September 3, 2007 – National Instruments and the LEGO Group today announced the latest software update for the popular LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT robotics invention system. Powered by the National Instruments LabVIEW graphical programming environment, LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT software Version 1.1 now provides support for the Windows Vista operating system and Intel-based Macintosh computers in addition to improving memory usage on the NXT Intelligent Brick.
“The new LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT software gives users the opportunity to take advantage of the latest operating systems while improving the functionality of the product,” said Steven Canvin, business development manager at the LEGO Group. “We are proud to continue bringing innovation to the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT product, one of the most popular robotics platforms ever launched.”
With the software’s improved memory usage, LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT includes smaller compiled programs and compressed sound files. These improvements provide users with increased system performance, especially when creating more complex programs.
“These software enhancements and compiler improvements are a direct result of our close collaboration with LEGO Group,” said Andy Bell, academic product manager at National Instruments. “It is exciting to provide continual innovations to LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT users and we look forward to aligning our products with leading technologies.”
The updated software remains compatible with the NI LabVIEW Toolkit for LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT. Through the toolkit, LabVIEW users can create and download VIs to operate and control the robotics platform. Also, third-party software and hardware users can create native blocks using the toolkit for development on LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT.
About National Instruments
National Instruments is transforming the way engineers and scientists design, prototype and deploy systems for measurement, automation and embedded applications. NI empowers customers with off-the-shelf software such as NI LabVIEW and modular cost-effective hardware, and sells to a broad base of more than 25,000 different companies worldwide, with no one customer representing more than 3 percent of revenue and no one industry representing more than 10 percent of revenue. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, NI has more than 4,300 employees and direct operations in nearly 40 countries. For the past eight years, FORTUNE magazine has named NI one of the 100 best companies to work for in America.
About the LEGO Group
The LEGO Group is a privately held, family-owned company based in Billund, Denmark. It was founded in 1932 and today the group is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of play materials for children. The LEGO Group is committed to the development of children’s creative and imaginative abilities through its products, which can be purchased in more than 130 countries, and its employees are guided by the motto adopted in the 1930s by founder Ole Kirk Christiansen: “Only the best is good enough.”
