Lego Robots on the Loose?

BRISTOL, RI — Hundreds of elementary and middle school children arrive on Saturday at Roger Williams University to compete in the FIRST® LEGO® League Animal Allies Championship Tournament.

"The teams have been meeting since September to build and program an autonomous LEGO EV3 robot that navigates across a playing field and scores points for completing various tasks," according to Roger Williams University.

The Bright Blue Builders, a home-based team with students from Cranston and Warren

And that's not all.

"The teams also developed an innovative solution after defining research questions relating to the Animal Allies theme, which focused on improving the relationship between animals and humans," according to the press release.

Team from West Bay Christian Academy, North Kingstown

Only 40 of the 81 original teams qualified for this weekend's contest.

There's big money at stake, too.

"Each member of the winning team will receive a RWU scholarship worth $5,000 per year for four years," the school says. That could add up to $200,000 in scholarships for 10-member teams.

St. Philomena School, Portsmouth

The tournament goes from 11 a.m. in the field house.

Photo Caption: Team from Narragansett's Pier Middle School

Courtesy Photos Mary Johnson