IPFW Hosts state LEGO Robotics tourney

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne hosted the FIRST LEGO League State Championship tournament Saturday at Gates Sports Center.

Indiana children ages 9 to 14 made up 48 teams to compete in the tournament and are among the record 160,000 students around the world who participated in the 2009 FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Smart Move Challenge.

To successfully complete the Challenge, teams of young people built and programed a LEGO MINDSTORMS robot to explore "How can we transform our system of transportation?" Teams considered many modes of transportation, even beyond their daily routine, and streamlined them by making smart moves to help access people, places, goods, and services in the safest, most efficient way. Challenge missions included planning efficient routes and sequences, climbing steep ramps, responding to changing conditions, traveling along a narrow bridge with no guardrails, and enduring crash tests.

Officials from FLL said, "Through hands-on experience and working in teams, children have a chance to explore a real-world issue through research and robotic programming to gain an appreciation for and interest in science and technology."

145 Indiana teams competed at one of six qualifying tournaments to become one of the 48 teams to advance to the state championship tournament at the IPFW Gates Sports Center.

2009 was the 10th anniversary of the state-wide championship tournament.