Block coding for all modern LEGO® hubs

Endless creativity and fun with smart LEGO® bricks using Pybricks

November, 2023 – Pybricks Headquarters: Today, the Pybricks team presents the first beta release of block coding for all modern LEGO® hubs. For the first time, fans of all LEGO themes can bring their smart bricks together in a single app for endless possibilities and creativity.

Whether you want to make smart train layouts, autonomous Technic machines, interactive BOOST creatures, or super-precise SPIKE and MINDSTORMS robots, you can do it with Pybricks.

Pybricks is beginner-friendly and easy to use. There’s no need to install complicated apps or libraries either. Just go to https://beta.pybricks.com, update the firmware, and start coding.

And now for the first time, no prior Python coding experience is required. You can code with familiar but powerful blocks, and gradually switch to Python when you’re ready. The live preview makes it easy to see how your blocks translate to Python code.

Meanwhile, more seasoned builders and robotics teams will enjoy advanced features such as color sensor calibration or builtin gyro control for drive bases.

The new block coding experience is exclusively available to our supporters on Patreon. You can sign up for a monthly subscription or make a one-time pledge in our shop for lifetime access.

Python coding remains entirely free and open source, and continues to be supported by a community of developers and LEGO enthusiasts around the world. Improvements are made almost every day, with the lead developers actively engaging with the community for ideas, bug fixes, and brand new features.

So grab your LEGO sets and start coding!

LEGO® Star Wars™ BOOST droid commander set takes the force to a new level, introducing the droids you have been looking for…

New LEGO® Star Wars™ BOOST Droid Commander set lets fans build, code and play with three iconic Star Wars droids – whether they’re a young Padawan or Jedi Master

May 4, 2019: Today, the LEGO Group unveils the latest addition to its much-loved Star Wars™ range – and it’s something even Yoda’s Force sense didn’t see coming. The new LEGO Star Wars BOOST Droid Commander set offers all the creativity and coding fun of LEGO® BOOST alongside the chance to build three of the film franchise’s most iconic droids: R2-D2; the Gonk Droid; and the Mouse Droid.

It’s the first time the intuitive drag-and-drop LEGO BOOST coding technology has been used in a LEGO licensing product. With the technology overhauled to match the LEGO Star Wars galaxy, the result is a whole new play experience in which kids and parents can team up to build, code and play with the droids, then create their own Star Wars stories and battlegrounds with inspiration from 40+ interactive missions. What’s more, every time they play with this LEGO Star Wars brick galaxy of lovable droids, they will also be honing their STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths) skills, which are ever more important for children in today’s digital world.

Julia Goldin, Chief Marketing Officer, LEGO Group, said: “We’ve been fuelling the imagination of young Padawans and Jedi Masters for twenty years and wanted to take the Force to a new level. By introducing LEGO BOOST and creative coding into the LEGO Star Wars galaxy, kids now have the chance to develop essential 21st century skills while immersing themselves in the amazing world of Droid Commanders. Our children are the problem solvers of tomorrow and STEAM skills will be essential to help them conquer the challenges of the future.”

The LEGO Star Wars BOOST Droid Commander set is the latest example of how the LEGO Group is using product innovation to help boys and girls gain vital STEAM skills like creativity, critical-thinking, problem-solving and communication – all while enjoying the thrill of playing with their favourite LEGO Star Wars characters.

Launching globally September 1, 2019 just in time to mark the upcoming release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, all three droids (R2-D2, Gonk Droid and Mouse Droid) included in the set are great fun to build, code and play with, and completely customisable for every child.

“These are the droids you’re looking for.”

LEGO® Star Wars™ BOOST Droid Commander product facts:

  • The set includes a color & distance sensor, interactive motor, Bluetooth (Move Hub) and 1,177 pieces – enough to build all three lovable R2-D2 robot, Gonk Droid and Mouse Droid, each coming with their own personalities, skills, and authentic Star Wars sounds and music. It will be age graded 8+ and the recommended retail price will be $199,99/€199,99.
  • R2-D2 measures over 7” (20cm) high and 5” (14cm) wide. LEGO® Gonk Droid measures over 7” (18cm) high, 3” (9cm) wide and 6” (16cm) long. LEGO Mouse Droid measures over 5” (14cm) high, 3” (9cm) wide and 6” (17cm) long.
  • Free LEGO® BOOST Star Wars™ app is available for selected iOS, Android and Fire smart devices. Using the app, young commanders can build the droids, insert the Bluetooth-controlled Move Hub into the droid they want to see solve each of the 40+ missions, and bring it to life using the intuitive drag-and-drop coding environment.
  • Mission examples include:
    • R2-D2:
      • Plot a course
      • Receive and decode an incoming message
      • Party infiltration
      • Assisting flying an X-wing
    • GONK Droid:
      • Arena Training
      • Work as a load lifter
      • Ready for the fighting pit
      • Power droids
    • Mouse Droid:
      • Thrash sweep
      • Thrash dump
      • Message delivery
      • Locate Rebels

And many more…

For more information, visit: www.lego.com/starwars-droidcommander.

STAR WARS and related properties are trademarks and/or copyrights, in the United States and other countries, of Lucasfilm Ltd. and/or its affiliates. © & TM Lucasfilm Ltd.


About the LEGO Group:
The LEGO Group’s mission is to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow through the power of play. The LEGO System in Play, with its foundation in LEGO bricks, allows children and fans to build and rebuild anything they can imagine.

The LEGO Group was founded in Billund, Denmark in 1932 by Ole Kirk Kristiansen, its name derived from the two Danish words LEg GOdt, which mean “Play Well”.

Today, the LEGO Group remains a family-owned company headquartered in Billund. However, its products are now sold in more than 140 countries worldwide. For more information: www.LEGO.com 

Mit LEGO Star Wars™ BOOST spielend Programmieren lernen

Mit dem neuen Set LEGO Star Wars™ BOOST Droide können Star Wars Fans R2-D2 programmieren und auf Erkundungsfahrt schicken

Die LEGO Gruppe präsentiert das neue LEGO Star Wars BOOST Set – erhältlich ab dem 4. Oktober 2019 in Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz. R2-D2, Gonk- oder Maus-Droide: Kleine und große Star Wars Fans haben bei diesem Set die Wahl, welchen der drei legendären Star Wars Droiden sie bauen und im Anschluss mit der intuitiven LEGO BOOST App und dem kinderleichten Programmierprogramm per Bluetooth-Steuerung auf Erkundungsfahrt quer durch das Wohnzimmer schicken möchten.

Erstmals ist die LEGO BOOST Programmierungstechnologie, mit der Grundkenntnisse und Prinzipien des Programmierens spielerisch erlernt werden, in ein Lizenzprodukt integriert. Star Wars Fans bauen die Droiden – oder auch selbst erdachte Modelle – und setzen anschließend den im Set enthaltenen Bluetooth-gesteuerten LEGO Move Hub in eines der Modelle ein. Mithilfe der intuitiven Drag-and-Drop-Programmierungsumgebung, die für das neue Set komplett überarbeitet und an das Star Wars Universum angepasst wurde, wird das gebaute Modell zum Leben erweckt. Mit einfachen Befehlsblöcken in der kostenlosen LEGO BOOST App aktivieren und mobilisieren Kinder ihren Droiden und programmieren unterschiedliche Verhaltensweisen, um ihr Modell fernzusteuern. Über 40 Missionen, die zusätzlich in der App enthalten sind, liefern ihnen weitere Inspirationen.

Das programmierbare Set LEGO Star Wars™ BOOST Droide ist jüngstes Beispiel für das kontinuierliche Bestreben der LEGO Gruppe, mit innovativen Produkten Kinder zum spielerischen Lernen und Experimentieren zu motivieren. Beim Spielen mit den LEGO Star Wars Droiden erlernen sie nicht nur wichtige Programmiergrundlagen, sondern verbessern gleichzeitig ihre Kreativität, ihr kritisches Denkvermögen, ihre Problemlösungskompetenzen sowie Kommunikationsfähigkeiten. „In dieser sich stetig wandelnden Gesellschaft sind immer mehr Schlüsselkompetenzen gefragt. Die MINT-Fähigkeiten sind unerlässlich, Kindern bei der Bewältigung zukünftiger Herausforderungen zu helfen. Der Grundstein für diese Fähigkeiten wird bereits im Kindesalter gelegt, und wir möchten diese durch LEGO BOOST und das damit verbundene kreative und intuitive Programmieren unterstützen“, so Julia Goldin, Chief Marketing Officer der LEGO Gruppe.

In Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz wird das LEGO Star Wars BOOST Set am 4. Oktober 2019 lanciert.

LEGO Star Wars™ BOOST Droide Produktdetails:

  • Das Set enthält einen Farb- und Abstandserkennungssensor sowie einen interaktiven Motor und einen Bluetooth-Move-Hub, der in das jeweilige Droiden-Modell eingesetzt wird.
  • Mit den insgesamt 1.177 Elementen können alle drei Droiden R2-D2, Gonk- und Maus-Droid gleichzeitig gebaut werden. Jedes Modell verfügt über individuelle Fähigkeiten und Charaktereigenschaften sowie authentische Star Wars Sounds und Musik, die mittels der LEGO BOOST App aktiviert werden.
  • Die kostenlose LEGO BOOST Star Wars™ App ist für ausgewählte iOS-, Android- und Fire-Geräte verfügbar. Über den in den Droiden eingesetzten Bluetooth-gesteuerten Move Hub wird das Modell mithilfe der App und der intuitiven
    Drag-and-Drop-Programmierung aktiviert. Außerdem dienen über 40 Missionen in der App zur Inspiration, um verschiedene Tätigkeiten mit den Droiden auszuführen.
  • R2-D2 ist 20 cm hoch und 14 cm breit. Der LEGO Gonk-Droid ist 18 cm hoch, 9 cm breit und 16 cm lang. Der LEGO Maus-Droid ist 14 cm hoch, 9 cm breit und 17 cm lang.
  • 75253 LEGO Star Wars™ BOOST Droide Bauset: 199,99 Euro UVP*, 249,00 CHF UVP* *unverbindliche Preisempfehlung

BOOST – A Stop Motion Story

Baltimore, Maryland – 2018 Duration 13 minutes, 18 seconds – English

SYNOPSIS

BOOST is a short film about a robot and its journey. It is a story of courage and survival.

A broken robot is thrown away into a vast junkyard. There he befriends another misfit and they work together to escape. Filmed in stop motion format.

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

Boost is a story of a tragic friendship in the tradition of The Epic of Gilgamesh. Our film revolves around the faith between friends and the reality that true friendship requires a sacrifice. Our stop motion film follows a broken robot named Boost. After breaking his arm, Boost is determined to be useless by his creators; he is then thrown away into a vast junkyard. There, he meets a fellow misfit in a crash- landed Astronaut. They must find the will to work together to escape the perilous junkyard or they perish separately.

Support it here: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/boost-a-stop-motion-story-movie-animation#/

LEGO® BOOST Building and Coding Set Unveiled at CES Empowers Children to Bring Their LEGO Creations to Life

– Building on the company’s history of merging digital programming and physical building, LEGO BOOST will inspire a younger generation to build and code their way to limitless play –

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LAS VEGAS, Jan. 4, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW – Today the LEGO Group announced LEGO® BOOST, a supercharged building and coding set that lets children bring their LEGO creations to life by adding movement, sound and personality. Unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, LEGO BOOST will be previewed to members of the global media at Digital Experience! on January 4 and will be demonstrated to CES attendees as part of the Kids@Play Kids & Technology Marketplace from January 5-8, 2017 at the Sands Expo. With a suggested retail price of $159.99 (USD), LEGO BOOST will be available in the second half of 2017.

Build the Toy You Want
LEGO BOOST combines the endless play opportunities of a traditional LEGO set with an endless variety of movement and sound capabilities made possible through an easy-to-use, app-based coding environment. LEGO BOOST was developed for children ages 7 and older by an international team of LEGO designers. Using familiar LEGO elements and simple coding language, LEGO BOOST delivers an intuitive approach and opportunities for quick success.

Powered by a Move Hub, a LEGO stud-covered brick with built-in tilt sensor upon which children can add LEGO elements, motors and a sensor that combines color and distance detection, LEGO BOOST brings movement to any LEGO creation. The set includes building instructions for five diverse models; Vernie the Robot, Frankie the Cat, the Guitar 4000, the Multi-Tool Rover 4 (M.T.R.4), and the Autobuilder, each designed to give children the basic building and coding skills needed to express their creativity by personalizing whatever they build.

„We know that children dream of bringing their LEGO creations to life, and our chief ambition for LEGO BOOST is to fulfill that wish. Once children build a LEGO creation, we give them simple coding tools to ‚boost‘ their models by adding personality,“ said Simon Kent, design lead for LEGO Group. „We want children to first and foremost have a fun and limitless play experience, adding the coding opportunity is the means to get there.“

Coding Brings Your Toy to Life
LEGO BOOST introduces children to coding through a free downloadable app that contains the guidance, building instructions and simple coding commands to bring to life five LEGO creations, one at a time. Much like building with LEGO bricks, children build behaviors and actions by linking digital coding blocks in an easy-to-understand horizontal layout. To further personify the experience, LEGO BOOST lets children add voice recordings to their creations, adding personality without requiring spelling and typing. The app also includes more than 60 activities designed to inspire additional building, coding and play.

Creative Canvas Lets You Boost Any LEGO Creation
To further inspire creative building and coding, the LEGO BOOST app includes a „creative canvas“ that includes basic building instructions for three simple base models that children can use to customize their own LEGO creations. The three bases available at launch include: a walking base for making animals like a dragon or a pony, a driving base for building vehicles like a dune buggy or rover, and an entrance base so that children can make their own castle, fort, or even a futuristic space station. Once children are comfortable with building and coding the various LEGO BOOST models, they can use the kit to „boost“ any LEGO creation – from LEGO CITY and LEGO  Friends to LEGO NINJAGO and The LEGO BATMAN Movie.

LEGO® BOOST Includes:

Hardware

  • 3 BOOST Bricks:
    • Move Hub with built-in tilt sensor
    • Combination color & distance sensor
    • Interactive motor
  • 843 LEGO elements
  • Playmat, calibrated to the app, designed to facilitate mini challenges to practice simple coding trials

LEGO BOOST App

  • Free, downloadable app is iOS and Android tablet compatible

LEGO BOOST uses 6 AAA batteries. Alkaline batteries are recommended, but rechargeable batteries can be used, though may result in weaker power output.

Quick Overview

  • Includes over 840 LEGO® pieces, plus a LEGO Move Hub, Interactive Motor and a Color & Distance Sensor.
  • Move Hub features Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) connectivity, two encoded motors, activation button, internal tilt sensor and a light.
  • Interactive Motor is an encoded motor.
  • Color & Distance Sensor detects distance, motion and color, and can also function as a light.
  • Check out the cool white, orange and blue color scheme.
  • Rotate Vernie’s head to activate its shoulder-mounted spring-loaded shooter.
  • Build the M.T.R.4 (Multi-Tooled Rover 4) and try out the different tool and customization attachments to prepare the vehicle for an array of exciting activities.
  • Learn how to play a song and rock out with the Guitar4000.
  • Look after your own pet with Frankie the Cat. Be sure to feed it the right food—or it might get upset!
  • Construct, code and operate the AutoBuilder to produce real miniature LEGO® models.
  • Build and code robots and models, and complete exciting activities with the playmat and intuitive LEGO® BOOST app, available for iOS and Android tablet devices.
  • Easy-to-use intuitive software with icon-based drag-and-drop coding interface.
  • Building instructions for all 5 models are included with the free LEGO® BOOST app.
  • This product requires batteries (not included). Please refer to the product packaging for type and quantity.
  • Vernie the robot stands over 10” (27cm) tall.
  • M.T.R.4 (Multi-Tooled Rover 4) measures over 4” (12cm) high, 9” (23cm) long and 5” (14cm) wide.
  • Guitar4000 measures over 1” (5cm) high, 16” (42cm) long and 5” (15cm) wide.
  • Frankie the Cat stands over 6” (17cm) tall.
  • The AutoBuilder measures over 10” (27cm) high, 7” (19cm) long and 6” (16cm) wide.

LEGO BOOST will be available at most stores and online shopping sites where toys are sold, through select consumer electronics retailers, and at LEGO Stores and shop.LEGO.com in the second half of 2017 and will have a suggested retail price of $159.99 USD, €159.99 (EUR) and $199.99 (CAD). For more information, visit www.LEGO.com/BOOST.

About the LEGO Group
The LEGO Group is a privately held, family-owned company with headquarters in Billund, Denmark, and main offices in Enfield, USA, London, UK., Shanghai, China, and Singapore. Founded in 1932 by Ole Kirk Kristiansen, and based on the iconic LEGO® brick, it is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of play materials. Guided by the company spirit: „Only the best is good enough“, the company is committed to the development of children and aims to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow through creative play and learning. LEGO products are sold worldwide and can be virtually explored at www.LEGO.com.