In 2001 LEGO released 3 Mindstorms sets across 2 subthemes. The largest Mindstorms set from 2001 was
3804 Robotics Invention System V2.0 with a piece count of 717 and a retail price of $199.99. The current estimated value of all these Mindstorms sets from this year is about $995.98 which represents a 355.7% growth.
LEGO Mindstorms is a hardware and software system desigend for the development of programmable robots made out of TECHNIC bricks. The original LEGO Mindstorms Robotics Invention System was born out of a collaboration between MIT and the LEGO group's eductaional division. Since the release, there have been a number of generations of the Mindstorms platform: the original Robotics Invention System, NXT, NXT 2.0, and EV3 and weth each platform release, the motor and sensor capabilities have greatly expanded. Mindstorms are also sold and used as an educational tool and called Mindstorms for schools or Mindstorms Education.
2001 LEGO Sets
2001 was another interesting year for LEGO collecting. LEGO introduced a few very iconic and highly collectable sets which help drive LEGO investments to date, these include the Bionicle theme, Harry Potter, LEGO Racers and Alpha Team. Also introduced in 2001 as well as retired was the Life on Mars theme. We also saw the release of Islanders and Imperial Armada as subthemes of LEGO Pirates. LEGO also expanded its retail footprint in 2001 with brand stores opening in England, Germany, and Russia as well as expansions in the United States. The 2001 notable sets include the Star Wars Darth Maul bust (10018-1), Star Wars Ultimate Collector Series Rebel Blockade Runner (10019-1) and of course the LEGO Dragon sculpture (3724-1).