In 1998, the venerable toy company shipped the MindStorms Robotics Invention System. I doubt even LEGO had any idea of the reaction it would spawn; enthusiasts went wild, creating all sorts of new robot designs and programming and a thriving community online. Just Google "MindStorms" and you'll see what I mean.

Despite gloomy predictions over the past few years of the demise of MindStorms, LEGO just announced a new platform for MindStorms, called NXT. Slated for an August 2006 release ($249.99), NXT will bring a lot more processing power to the table, along with new types of sensors, USB and Bluetooth connectivity, and the capability for much finer movement (to 1 degree). Soren Lund, LEGO's MindStorms director, told us that not only will hobbyists be thrilled with the new possibilities of NXT, but beginners will have a much easier time getting started; they'll be able to build a working robot within 30 minutes of cracking open the package.

The company, ever supportive of its MindStorms community, is also offering entrance into a developers' beta program to the first 100 takers. Check here to see if you can still get in on this.