Young robotics champions

A team of home schooled students from London came second at the UK and Ireland Final of the Institution of Engineering and Technology's FIRST LEGO League (FLL).

The 'Rubbish Runners' have now been invited to compete at the FLL European Championships in Tenerife, Spain. The science and technology challenge, which is aimed at 9-16 year olds, requires young people to identify a real-world problem in the way that waste is dealt with, investigate it and come up with an innovative solution. They will also design, build and program an autonomous Lego Mindstorms robot to tackle a series of waste-related missions.

Team 'Rubbish Runners' consists of Elye Cuthbertson (11), Aaron Cuthbertson (14), Oliver Langton (16) and Kyran Richards (13). Their project involved reducing cigarette litter outside train stations by creating a bin that incentivises people to dispose of cigarettes correctly rather than on the floor by entering them into a lottery for a free travel pass.

Expectations are high this year as past UK and Ireland finalists have gone on to be crowned FLL World Champions at the global final in America. The IET is FLL's UK and Ireland operational partner. Supporting the competition is part of the IET's commitment to show young people the benefits of careers within Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

FIRST LEGO League helps young competitors to develop skills in design and technology, programming and control, mathematics, research, strategic thinking and teamwork. For more information visit: www.firstlegoleague.co.uk