Robotics
What happens when you combine one of the world’s most popular toys with modern robotics and computer programming? For thousands of children around the world, it’s a mix that introduces them to the wonders of engineering. Hence the FIRST LEGO League – a gateway to STEM learning that helps kids use their imagination to solve real-world problems.
For decades, the unlimited possibilities of Lego bricks have sparked the imagination of millions of children around the world — many of which went on to pursue careers in engineering. One of them is Karin Bååthe, who is now Vice President of Strategy and Business Development at Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions.
“I’ve always loved building Lego, and that definitely planted a seed,” said Bååthe. “Being able to follow a blueprint to create things like trains and digging machines, it made me want to study to become an engineer and work with real machines.”
These days, the Danish toy maker is combining its old-school plastic bricks with modern robot programming to help create the engineers of tomorrow.
At the forefront of that effort is the First Lego League (FLL). Open to children from the ages of 4-16, the global competition encourages young students to work in teams to “focus on the fundamentals of engineering as they explore real-world problems” by building models using advanced Lego sets.
Learn the basics of engineering
The competition was created in 1998 in collaboration with FIRST, a non-profit robotics community, and has exploded in popularity in recent years as kids seize the opportunity to learn the basics of coding and engineering in a way that’s fun.
And if you take a look at the creations produced by FLL participants, it quickly becomes clear that they aren’t putting together the Lego projects that most of us grew up with. The most advanced challenges involve building futuristic-looking robots that can roll across a specially designed game mat and use their motors, sensors and preprogrammed instructions to carry out a set of tasks within a certain time limit.