KQED is a proud member of
Save ArticleSave Article
upper waypoint
News Fix

PHOTOS: Bay Area Students Turn Legos into Robots

Polly Stryker
Save ArticleSave Article
Failed to save article

Please try again

This robot was built by fourth, fifth and sixth graders from Fremont at the FIRST LEGO League competition in San Jose. Their team name was the Ogelions.  (Polly Stryker/KQED)

What happens when you combine the nostalgia of childhood with the technology of the future?

Lego robots happen.

This weekend, more than 600 student teams across Northern California (and their robots) participated in qualifying tournaments for the FIRST LEGO League competition. The robots were built by the students with Lego pieces and other materials and had to do specific tasks on a pre-set ping-pong sized table — pushing buttons, grabbing Lego items, pulling levers -- all within a set amount of time.

The science and engineering competition's theme this year was hydro dynamics, and the students were responsible for programming their robots to meet the challenges around water. Only around 30 percent of the kids who compete this weekend will move on to the next round.

The photos below are from one qualifying event at the Play Space in San Jose.

Roan Kher and Dhruv Nemani are part of the Robomaniacs team. The sixth graders were just some of many Bay Area students competing in the STEM competition.
Roan Kher and Dhruv Nemani are part of the Robomaniacs team. The sixth graders were just some of many Bay Area students competing in the STEM competition. (Polly Stryker/KQED)
Sixth graders on the Robomaniacs team made this robot. The team members are from Cupertino.
Sixth graders on the Robomaniacs team made this robot. The team members are from Cupertino. (Polly Stryker/KQED)
Students at the FIRST LEGO League qualifying event had to create robots that would pass three challenges related to hydro dynamics. (Polly Stryker/KQED)
The Alta Vista Aviators take the field.
The Alta Vista Aviators take the field. (Polly Stryker/KQED)
The Robowarrior team was made up of fourth and fifth graders from San Jose and Cupertino.
The Robowarrior team was made up of fourth and fifth graders from San Jose and Cupertino. (Polly Stryker/KQED)

Sponsored

lower waypoint
next waypoint
State Prisons Offset New Inmate Wage Hikes by Cutting Hours for Some WorkersCecil Williams, Legendary Pastor of Glide Church, Dies at 94Erik Aadahl on the Power of Sound in FilmFresno's Chinatown Neighborhood To See Big Changes From High Speed RailKQED Youth Takeover: How Can San Jose Schools Create Safer Campuses?How to Attend a Rally Safely in the Bay Area: Your Rights, Protections and the PoliceWill Less Homework Stress Make California Students Happier?Nurses Warn Patient Safety at Risk as AI Use Spreads in Health CareBill to Curb California Utilities’ Use of Customer Money Fails to PassCalifornia Proposes Law to Allow Arizona Doctors to Perform Abortions Amid Ban