Northeast Nebraska students showcase robotic skills at FIRST LEGO League tournament

Norfolk, Neb. - The iHub at the Lifelong Learning Center recently hosted a FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Mini-Play Tournament, drawing elementary and middle school teams from across northeast Nebraska. Twelve teams participated, demonstrating their robots, constructed entirely from LEGOs, in preparation for a state tournament in Lincoln next month.

The challenge required the student-built robots to navigate an 8x4-foot arena, completing a series of complex missions. "The student robot needs to lift, move, or grab something," explained Rob Hake, First Lego League Mini Play Captain & Coach. "There's a lot of strategy that goes into it, from building the robot and its attachments to grouping missions together to maximize points. Teams compete head-to-head, striving to score as many points as possible." Each team had three attempts to achieve their highest score.

Beyond the robot game, the event incorporated an archeology-themed project. Teams were tasked with identifying problems faced by archeologists and inventing solutions.

“Archeologists were having a hard time getting their buckets out of a hole and walking a few feet to where they're going to screen what they had found in the earth,” said Holden Meaike, from the Grace Lutheran Church community base team & Mad Scientist. “So, created this solution to help them have less injuries and help them find more artifacts.”

While winning is a goal, Hake emphasized the broader life lessons that robotics teaches. "I could come up with 100 life lessons that kids will learn just today, and that they could apply to all areas of their life," Hake stated. "They're building a robot, but the robot isn't the goal. Building the kid and their future is the goal."

The upcoming opening of Northeast Community College's iHub this summer promises to further expand opportunities for youth in robotics.