Yes, the new Mindstorms Model, EV3, (Lego 31313) will be presented on the next CES, Consumer Electronics Show, in Las Vegas, replacing the old model NXT 2.0 released in the past 2009. This is surely a big new for the millions of fans that this model has, not only in terms of Lego features but also in terms of robotic capabilities.

This third wave of Lego’s robots will include almost six hundred technic pieces that will allow building five different robots. With it, it will also be offered instructions for additional twelve models making a total of seventeen building possibilities most of them snakes and scary scorpions and even a big elephant among others.

The technique features are huge and surely surpass the usual Lego’s concepts as a building toy or hobby. If not, look at this, it will have Linux firmware ready for several operating systems including mobile devices such as smartphones, Bluetooth support and also a USB port and a SD Slot Card. Another interesting feature is that in the previous models, the robot could be programmed only from the computer, but now, all or most of all the commands can be given directly in the model.

In terms of hardware, the capabilities and specifications are amazing, according that we are talking about a Lego model (is it really??). It will have 16 MB of flash memory and an SD expansion memory as I said before, Linux 2.1, several input and output ports and Wi-Fi connectivity among other specifications.

The new MINDSTORMS EV3 will heva two touch sensors, three interactive motors, one infrared seeker sensor for calculating distances and detecting movement, giving robots the ability to see and detect various objects, another sensor able to detect six different colors and absence of color. Finally, it also has an infrared device designed to control the robots remotely. This new guy is also compatible with all the previous models namely the Mindstorms NXT robots.

Since the first model, released fourteen years ago many features have changed and other were introduced and the new price is one of them. Three hundred and fifty dollars is the expected price for this majestic piece but I’m sure that everyone was already expecting these values. January 7th is the official announcement date and soon in Las Vegas we will be able to see more carefully all its great details.

Have a look at the press release:

Lego’s Mindstorms kits were born into a world where the PC reigned supreme for control; the company is ushering in 2013 with an acknowledgment that its build-it-yourself toy is part of a much wider universe. Its updated Mindstorms EV3 runs on new Linux firmware that’s ready for Android and iOS control out of the box, creates an overall more hackable platform and allows further programming on the core Intelligent Brick itself; accordingly, there’s an SD card slot for local storage. A built-in infrared sensor expands the possibilities for a more autonomous design, as well — Lego suggests that EV3 constructs can follow other moving gadgets, or even their creators, around the room. It should also be the first Lego bundle with its own 3D construction guide, as a new app built with Autodesk’s help lets builders see the process from every angle. We won’t have the chance to put a kit together until the EV3 line ships in the second half of the year, but Lego already expects the core unit to sell for $350.