LEGO To Retire Its Buildable Robotics Line, Mindstorms, After 24 Years

When ‘Mindstorms’ was first introduced in 1998, LEGO brought something as complicated as robotics and coding to the masses with a fun and easy solution. It eventually inspired generations of kids and adults to learn more about robotics. 

Unfortunately, this is where its story ends, as LEGO announces that the line will be discontinued. The company has stated that by the end of this year, fans of the brand will not be able to purchase the Mindstorms ‘51515 Robot Inventor’ sets from stores or online.

The set was initially invented by MIT and allowed people to create robotic systems made up of traditional LEGO blocks. It came with an automatic control brick that could be easily hooked up to a PC or laptop, where builders could then program its system to do numerous simple activities.

According to Ars Technica, it wasn’t just amateurs attracted to the set. Professionals, too, flocked to it to leverage its simple makeup to complete more sophisticated projects. 

The news was first broken by Brick Fanatics, where LEGO stated that it was shifting its focus to “LEGO Education and other Build & Code experiences.” With that in mind, it also noted that it would continue to update the supported app for Mindstorms, which people use to control their creations, for the next two years. After that, the app would be rendered useless.

Though it might seem like a loss for young aspiring coders, LEGO also notes that it is holding onto the Mindstorms trademark, possibly opening itself up to the chance of reinstating the line or creating an entirely new division in the future.

 
 
 
[via Ars Technica and Brick Fanatics, images via LEGO]