Andrews Family

Just in case anyone is shopping for Christmas presents already, I’ve got a new item on my list. The next generation of robotic LEGOs released this week. LEGO® MINDSTORMS NXT®. What makes them so cool? Well, not only can you build cool stuff, but they are also infused with technology. These robotic LEGOs include motors, sensors, and an intelligent central brick which can be programmed. But programmed with what you might ask? Why LabVIEW of course. Yes, the software being used by kids, and adults, to program these new LEGOs is a specialized version of the graphical programming language called LabVIEW created by National Instruments (NI). (In case you didn’t know, I’m a software engineer at NI on the LabVIEW team.) You can check out more details here. Another cool thing is that these "toys" are used in education. Better yet, NI allows its employees to take time out of the work day to volunteer helping local schools teach with LEGO MINDSTORMS. So this school year I’ll be helping out in a nearby 5th grade class. I’ll keep you posted on how it goes and what kind of robots they build. We’ll see if I make it all the way ’til Christmas before buying some myself!