Lego robots showcase their programmed tasks
Candy canes and wrapped presents moved around the room Thursday evening at Slippery Rock Parks and Recreation. It wasn’t through the magic of elves, but the programming of robots that created the holiday scene.
The robots were made out of Legos and programmed by children in grades six through eight as part of the Lego Robotics Club’s first ever showcase.
Lorraine Shaffer, executive director of Kid's Innovation Playground, which organized the Lego Robotics Club, said the 12 members of the club have been learning programming since March, and Thursday was their first opportunity to show off their new knowledge.
“They learned block coding, and they are going to take that to the table ,” Shaffer said prior to the showcase. “One task is going to be to deliver a present, another is they need to have their robot take a candy cane and put it somewhere. They need to think about how they are going to make it go, make it stop.”
According to Shaffer, Westinghouse donated $7,000 to the club to get it started with a number of Lego robotics kits. Each club member got to build a robot from the kits and program it to make it perform a certain task.
Shaffer said that although the children had joined the club with little to no knowledge about coding, most have picked it up in the nine months they have been involved.
“The creative part is their most favorite,” Shaffer said. “They went every Thursday night all summer long.”
