Video: Armstrong Middle School Heading to Lego Robotic Competition

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STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI)-Inventions are what drives innovation in this world. One of the inventions you use daily could have stemmed from the mind of a middle school student. Armstrong Middle School students are using Legos to help solve real world problems.

Two teams will be heading to the state LEGO championship in robotics to compete against other schools. Students must complete as many missions in the shortest time that is set up to reflect the yearly theme.

The lego league comes up with different themes each year. This year’s teams must come up with ways to help improve the way Senior citizens do everyday activities.

“One of the missions on the board deals with that senior citizens a lot of times forget to turn the eyes on their stove off. They have built a stove out of Legos that on one side has the eyes on and on the other side the eyes are off and the robot has to go and flip the switch to turn the stove off,” says Jackie Wilt.

The Senior Swag Green Team came up with a new gadget to help the elderly be more independent.

“We had a project that when they sit down and it will lift them up slowly they won’t have to stand up on their own. Chair lift that will inflate and it will push you up,” says Skylar Shields.

Skylar says their team has gotten closer through the competition.

“We won the core values award at the last competition we competed in. So far we have been a good team that works together,” says Shields.

Walker, from the orange team came up with the idea for his teams invention, from his personal experience from being in a wheelchair.

“Senior solutions is a wheelchair that allows you to go over curves instead of looking for those handicap accessible ramps because they are not always there,” says Walker Harris.

Despite all the preparations, Walker says he still gets nervous before competitions.

“We are really nervous because instead of being four or five teams like there were at the one we had here, there is going to be 60 to 70 teams and that’s a lot of people,” says Harris.

The core values Mrs. Wilt stresses all year, not only helps them as a team, but builds character for the future.

“Discovering is more important than what they actually win so really working on values that they can take with them to other classes values that they can take with them to the work sites,” says Wilt.

The students will be heading to their competition in Harrisburg on December the first.