LEGO robots battle, block to block
By: Melanie Burney | Posted: 7 February 2016
In a stiff competition akin to a championship sporting event, youngsters from across the region Saturday challenged their minds to create the best robot and build a better world.
After months of work and fine-tuning final projects, it was game day for 48 teams that competed in the annual Lego League regional championship at the University of Pennsylvania.
The students, all middle schoolers, used software and technology to build and program a Lego robot. The teams earned points based on how well their robot manipulated a tabletop obstacle course and completed missions or tasks.
“I absolutely love it,” said Nico Marosek, 12, a sixth grader at Holy Cross Regional School in Collegeville. “It’s a lot of fun. Even if we lose, we will laugh about it and try to do better the next time.”
Known as the FIRST LEGO League, the program seeks to expose youngsters to math and science at an early age and encourage them to consider careers such as engineering…
About 200 teams from the region competed in qualifying rounds. The top 48 advanced to Saturday’s event.
Two winning teams, “Those Blue Girls” from Chester Springs and “Penn Alexander LEGO Robotics” from Philadelphia, will move on to the final round in April in St. Louis for the World Festival, which draws teams from around the world.