This is round one of my comparison between the Bioloid Stem kit and the new Lego Mindstorm EV3 kit.

Link to Lego EV3


Here is my head to head comparison and break down of the Bioloid STEM kit to the new Lego Mindstorm EV3 kit shown at CES 2013. Both are designed to be entry level robotics kits for kids so it should be a good match up. As I learn more about the new Lego kit I will further break down each match up. I will also do a round two comparison to summarize my findings.

Match up number 1 is servos and it is a Tie.

        Reason: Bioloid servos are better but the Lego kit comes with 3 and the Bioloid kit only has two.

Match up number 2 is the robot controller and it is a win for Bioloid.
       
        Reason: The Bioloid controller has more ram and processing power.

Match up number 3 is sensors and it is a win for Bioloid.

        Reason: It was a close match up but the Bioloid IR sensor array is a winner.

Match up number 4 is batteries and it is a tie.      
      
        Reason: Both kits use AA batteries

Match up number 5 is hackablity of the kits and it is a win for Lego.

        Reason: The Lego hardware and software are opened source.

Match up number 6 is software and it is a win for Lego.

        Reason: It is easier for kids to use and it works on Windows, Mac and Linux OSs.

Match up number 7 is price which is a tie.

       Reason: Both kits are around 350.00 USD.

Match up number 8 is educational workbook which is a huge win for the Bioloid kit.

        Reason: The Bioloid kit has two very detailed and comprehensive workbooks!

Match up number 9 is ease of robot building for kids which is a win for Lego.

        Reason: All kids know how to build things with Lego bricks.

Match up number 10 is expandability and this is a win for Bioloid.

        Reason: The Bioloid STEM kit already has an expansion kit for sale.

Match up number 11 is remote control and it is a win for Lego.

        Reason: Lego supports both android and I-phone Bluetooth control.

Match up number 12 is buying replacement parts. This is a win for Bioloid.

        Reason: It’s difficult to almost impossible to buy the parts of the Lego kit separately. If you need a new part for our Lego kit you usually have to buy the whole kit again. This is not true for the Bioloid kit as you can buy all of the parts for the Bioloid kit separately.

So the score sheet is 5 wins for the Bioloid, 4 wins for the new Lego kit and 3 ties. It is close but the Bioloid Stem kit wins for now.

Link to the Bioloid STEM Website.


These rating are based on my experiences with previous Lego kits and the Bioloid STEM Kit which I own. I will do future rounds of this comparison as I learn more about the Lego kit and hopefully get to use it.