What happens when you combine the nostalgia of childhood with the technology of the future?
Lego robots happen.
This weekend, more than 600 student teams across Northern California (and their robots) participated in qualifying tournaments for the FIRST LEGO League competition. The robots were built by the students with Lego pieces and other materials and had to do specific tasks on a pre-set ping-pong sized table — pushing buttons, grabbing Lego items, pulling levers -- all within a set amount of time.
The science and engineering competition's theme this year was hydro dynamics, and the students were responsible for programming their robots to meet the challenges around water. Only around 30 percent of the kids who compete this weekend will move on to the next round.
The photos below are from one qualifying event at the Play Space in San Jose.




