Lego just opened preorders for Lego Boost, the simple programmable robotics kit it announced early this year. The $159.99 kit includes two motors, a color and distance sensor, and the parts needed to build a Lego cat, robot, guitar, vehicle, or imitation 3D printer. Kids can control their creations with an Android or iOS app, using a basic drag-and-drop programming system. Preorders will begin shipping in late July.
Boost is one of several options for programmable Lego. Outside the well-known Lego Mindstorms, there’s also the educational WeDo platform, as well as newly announced support for Apple’s educational programming app, Swift Playgrounds. Boost’s text-free drag-and-drop programming is designed for younger children than Mindstorms is, and it’s meant to be more for play than education. We tried it at CES, and while it’s far more limited than something like Mindstorms (and costs a lot of money), it’s also pretty fun!