Announcing ROBOLAB™ 2.9:
Bridging the RCX generation to the NXT
Everyone's excited about the new LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT system. But what if you've
invested years of your life in ROBOLAB™ and the RCX?
No worries. In August 2006 LEGO Education, in collaboration with Tufts University's Center
for Engineering and Educational Outreach (CEEO), and National Instruments will release one
last version of ROBOLAB, designed specifically to support RCX users and ease the transition
to NXT.
Users can upgrade to ROBOLAB 2.9 software, allowing you to program both the RCX and the
NXT (via USB).
In addition to providing compatibility with both the RCX and NXT, ROBOLAB 2.9 features new
firmware to allow users faster processing, more motor speeds, floating point math, improved
debugging and programming functions and more.
Meanwhile, ROBOLAB users ready to get started with the NXT technology, will be able to
work in a familiar environment to create programs for the NXT brick - from basic Pilot to high
end Inventor, and data logging programs.
Users can therefore continue to build up their educational robotics resources by investing in
the new LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Education hardware, which includes converter cables for the
legacy sensors and motor, and use it with their existing sets.
In June 2006, LEGO Education and the CEEO will team up to launch a new teacher-to-
teacher website dedicated to teaching math, science and engineering with LEGO bricks.
The site will offer comprehensive online support and advice for LEGO MINDSTORMS, from
how to use the new features to how to combine the existing platform with the new in the
Features of the new MINDSTORMS Education NXT software platform will also be presented
on the site, including the integrated Robot Educator, which is a fully animated guide to all
programming features.
LEGO Education will continue to assist users of the current platform with inspiration and
technical support until the end of 2009. The portfolio of hardware, software and curriculum
activity packs, designed for students from 8 years up, will still be available, as will local
support from educational suppliers.
ROBOLAB 2.9 is fully supported on Win 2000 and newer platforms; however NXT support will
be restricted to Win XP (SP2). Macintosh users of OS9 must continue to use ROBOLAB 2.54
or older.
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