Robotics event needs student design teams

6 years ago

FORT KENT, Maine — SAD 27, the University of Maine at Fort Kent and a number of local corporate sponsors are preparing to host the fourth annual Aroostook Jr. Robotics Competition at UMFK on Thursday, May 24, and organizers seek teams to compete from all over Aroostook County.  

The theme this year is Aqua Adventure. Team members will explore how we use water in our homes and in our communities.  How is water transported, used, and disposed of? Why is it important to use water wisely? How is it treated? Teams will explore the journey of water and discover an area which could be improved and design a solution.  

Students will create and test a model to showcase their ideas and share what they learned on a presentation board, and will also be expected to share their engineering notebook to discuss improvement to their designs.

Each team will be required to design their own water mascot using the LEGOs or a 3D-printed design to accompany their presentation and model.  

Teams will design, build, program, test, and improve a model to showcase their design on a 15-by-15-inch LEGO platform.  This model will show the chosen journey for the water and the idea for how to improve a part of the journey. Students should use LEGO Education WeDo 2.0 or WeDo to build and program at least one motorized part of their team model.  

This competition is open to grades 2 through 4, or ages 6-10.  The ideal team size is between four and six members. Each team will need at least one adult coach; however, more are always welcome.  

This competition is completely student driven and coaches are there to provide support and resources for the team.  Teams outside the school districts may also join.

The fee is $25 per team to cover expenses.

For more information, visit https://communityed.umfk.edu/lego/.