Leo Baumbach, Olivia Scott, Cassandra Aguglia, Elijah Baraff and
Julius Romano, of Sarah Heinz House, were 10-12 age group winners.

While some kids are dancing “the robot,” these kids are actually making them.  

The robotics team at Sarah Heinz House took first place for hardware design at the Dec.4 Lego FIRST Competition at the National Robotics Engineering Center in Lawrenceville.  

The team, comprised of five kids ranging from 10 to 12 years of age, has put in three to four hours a week perfecting their skills since September, said Bob Bechtold, program manager at Sarah Heinz House.

Competitors design, build, test and program robots using Lego Mindstorms technology, a line of programmable robotics and construction toys by the famous plastic brick maker. 

Seventy-two teams from the region, or more than 300 kids, competed in the areas of hardware design, software design, floor competition, research and teamwork.

Robotics coach Christine Nguyen helped her team win this year’s theme of “Body Forward,” where each team completed an original research project related to a part of the body. 

SHH’s team researched the eye and hypothesized treatment for macular degeneration, also interviewing children their own age from the Western Pennsylvania School for the Blind.

For more information on joining Sarah Heinz House or finding out more about their summer robotics programs, call 412-231-2377.