Official word has now been published regarding the LEGO/HiTechnic collaboration.

The LEGO Group today announced partnership with HiTechnic to allow the manufacture and sale of hardware accessories certified by the LEGO Group for the newly-released LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT robotics toolset. This debut partnership represents the evolution of the company’s commitment to community-driven innovation and open-source development surrounding the launch of its next generation robotics system.

See our report when the news first broke at BrickFest 2006.