LEGO Education offers Mindstorms at MacWorld Expo
TMO at MacWorld - LEGO Education offers Mindstorms at MacWorld Expo
by , 1:15 PM EDT, July 14th, 2005
BOSTON -- Lego Education, makers of the Mindstorms entertainment systems, is currently offering the robotic toys for sale at this year's MacWorld Expo in Boston, Massachusetts. The kits, which connect to the Mac via a USB interface and are driven by Mac OS X-native software, allow users to build their own miniature robots via mechanical bricks, optical sensors, touch sensors and an infrared tower which sends signals to the robot. An optional Mindstorms USB camera includes a built-in microphone, 17 feet of cable and can be used as a video, still or web camera.
The Mindstorms kits are divided into separate packages and include the following components:
Robo Technology Vision Mack Pack ($219):
-Robo Technology Set
-ROBOLAB OS X programming software
-RCX programmable brick
-200 basic LEGO bricks
-Sensors and motors
-USB-linked infrared tower
-Mindstorms USB camera
Robo Technology set and ROBOLAB (without camera) ($189):
-ROBOLAB OS X programming software
-RCX programmable brick
-200 basic LEGO bricks
-Sensors and motors
-USB-linked infrared tower
Team Challenge Vision Mac Pack ($259):
-Team Challenge Set
-ROBOLAB OS X programming software
-RCX programmable brick
-800 basic LEGO bricks
-Mindstorms USB camera
Team Challenge Set and ROBOLAB (without camera) ($226):
-Team Challenge Set
-ROBOLAB OS X programming software
-RCX programmable brick
-800 basic LEGO bricks
The Mindstorms USB camera retails for $39 if purchased individually.
LEGO is also offering a selection of tutorial and guide books ranging from $29.95 to $50.00 through their web site.

Observer Comments
I just finished teaching a workshop using these kits (the Team Challenge kits without the camera), and it's a great product. Kids do amazing things with this stuff. I've also used it with Macs and Windows computers, and it actually works better with the Macs than the PCs, at least with their previous version of the Robolab software. (I didn't get a chance to try the upgraded version for Windows, so they may have fixed those bugs.)
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