Lego will release open source 'hacker's kit' for new Lego robot

The new Lego 'Mindstorms' robot looks cool, and Lego have just announced that they'll release open-source developer kits enabling access to the Software, Hardware and Bluetooth components.

The director of the product has said "most often, innovation comes from the core community of users - our ongoing commitment to enabling our fan base to personalize and enhance their MINDSTORMS experience has reached a new level with our decision to release the firmware for the NXT brick as open source".

It's nice to see a company recognising its fanbase so much - they've even recruited a group of 100 people to be part of an initial 'developer group' to help steer the project before release. Nice.

The product should be released later this year.