Sensory capabilities can be based on thermometers, light sensors, sound sensors, touch sensors, and ultrasonic sensors.
There are three motor ports and four sensor ports as well as a USB port on a typical Mindstorms master brick. Downloadable programs are available for using either a USB cable or Bluetooth connection. NXTG is the default scheme for use when programming the micro controller, though there are also programming environments available for the RobotC and Java options.