LEGO Mindstorms NXT 2.0 (8547)

Overall, this is a great toy! I'm a software engineer who often works with automation and robotics. It was fun to share this with my son.Awesome Stuff:* There is a CD full of instructions for various robots and more on the website! The instructions are in 3-D and very easy to follow.* The designs are very versatile. You can build the basic projects and then change sensors or components to make what you want.* Very easy to understand. Inputs and outputs are clearly labeled. Even my 9YO could understand the instructions.* Pieces are extremely durable.* Programming interface is a very simplified version of LabView. My son was able to figure it out easily and experiment with programming.* Lots and lots of parts to work with.* A creative kid can make pretty much anything he/she wants to with this.Could've been done better:* Extra parts are really expensive.* Flimsy box: We had to buy another box for storage* Batteries: A rechargable battery pack would've been great.Other Notes:* More inputs/outputs/sensors would've been nice, but that would add complexity. Keeping in mind that this is a toy for children and not a complex design and construction kit for professionals, I'd say Lego did an awesome job. My son and his friends love his set.* There is some explaination about how parts work, but if you want to teach your kid more, you are going to have to explain without lego help. If you are not an engineer, go to google or google scholar and do a little research. Learning with kids is fun too!* This set is mostly compatible with other sets and lego technic, but google before you buy.* The programming interface is pretty obvious, let your kids figure it out without your help, kids are very technology-saavy and it will be faster that way.* Read the instructions. Everything is clearly explained, labeled and there's no boring stuff embedded into the instructions.Overall, this is an awesome toy for the budding engineer. Great way for younger kids to learn about robotics, programming, engineering, circuits and reading directions.

Got this at Xmas, son is 13 and sorta of the geeky type of kid but he wanted one. This is a cool toy if your child is going to use it. My son gets fustrated and quits. He did manage to build the robot n make it walk and a couple of other things but that required me pestering him. Lots of small parts to lose and break (havent yet - knock on wood). Its an expensive dust collector now.

I design equipment control's for a living, so I'm fairly adept at these types of embedded processors. Purchasing the NXT kit only seemed a natural way for me to spend more time with my two boys (12 and 9) and sneak in some education at the same time.The Good:> This is an awesome idea by Lego - a toy that can be reused over, and over, and over again and is only limited by the imagination.> It really is a good tool to teach your child the fundamentals of programming.> The software (by Labview) is well done and about as easy as it can be made to be.> The parts are compatible with other Lego products - greatly expanding the capabilities.> It really does lend itself to parent/child together time.The Challenges:(Note that I say challenges, because I would really say that there is anything bad about the product.> If you've never programmed before, you have to expect that there will be a learning curve. Don't expect to be doing anything you can imagine right away.> It really feels to me like a starter kit. Most things that we want it to do, there are simply not enough parts for. For example, a fourth motor would be really useful as well as a third button and an analog input device (an input that varies in value instead of off/on - like a light dimmer). To really make this fun, I think that you either need two of them, or find a friend with one.> You have to find clever ways to attach to the motors and the 'brain' in order to build a stable structure. I know of lots of regular lego parts that could have been included to make this easier.Summary:The Mindstorm is a great product that lends itself to quality parent/child time. The experience is enhanced by a combination of a technically savoy parent and an inventive child. You'll find yourself thinking and building all kinds of interesting devices together.To keep it from going into a closet after the first month, though, you need to plan on further investment. It is a starter kit, and needs further parts to make it really useful. Consider getting together with friends or joining a club.SteveJ