FIRST LEGO League, the final lands in Huoston

FIRST LEGO LEAGUE SMILEBOTS - The famous LEGO bricks, in more than 100 years of history have given rise to numerous creations. Their success is such that over the years have also been born of competitions that combine small colored bricks ingenuity, creativity and technology. From the smallest to the largest are millions of people who challenge to the sound of super innovative creations. In 1998, however, was born the FIRST LEGO League all dedicated to children aged 4 to 16 years. Let’s find out more about this competition.

What is FIRST LEGO League?

"In 1998, FIRST founder Dean Kamen and LEGO Group owner Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen joined forces to create the FIRST LEGO League, a powerful program that engages children in playful and meaningful learning, helping them discover the fun in science and technology through the FIRST LEGO League Experience.

Dean e Kjeld hanno la convinzione condivisa che FIRST LEGO League ispiri i team a ricercare, costruire e sperimentare e, così facendo, vivono l'intero processo di creazione di idee, risoluzione di problemi e superamento di ostacoli, acquisendo fiducia nelle proprie capacità di utilizzare la tecnologia.

FIRST LEGO League introduces science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) to children aged 4-16* through fun and exciting hands-on learning. Participants gain real-world problem-solving experience through a guided global robotics program, helping today’s students and teachers build a better future together.

Our three divisions inspire young people to experiment and grow their critical thinking, programming and design skills through STEM practical learning and robotics."

This is what you can read on the official website of FIRST LEGO League about the history and mission of this competition.

Smilebots e Smilebots Junior at the World Finals in Houston

There are a number of teams in the world that play FIRST LEGO League. All compete in championships at the regional level, the best then enter the National finals. The teams that manage to win the title of the tournament organized by their country of origin can, have access to the World Final in Houston. Among those who will try to get there are the two teams of the Roboticminds section of ated-ICT Ticino, Smilebots Junior and Smilebots. In two years these teams have collected numerous awards. The Smilebots have taken home 6 regional titles in Ticino, 2 Swiss national titles, 2 participations in the European finals and a participation in the 2019 World Final in Detroit.

These are the words of Federico Corsale, member of the Smilebots team:

"What I really like about the challenge is that you can travel and move around and see new places, because by winning we go to the various championships. I really like LEGO, I’m the team that builds them, and I also really like working in a team"

Read more about the project and support the two Swiss teams, Smilebots at the World Finals