captured the human imagination since antiquity.
Even Rene Descartes and other philosopher-scientists were building automatons that could open doors and play musical instruments centuries before C-3PO boasted that Bacci was like a second language to him.
So perhaps I was only exercising my innate human laziness when I spent a week envisioning, designing and programming a mechanical dog that might someday be able to fetch me something from across the room or chase the cat around as I pursued more noble goals--”The Simpsons,” for instance.
For now, though, I’ll be happy if it just stops smashing itself against the wall.
The Lego MindStorms Robotics Invention System merges the world of Lego construction toys with the PC to create an experience that is perhaps one of the smartest I’ve ever had--either with Lego or on the PC.
But, first, the disclaimer.
I am an adult Lego Maniac. My office is stacked high with my creations, as is an entire room at home. As I write these words, the floor and shelves around me are littered not only with the half-finished chassis of my suicidal Dogbot, but also with an offshore drilling rig, a miniature city, a Western town and trains in different stages of deconstruction.
So I suppose I was predisposed toward liking MindStorms. But any prejudice disappeared the moment my credit card got dinged for the $219 price by Lego’s Shop at Home service. (It’s cheaper to buy MindStorms at retail stores, which have recently started stocking the kits for just under $200.)
Anything that costs $200 better be good. MindStorms is.
Buyers get more than 700 pieces. Most are the standard sort that come with Lego Technic sets--gears, wheels, girders and a bunch of different joints and connectors as well as a couple of small motors. Unique to MindStorms, though, is the RCX brick, a palm-sized device that can be programmed via the PC to respond to changes in its environment--perceived through sensors that measure pressure and light.
For instance, users can build a small vehicle that seeks out light or backs up when it hits the wall. Simple stuff, right? Not when it comes time to build. Although a technologically advanced toy, MindStorms is Lego at its old best. Rather than provide explicit step-by-step instructions, MindStorms issues challenges that demand users to think for themselves--right in line with the philosophy of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab where MindStorms was born.
The MindStorms CD-ROM walks users through a two-hour setup and tutorial that explains the basics. Equipment requirements are fairly modest: a Pentium 90 running Windows 95 with at least 16 megabytes of RAM.
After installing the software, users develop their own programs with the graphical RCX programming language, which is color-coded and quite intuitive. Dropping and dragging commands in sequence make creations move and sense changes around them. After drafting their program, users transfer it to the RCX brick via an infrared transmitter that attaches to a serial port.
In theory, it’s pretty simple. But successful execution demands planning and reasoning.
For users who are hopelessly stumped, the MindStorms Web site offers hints and ideas. Although still in its infancy, the site also is expected to host a MindStorms building community in which users can trade programs and show off their best creations. The beauty of MindStorms lies in its versatility. Any kid--or adult--with a Lego collection can integrate the RCX brick and the sensors into their creations.
I had one beef with MindStorms. The box boasts that it “contains everything you need to create thousands of robotic inventions.” Except it doesn’t contain everything you need to create many of the coolest robots pictured on the box. For instance, the recycler robot that picks up aluminum cans requires a separate pneumatic system. That’s deceptive.
*
Times staff writer Aaron Curtiss reviews video games every Monday in The Cutting Edge. To comment on a column or to suggest games for review, send e-mail to aaron.curtiss@latimes.com.
(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)
ESSENTIALS
Title: Lego MindStorms
Platform: PC
Publisher: Lego Group
ESRB* rating: Unrated, but no objectionable content
Price: $200
Bottom line: Perhaps the smartest software ever
*Entertainment Software Ratings Board
Next week:
“Cardinal Syn”
“F1 World Grand Prix”
“Revenge of Arcade”
