Replace Lego's 190 Intelligent Brick with MIT's Scratch and a 40 Raspberry Pi

If you want to explore coding with Lego bricks, there's one major option: to use a kit from the company's well-known Mindstorms robotics line. Mindstorms-based machines are built around the Intelligent Brick, which can be programmed using Lego's graphical programming environment or one of a number of third-party alternative languages. But Lego also makes a collection of motors, connectors, lights, and infrared receivers collectively sold under the label of Power Functions. In place of a programmable brick, the Power Function line includes a handheld controller for transmitting command signals. I wondered if it was possible to use a Raspberry Pi to replace the handheld controller, taking on the role of an Intelligent Brick.