Robot team scoops design prize (From Swindon Advertiser)

Robot team scoops design prize

1:41pm Sunday 10th February 2008 in

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A TEAM team of home-educated youngsters have won a national robot building competition.

The Tech HEd's, from Swindon, won the Technical Design Award in the UK and Ireland final of the FIRST LEGO League Robotics competition in Birmingham on Saturday, February 2.

Since September 2007, the team of seven home-educated young people (aged between nine and 15) has built a robot using LEGO MindStorms and programmed it to carry out a number of missions.

They also had to explain their robot to the judges, demonstrate teamwork and carry out a research project on the theme of sustainable buildings.

The team chose to write a report on the Oasis Leisure Centre in which Council officers have shown an interest.

This is the third time that the Tech HEds have taken part in the UK Final and in 2005 they qualified for a place at the Open European Championship.

As well as winning the Technical Design Award on Saturday, the team qualified for the quarter-finals of the robot game and finished in sixth place.

The team have also been told that they will be invited to international competitions in Japan or the USA.