Central Florida students compete in the 2020 Lego Robofest at Spruce Creek High School

Elementary and middle school students demonstrated how their Lego robots can be 'For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology' at the competition hosted by Spruce Creek High School.

By Tanya Russo
| 11:00 a.m. January 22, 2020

Robots made from LEGO blocks were programmed to complete various tasks and were judged on their innovation, design and process used to complete the task. Photo by Tanya Russo

Connor Curley, Michelle Eaton and Sheri Settembre greet students and parents at the 2020 LEGO Robofest at Spruce Creek High School. Photo by Tanya Russo

The LEGO Robofest drew a big crowd at Spruce Creek High School auditorium on Saturday, Jan. 18. Photo by Tanya Russo

Sophia Goodmason and Angelina Vukel prepare their robot for the timed competition in the Game category of the Robofest competition. Photo by Tanya Russo

Core Values were "on fire" in a display touting the value of science and technology. Photo by Tanya Russo

The "Bramble Bolts" display their ideas for making Eustis an even better city for its citizens. Photo by Tanya Russo

"Bumble Bolt" team mentor and mascot, Kevin Bongiovanni buzzes around the crowd in support of his team. Photo by Tanya Russo

Ormond Beach Observer
Neighbors

Morning dawned early for several students in Central Florida on Saturday, Jan. 18, as teams of elementary and middle school students and their parents streamed into Spruce Creek High School in Port Orange for the annual Lego Robofest event sponsored by FIRST organization.

Teams competed with robots made from Lego blocks and were programed to complete various tasks. Students competed in four categories: Games, judging, projects and core values.

There were 12 missions in the game category where students had two-and-a-half minutes to demonstrate various strategies to complete tasks. After game room competition, teams headed to the judging room where their robots were judged on creativity and design.

Projects that demonstrated the theme, “City Shaping,” were set up along tables for judges and the crowd to study. Students presented solutions for making their city a safer, greener and cleaner place to live.

As people milled around the waiting room, displays with topics related to the core values of FIRST, which stands for "For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology," were dotted around the rooms.

Kevin Bongiovanni, a mentor for the “Bumble Bolts” robotics team from Eustis, said there were winners from each category plus an overall competition winner and a special judges award.

FIRST was created by Dean Kamen, who invented the Segway and Woody Flowers, and is a professor of mechanical engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The competition has been going on annually for the past 15 years.