As I pass my hand in front of the watchful eyes of a Lego robot, it quips the familiar, “have a nice day.”

The robot was built from Lego's new Mindstorms NXT system - completely redone after 8 years. We're talking blue-tooth, light, touch, and ultrasonic and sound sensors. Three interactive servo motors, USB 2.0 cable, and programming software. The kit contains 577 pieces that go together to make a creation that does more than stand there. And the builder gets to exercise a bit of imagination, hone motor skills, and learn something about robotics.

Michael McNally of Lego Systems says the new Mindstorms NXT is great for kids. "It's a great way to introduce them to more complicated building, to robotic programming, because they're familiar with Lego as a language."

It’s a lot more that stacking some blocks together. While parents can eventually get the hang of it, Legos have been primarily for kids. The box says age 10+, but McNally says kids as young as seven are putting these advanced kits together. "It’s an intuitive medium for kids. They're not intimidated by Lego. Everybody knows what to do with Lego. Even if they don't, put it in front of them, and they will start putting it together," say McNally.

The main building block for these robots is the NXT brick with a 32-bit microprocessor and flash memory. "Once you download your program into the brain of the robot, it's pretty much receiving inputs from the sensors, sending outputs to the motors and bringing your robotic creation to life."

Then it's playtime. Watch the robot follow your commands, or react to outside stimuli.

The 250-dollar set is available for pre-order and has an interface for either PC or Mac.