The NextWork robot building competition kicks off
Hungary's largest, most exciting and most innovative educational competition will start in March.
The Oktopusz Foundation and the House of the Future Center Kht., In cooperation with LEGO Hungária Kft., Are announcing a robot building competition. The game, related trainings and the exhibition can, on the one hand, contribute to the modernization of public education and, on the other hand, make businesses sponsors while also providing an exciting program and a fair competitive environment. Two hundred different LEGO Mindstorms NXT robots are expected to be made, and anyone can try them out at the futuristic exhibition at the House of the Future.
Teams entering the competition are tasked with building a robot to help with everyday life, work or hobbies using the LEGO Mindstorms NXT robot building kit. From the Mindstorms NXT package, which won an innovative Oscar in 2007, a 12-year-old can build his own robot in the same way as an adult computer scientist.
There are three categories to enter: high schools, IT businesses, and businesses engaged in other activities can apply with teams of four. Businesses receive two sets of NXTs for the entry fee (which is little more than the store price of a robot kit). One can be entered into the game by their own company, the other can be donated either to a school of their choice, or if there is none, it can be entrusted to the organizers who will draw lots among the institutions applying.
In this way, schools will receive free of charge the top LEGO robot, as well as educational material and knowledge base based on the documentation of the competition entries.
All entries will be on display to the general public at the House of the Future as part of a futuristic exhibition from May to August 2008. Those interested can also try out the robots during this time. After the exhibition, the documentation of all the robots, the entire educational material, as well as the unique solutions created during the game will be sent to the Hungarian secondary schools. In the School of the Future, trainings taking place at the same time as the exhibition are constantly preparing educators to get this revolutionary tool into education effectively and under expert supervision, to become an important new educational tool, and to help educate children about teamwork and creative thinking.
The initiative of the Oktopusz Foundation and the House of the Future is the very first program in Hungary where a “civil” initiative can enter and make public education better, more useful and more modern for students. At the exhibition, which showcases and demonstrates two hundred different robots, visitors can get to know and try out the robots up close.
You can apply: http://www.nextwork.hu
