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:

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) Image description
  • Python (SPIKE App 3) 
from hub import port
import motor,color_sensor,time
import color

motor.run(port.A, -900)
motor.run(port.B, 900)

while color_sensor.color(port.C) != color.RED:
    pass

motor.stop(port.A,stop=motor.BRAKE)
motor.stop(port.B,stop=motor.BRAKE)

time.sleep_ms(1000)
  • Python (Pybricks) 
from pybricks.hubs import PrimeHub
from pybricks.pupdevices import Motor, ColorSensor
from pybricks.parameters import Color, Port, Stop
from pybricks.tools import wait

# Initialize the sensor.
sensor = ColorSensor(Port.C)

# Initialize the motor.
left_motor = Motor(Port.A)
right_motor = Motor(Port.B)

wait(500)

left_motor.run(-900)
right_motor.run(900)
while sensor.color() != Color.RED:
    pass
left_motor.brake()
right_motor.brake()

wait(1000)
  • C Language (spike-rt) 
#include 
#include 

#include 

#include 

#include "spike/pup/motor.h"
#include "spike/pup/colorsensor.h"

#include 

pup_motor_t *motorA;             // Variable for using motor A
pup_motor_t *motorB;             // Variable for using motor B
pup_device_t *ColorSensor;       // Variable for using color sensor

void Main(intptr_t exinf)
{
  // Wait 3 seconds
  dly_tsk(1000000);

  motorA = pup_motor_init(PBIO_PORT_ID_A, PUP_DIRECTION_COUNTERCLOCKWISE);
  motorB = pup_motor_init(PBIO_PORT_ID_B, PUP_DIRECTION_CLOCKWISE);
  ColorSensor = pup_color_sensor_get_device(PBIO_PORT_ID_C);

  pup_motor_set_speed(motorA, 900);
  pup_motor_set_speed(motorB, 900);

  while(pup_color_sensor_color_name(ColorSensor, true) != 'r');

  pup_motor_brake(motorA);
  pup_motor_brake(motorB);

  dly_tsk(1000000);
  // End the program
  exit(0);
}

Robot Configuration
I used the following robot setup:

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

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:

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