If you’re looking for the perfect toy to teach your kids about coding and robotics, the Lego Mindstorms Robot Inventor 51515 kit is the perfect tool for this. Lego Mindstorms is a classic now, and it has been evolving since it was born in 1998.
Mindstorms by Lego combines the interesting and fun process of building amazing sets or vehicles with blocks, and bringing these to live through code. It could seem like an expensive toy at first, but in reality this is an investment in your kids’ future.
- With LEGO MINDSTORMS Robot Inventor (51515), kids gain essential STEM skills as they build, code and play with remote-control model robots and intelligent creations that shoot missiles, play ball,...
- With almost 1,000 pieces, including an intelligent Hub, 4 Medium Motors, Color Sensor and Distance Sensor with break-out interface, youngsters can also build their own fun robotic toys and share them...
Contents
Technical Specifications
| Brand | LEGO |
| Age Range (Description) | 10+ |
| Model Name | Robot Inventor 51515 |
| Theme | Robot |
| Material | Plastic |
| Year | 2020 |
| Number of Pieces | 949 |
| Educational Objective | Creative Thinking |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 18.9 x 14.88 x 2.78 inches |
| Size | One Size |
Gain essential STEM skills while you build
Much about learning mechanics, physics, and science in general is more on the doing side of things than in the reading or studying portion.
This is something that all great teachers in the world know, and that is why science kits like these robotics sets are perfect as learning tools.
STEM is a huge part of education nowadays, and this is why the Lego Mindstorms robot inventor kit is such a successful toy if you want your kids to learn how science and technology work together in our present world.
But this is not all. STEM as well involves engineering and math. The engineering and math portion are covered both in the building and in the coding processes.
Coding is a very important skill today. And there are two parts that are essential to code well:
- Algorithms: An algorithm is the series of logical steps a program should follow to accomplish a specific goal. These steps should be repetitive and in order so that a machine following them can execute and accomplish a task.
- Programming languages: When you have an algorithm ready, it is time to translate it into a programming language that a computer can read and understand. This is called programming language, and there are several these days.
The Lego Mindstorms 51515 set will teach your kids to develop algorithms and then translate these into a very intuitive blocks programming language that will help them learn to code.
This is the magic behind the Lego Mindstorms and why it is so fun and easy to learn with it new STEM skills.
Almost 1000 pieces to have fun with
The Robot Inventor set comes with 949 which include an intelligent Hub, 4 medium motors, and color and distance sensors with break – out interface.
This opens the Universe of possibilities to build almost anything with this amount of pieces. And with all the sensors, motors and the intelligent Hub you get, your creations can be alive in no time.
But if you think the amount of pieces is not enough to offer a wide variety of options to create, then take a look at the code you can build to bring to life each of your creations.
The possibilities are infinite. And this is why both young and old ones love to have fund and learn with the Lego Mindstorms Robot Inventor kit.
And…
There is one more thing you can do with your own fun robotic toys. You can share them online on LEGO® Life.
LEGO® Life is a safe, creative social app designed with kids in mind. It is a fully moderated community where you kids can share their creations and get inspired to create more.
Your child can engage with other young LEGO creators using emoticons and moderated text comments in an entirely free and safe social media platform for kids.
A rechargeable battery for endless fun
I don’t know about you, but I like to get all I need to have fun right out of the box from the first time.
Most of the time, batteries are the essential but missing piece you need to have fun when the assembly and building is complete.
The worst part is you realize this only when you need the batteries.
But with Lego Mindstorms is a different story, since this set comes with an easy-to-install rechargeable battery inside the box, so there is no need to go crazy about batteries just when you realize they are not and you need them.
Just plug the rechargeable battery to the USB cable (included as well) and get ready to bring to life your amazing creations.
The Lego Mindstorms 5 in 1 robots set that is compatible with other Lego kits
The Robot Inventor 51515 kit is a 5 in 1 set. This means you have the ability to build 5 different models (one at a time) with the same pieces inside the box of the whole set.
You’ll be able to give live to Blast, Charlie, Tricky, Gelo, and M.V.P.
These are the names of the different robots you can build and there are some versions besides the ones you can see in the box.
Each robot has some unique functionalities and features that will amaze you. For instance, Blast is kind of a war robot, and if you get too close it’ll fire you some rockets installed on its arm.
Tricky can throw the basketball and score some points. And M.V.P. can be either a crane or a rover.
Like I said, there are fantastic variations of the main models you see printed on the box, and it is up to you and your imagination to come up with even more models.
Another important highlight is that the powered up components in this set are also compatible with the LEGO BOOST Creative Toolbox (17101), Droid Commander (75253) and others.
You will love the Robot Inventor App
The Robot Inventor app is the environment where you can create the code that will bring your creations to life.
The app itself would deserve a separate review since it is fantastic and it includes 50+ activities you can use to animate your creations.
Yet, what I want to point out here, and the reason why Lego Mindstorms is pretty good as a coding learning tool is the blocks based programming language it uses.
When you think about coding, you may picture a black screen with lines of code highlighted in different colors. And while that represents a lot of what coding is, it can be intimidating for kids or beginners.
But with a blocks based language like the one Lego Mindstorms uses, learning to code is much easier.
This is because this is a very visual way to code, and it becomes not only simpler to understand and detect potential errors, but also it is way more fun that writing line based code.
The Lego Mindstorms Robot Inventor robotics set reviews and best offer
- With LEGO MINDSTORMS Robot Inventor (51515), kids gain essential STEM skills as they build, code and play with remote-control model robots and intelligent creations that shoot missiles, play ball,...
- With almost 1,000 pieces, including an intelligent Hub, 4 Medium Motors, Color Sensor and Distance Sensor with break-out interface, youngsters can also build their own fun robotic toys and share them...
Advantages of the Lego Mindstorms 51515 robotics set versus others
5 in 1 robotics set: Something that makes unique this set (as well as other Lego kits) versus others brands is the flexibility to build more than just one thing. In this case, the Robot Inventor is a 5 in 1 set, and with the amount of pieces you get and the code you can put into these, the possibilities are endless.
Unique robotics learning tool: There are many options in the market that will combine building something and then do some programing. While the other options may be good learning tools, only the Lego Mindstorms use a block based programing language that combine perfect with the building blocks used to assemble the kit itself. Lego Mindstorms are in a whole different level when talking about robotics kits.
Real robots you can program: Lego Mindstorms kits are considered toys, but they are more than that. These kits are real robots you can program and gain real world experience to build a career from any age. All the algorithms and coding you create for these count to build your background and experience and move to more advanced projects.
STEM Skills developer: Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. These are the skills that are important to build a career in the present and future world. Building the sets will help your kid gain experience in Engineering, Technology and Science, while coding covers the part of the math, but also touches all the other parts of STEM, because coding ties all together.
Have fun building: Lego is all about building things. The bigger the better because the challenge is higher. Also, more pieces are involved and the process is even more entertaining. The uniqueness of Mindstorms kits is that all you build, eventually will come to life in the most interesting and unexpected ways.
Robot Inventor App: The app used to control and code the Robot Inventor kit is fantastic. It comes with 50+ activities and challenges that will help your kid go from zero to hero in terms of coding and robotics. The app itself is a full and high quality product itself.
Compatible technology with other Lego platforms: There are several Lego Mindstorms kits you can get, and the Robot Inventor is compatible with some of those sets. For instance, the LEGO Boost Creative Toolbox (17101), Droid Commander (75253) and others.
Fun for kids and adults: The age rating for this robotics kit is 10+. That label means both young and old ones can have fun with this. I can say from experience that in many cases, adults find these kits much more fun and entertaining than kids, since adults may get addicted to tackle more challenging projects.
Sturdy and resistant plastic pieces: Lego is a warranty of high quality building blocks. The materials used to create these pieces will fit perfectly and you’ll have no problems of missing pieces or defective parts. This is not always the case with other robotics models as they don’t have such a robust system to manufacture and package pieces like Lego.
Quadruped model available: Just like these quadruped models from Boston Scientific, you can build Gelo, which is a quadruped model from Lego that you can program to move. This is hands on experience you can use at a job interview with a high tech company.
Other Lego Mindstorms besides the Robot Inventor
- Builders of all ages will love building and coding their fully-functional robot to walk, talk, and even play games or complete tasks! This educational STEM robot toy makes engineering fun for everyone...
- LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 is built with 601 pieces and includes the intelligent EV3 Brick, 3 servo motors, plus color, touch and IR sensors. Connect with your smart device and download the free EV3...
- The intelligent NXT Lego brick features 32-bit microprocessor, a large matrix display
- Three interactive servo motors; four sensors(Ultrasonic Sensor, 2 Touch Sensors and the all-new Color Sensor)
How to use your Lego 51515 Mindstorms Robot Inventor robotics set
Final comments: Overall an Amazing robotics set
Like I said before, Lego equals quality and fun toys that will have you build something amazing. The Mindstorms product line is no different, and with the addition of sensors and the ability to code, the possibilities are endless.
It is worth noting that a Lego Mindstorms set like the Robot Inventor is not just a toy, but an investment you make in your kids future.
Get one of these to your child and you’ll see a huge increase in STEM related activities. This is the effect Lego Mindstorms have.
The Inventor Robotic kit is an amazing tool to help your kids learn in a practical way how our modern world works.
It is the perfect platform to catapult your children’s talent to a whole new level and help them be successful in the real world.
- With LEGO MINDSTORMS Robot Inventor (51515), kids gain essential STEM skills as they build, code and play with remote-control model robots and intelligent creations that shoot missiles, play ball,...
- With almost 1,000 pieces, including an intelligent Hub, 4 Medium Motors, Color Sensor and Distance Sensor with break-out interface, youngsters can also build their own fun robotic toys and share them...
