The museum is filled with eager competing teams who have been working on their assignments for weeks, most of them as part of school lessons.
– We have built a table on the wooden floor to work with this, says Naomi, 12 years old.
The sea in focus
It’s about technology and programming – built with Legos. Today, participants show off their Lego robots in front of judges and collect points as their programmed robots perform tasks on the playing field – the sea. This year’s theme is about life under water and how technology and innovation can be used to create a better world with healthy oceans.
– We will try to come up with solutions to save things from the sea, says Adrian, 12 years old.
A competition that inspires
The aim of the competition is to inspire children and young people to explore subjects in science and technology – and become tomorrow’s engineers, researchers and problem solvers. Maria Olsson, head of teaching at the Technical Museum in Stockholm, believes that using Legos in particular to promote interest is a winning concept.
– When you get to work with something “hands on” and assemble your own Lego robot that will solve tasks, it becomes a little more real, says Maria Olsson.
The interest in technology and programming is felt to the highest degree among the participants.
– I would like to work with innovation and programming. It’s perfect that young people get to work with stuff like this, says Walter, 15 years old.
Chance to compete internationally
“First Lego League” started already in 1999 and is organized today in over 100 countries around the world. In addition to the Technical Museum, the competition is held in several locations in Sweden today, including Dalarna and Gothenburg. The winners go on to the Scandinavian final in Norway, and then get the chance to compete with their technology projects in the international tournament.
See more in the video from today’s competition and hear some of the competitors talk about their projects.