by Lego’s Robot Inventor kit, a fantastic tool for learning to code, is ready for retirement, which means one of two things. Either it will be associated with a maverick partner or it will go for ridiculous prices on eBay. The good news is 20% off for Black Friday and if you hurry you can order it now.
Rated for ages 10 and up, the Lego Robot Inventor Kit is $287.99 from the Official Lego Store. (opens in a new tab), and is part of Lego’s Mindstorms series. That means the fun doesn’t stop when you’ve built it. In fact, the fun has only just begun.
There are five unique designs you can create, and with the Robot Inventor app, you can program these robots to do all sorts of things. And, thanks to the visual interface, chaining commands should be a breeze.
So while you’re having fun, you’re learning to code, which also makes it great for introducing kids to programming. We can see that this is also a boon for teachers and other educators. But hurry, this robot’s retirement is fast approaching.
We always knew Lego could be educational (that’s our excuse anyway), but this Lego Robot Inventor kit takes things to the next level. You can build one of five models, ranging from a humanoid robot and roving vehicle to something that looks like one of Boston Dynamics’ robot dogs (opens in a new tab).
But once you’ve built the robot of your choice, you can program it to take on complex tasks. No, it won’t try to murder you while you sleep, but the Robot Inventor app, available on PC, iOS, and Android, is incredibly flexible.
There are no complex code entry strings, and the user will not be greeted with a cryptic error message. Instead, you drag and drop statements which, in turn, can be nested within other statements.
Also don’t worry about the robot falling off a table and breaking into hundreds of blocks. The Robot Inventor app now supports microphone and camera input, which means you can shout “Stop!” before the worst happens.
The Lego Robot Inventor kit also includes color and distance sensors, which means you can make them act on feedback from these sensors. We say “you”, but the Lego Robot Inventor Kit is also a great tool for teaching kids to code.
But, since it’s retired, you’ll need to pick it up shortly before it disappears or goes missing on eBay. And at 20% off this Black Friday, there’s no sense in waiting. Or if you’d rather gaze up at the stars, check out our list of the best Lego space sets. (opens in a new tab)
Be sure to check out Space.com Black Friday Deals page, or our guide to Best Lego Black Friday deals. (opens in a new tab)
