Big chance for robot boffins

FUN, teamwork, learning and creating mission-ready robotic friends will be the name of the game next month when children in Port Elizabeth participate in the First Lego League.

The Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University's school of information and communications technology (ICT) and Lego Robotics have teamed up to bring the event to Port Elizabeth next month.

Lecturer Ronald Leppan said entries closed last month but he encouraged the public to support the event. "This will be the first year that the Eastern Cape will have their own regional qualifying tournament," he said.

To participate in the tournament, teams of two to 10 children with at least one adult coach, compete in a challenge that gets released before the tournament each year.

Each challenge has three parts: the robot game, the project and the First Lego League (FLL)core values.