Comparing LEGO SPIKE Prime Programming : Which is Best for Robotics Competitions? - 1

Does Programming Environment Affect Performance? A Comparison for Robotics Competitions
When using LEGO SPIKE Prime for a robotics competition, does the programming environment impact performance? I conducted an experiment to compare different programming environments and see how they affect robot movement.

Tested Programming Environments
I compared the following four environments:

• Word Blocks (SPIKE App 3) → Download here
• Python (SPIKE App 3) → Download here
• Python (Pybricks) → More info
• C Language (spike-rt) → GitHub repository

Test Method
To compare the environments, I ran the following test:

• The robot moves straight and stops when the color sensor detects red
• Travel distance before detection: ~30 cm
• Speed: ~900 deg/s
• Measure the stopping distance (braking distance) from the moment red is detected until the robot stops completely
• Conduct five trials for each environment and calculate the average stopping distance
• The same logic was used for all environments

Program Code:

• Word Blocks (SPIKE App 3)
• Python (SPIKE App 3)
• Python (Pybricks)
• C Language (spike-rt)

Robot Configuration
I used the following robot setup:

• Left motor: Port A
• Right motor: Port B
• Color sensor: Port C

Results: Which Environment Performed Best?
Here are the average stopping distances (shorter is better):

1. 24mm - C Language (spike-rt) 🏆
2. 26.6mm - Python (Pybricks)
3. 27mm - Word Blocks (SPIKE App 3)
4. 27.2mm - Python (SPIKE App 3)

The C language environment (spike-rt) had the shortest stopping distance, meaning it responded the fastest.

Want to Try C Programming on LEGO SPIKE Prime?
If you’re interested in trying C on SPIKE Prime, there are beginner-friendly learning materials available. As of March 2025, a trial version is also accessible—give it a try!

To see more
If you're interested in more LEGO SPIKE Prime experiments with C language, check out this related article:

• Introducing SPIKE-RT: The C Language Software Platform for LEGO SPIKE Prime
• Testing LEGO SPIKE Prime with C: Line Follower Speed & Stability

More tests are planned, including further evaluations for robotics competitions. Stay tuned for future updates!