The MIT Programmable Brick

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Over the years LEGO has presented a variety of construction kits that can be grouped into three generations: the first generation construction kits (the traditional LEGO bricks) allowed children to build static objects such as buildings; the second generation (the Technic bricks) enabled children to build more sophisticated artifacts using motors and pneumatic devices; with the introduction of the Programmable Brick, developed at the MIT Media Laboratory, we enter the third generation that allows children to build behaving machines.

The Brick is a small but complete computer. Through the sensor ports, the Brick can receive signals from a variety of sensors, such as touch, reflectance and angle sensors. Through the effector ports, it can control motors, beepers and lights. The MIT Programmable Brick was developed by the Epistemology and Learning Group at the MIT Media Lab, but is not yet commercially available.

The size of the Brick allows it to be incorporated in LEGO constructions and therefore create a wide variety of interesting machines and creatures. One can build data acquisition devices such as a weather station or a device that can be placed by a door to count how many people enter a room. Furthermore, one can build a vehicle, or LEGO creature, that explores its environment by programming it to find the place with the most light or the highest temperature.

Visit MIT's homepage for the MIT Programmable Brick

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