Therons build Lego bridges to Jakarta

The world of robotic science is clouded in mystery for most. Many perceive the idea of robots and all things related as futuristic pipedreams and too far fetched to be paying any serious attention to. But for two young scientists from a local primary school, robotics may just prove to be the way forward. When the Theron cousins, Kobie and Pikkie, from Laerskool Bergland entered the realm of the Future Lego League (FLL) they could not have imagined that these simple childhood toys would become the building blocks of a possible future in engineering. Not only have they recently won the Mpumalanga regional championship as part of Team Tik-Tok Brains, but they have also made their weay through the National level competition in the World Robotics Olympiad (WRO) under the name of Wetland Rangers.

The WRO is a similar yet entirely different competition to the general Lego League and requires a lot more sophistication to the projects presented by the teams. The WRO brings together young people from all over the world to develop their creativity, design and problem solving skills through challenging and educational robot competitions and activities. As part of the general rules, the projects must consist of at least 90 per cent Lego materials to be eligible in the judging process.

The boys came up with an ingenious way of restoring and then conserving the St Lucia wetlands area in KZN which has been nearly completely destroyed by commercial farming, forrestry and industries in that area. They aim to achieve this by channelling the water from two sections of the Mfolozi river surrounding the wetlands by means of centuries old channels that were orginally used by the Boers a few hundred years ago. The boys have built a scale model of their concept and it is with this idea that they will be participating in Jakarta in November this year. The winners of this international olympiad will walk away with amazing prizes including the sponsorship of all patent rights on their projects.

For Kobie, this is the first year in Lego world and he relies therefore on the experience of his cousin, Pikkie, who is participating for his second year. Pikkie has also been involved in the FLL since the tender age of four, and knows all too well what to expect at these international competitions.

“We don’t play with the normal Lego blocks at home anymore – its become too boring – but instead we use the mechanised versions of the originals to make robots and structures which we then adapt slightly for competitions.”

The boys will depart for Jakarta in Malaysia on November 14 and will take part in the olympiad until November 17. Their school mates and family as well as the Nelspruit Lego community all stand firmly behind them as they wish them best of luck in this endeavour.

“We are very confident that will make everyone proud and maybe in this way we can teach the adults how to better their existing system through the use of something as simple as a child’s building blocks.”

For the video presentation of the Wetland Rangers and their project visit www.nelspruitpost.co.za.

“Solving robotic challenges builds innovation, creativity and problem solving skills in students, and because robotics cross multiple curriculum subjects, students must learn and apply their knowledge in science, engineering, math, and computer programming. The most rewarding part of designing robots is that students have fun, work together as a team, and learning occurs as naturally as breathing air,” said WRO Chairman John Johnson in an online interview. “WRO has been building this learning platform for nine years now. Our first robotics competition was in 2004 where we had 12 countries and 4 000 teams. In 2013 we anticipate over 42 countries and over 20,000 teams from around the world taking part in WRO activities in local, regional, and national competitions. I would like to extend my most sincere gratitude to the volunteers, organizers, and participants for making WRO such a huge success.”