LEGO SPIKE Prime and Essential
What you’ll learn
- What’s in SPIKE Prime and SPIKE Essential
- How SPIKE is programmed
- What LEGO’s 2026 changes mean for you
The kits
| SPIKE Essential | SPIKE Prime | |
|---|---|---|
| Ages | Primary (about 6–10) | About 10+ |
| Hub | Small hub, 2 ports | Large hub, 6 ports, 5×5 light matrix, speaker, gyro |
| Typical parts | Small motors, colour sensor, light matrix | Medium and large motors, colour, distance and force sensors |
The motors have built-in rotation sensors, so you can turn exactly 90° or drive a set distance without extra encoders.
Programming
The SPIKE App offers Word Blocks (based on Scratch), simpler Icon Blocks for Essential, and Python. Programs are downloaded to the hub over USB or Bluetooth.
Why LEGO is great for learning
- No wiring: plug and play.
- Very fast to change mechanisms.
- Same ideas as everywhere else: sensors, motors, loops, if/else, state machines.
Example: drive until close (SPIKE Python, simplified)
from hub import portimport motor_pair, distance_sensor, runloop
async def main(): motor_pair.pair(motor_pair.PAIR_1, port.A, port.B) motor_pair.move(motor_pair.PAIR_1, 0, velocity=400) # drive straight while distance_sensor.distance(port.C) == -1 or distance_sensor.distance(port.C) > 100: await runloop.sleep_ms(20) # until within 10 cm (mm units) motor_pair.stop(motor_pair.PAIR_1)
runloop.run(main())(Check the SPIKE App’s help for the exact API on your app version.)
Example: the same logic anywhere
Whether it’s LEGO, Arduino or the RoboLearn simulator: sense (distance), think (is it close?), act (stop or drive).
Port planEasy
Plan which SPIKE Prime ports you’d use for two drive motors, an arm motor, a colour sensor and a distance sensor. For example: A and B drive motors, C arm motor, D colour sensor, E distance sensor (F spare).
Same idea, no kitMedium
No SPIKE kit? Build the “drive until close” behaviour in the robot simulator.
function loop() { if (distance() > 10) motors(50, 50); else motors(0, 0); }
Plan for 2031Hard
Your school has 10 SPIKE Prime kits. Write a short plan for the next five years. Keep using them while the app is supported (to June 2031) and for FLL through 2027–28; keep spare parts and batteries; test the new LEGO kit or Arduino alongside; plan replacements before support ends.
Quick check
Finished this lesson?