Lego Mindstorms Robotics Kits Are Being Discontinued (2024)

Lego has decided to discontinue its Mindstorms range of programmable robots at the end of this year.

The long-running product series, which combines software and Lego bricks to create the robots, appears to have lost steam recently and Lego is throwing in the towel 24 years after the range first appeared.

The company explained in a statement published by Brickset that it now has "a number of priorities in Lego Education and other Build & Code experiences," and that, "we have decided to focus our resources and future plans by redirecting our Mindstorms Robot Inventor team and expertise into different areas of the business."

That means the end of Lego's $359.99 Mindstorms Robot Inventor kit, which lets kids (and adults) build five different working robot models—from a four-legged walker to a bipedal wheeled robot that gives high-fives—out of 949 Lego pieces.

Despite their impact as programming education tools, the Mindstorms kits have been slow to evolve; the EV3 set came out in 2013, followed seven years later by Robot Inventor.

"We still have strong belief in the Build & Code proposition and will continue to support it through platforms such as Spike Prime," a Lego spokesperson said. "And we are continuing to hold on to the trademark for the Mindstorms brand and assessing our future plans together with Lego Education."

Digital platforms like the Lego Mindstorms Robot Inventor app, meanwhile, will remain live until at least the end of 2024.