Editor's Note: The following is a LEGO press release.
The fourth and fifth grade Lego League teams from Centennial and Sheridan Hills Schools will be participating in the First Lego League Tournament on Saturday, December 15. The topic for this year’s competition is Senior Solutions. In addition to building and programming an autonomous robot using LEGO MINDSTORMS technology that will be used to complete various missions as part of the Robot Game competition, students researched and created an innovative solution to a problem facing senior citizens. Part of the Lego League mission is to share the project with the community.
The fourth and fifth grade Lego League teams, the Centennial Cougars and the Centennial Pumas chose the problem of arthritis and teamed together to create the Gecko Gear Product Line. The Gecko Gear products are designed to help seniors who have difficulty with reaching and grabbing things because of the joint pain and mobility issues related to arthritis. Gecko Gear uses biomimicry and incorporates sticky pads similar to the ultra sticky pads on geckos’ toes that allow them to stick to a variety of surfaces.
The Sheridan Hills Legomaniacs chose the problem of Alzheimer’s Disease. Many elderly people with Alzheimer’s Disease have short term memory loss, and they are at risk of getting lost or “wandering off.” The team’s solution is to use RFID technology to create an identification bracelet that would sound an alert if the person left the premises and it would contain the person’s identification, caregiver contact information, and medical issues. The solution also includes developing a mobile phone ap that qualified “good Samaritans” could install on their phones that would enable them to scan the seniors’ RFID bracelets if they encountered an Alzheimer’s patient who was lost.
Mrs. Blahoski