Lego Mindstorms has just evolved. The latest announcement from the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas from the Denmarased toy company is that their popular robotics hardware and software, Mindstorms, is getting a new command module, the EV3. It will be iOS and Android compatible from the start, letting even more kids and the young at heart program and control their robots from mobile devices.

Lego Mindstorms has used the NXT module for the last couple of years, allowing students and creative, tech-minded kids and young adults to get valuable programming and engineering experience. Building a robot and programming it takes far less time with Mindstorms, as it involved a familiar Lego-style plastic parts system along with a computer-based programming environment that’s easy to learn and use.

The new EV3 system will connect with mobile iOS and Android devices right out of the box, making it even more user-friendly to build and command robots. The command module will have an ARM9 processor with 16 Mb of RAM and will include an SD expansion slot. Up to four sensor and motor bricks can be connected to the EV3, up from a maximum of three in the NXT module.

• SourceThe Verge