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Area kids are going Full Steam Ahead when it comes to robotics.

Allison Auch, executive director of Full STEAM Ahead, which includes Minot Robotics, said a team of 9 to 14-year-olds from Bishop Ryan Catholic School will be headed to a national competition in Detroit, Mich., on April 27.

The team, which is coached by Reuben Gates and Randy Brunner, will compete against teams from across the country in project, robot design, core values, and robot games.

It is the first time that Minot Robotics has had a national winner.

“Last year we had 14 different teams,” said Auch.

Lego Robotics teams met in different places, including at the public library, at MSU, at schools or in private homes.

“It’s a commit-ment,”said Auch. “They meet once a week from August to January.”

At the start of the season, the teams receive a robotics kit.

Auch said the competition takes place on a 4-foot by 8-foot board. The robots, built from Legos, have 2 1/2 minutes to complete as many “missions” as they can.

When they meet, kids work on programming, building the robots, and going through the tasks the robots must perform.

Auch said there are also points awarded for helping out another team during a competition.

In addition, each team prepares a report based on an identified problem and solution. Last year the theme was astronauts who are in space for more than a year. The teams needed to identify a problem that might be associated with that, such as psycho-social problems, food preferences or physical needs and arrive at a solution to those problems. Then they had to make a presentation to an interested party.

Auch said Lego Robotics teams naturally wanted to present to someone associated with NASA, but any interested person in the community would do.

Minot Robotics also offers a robotics camp for interested kids, including one that was held in early April, and College for Kids will be offering a class in Lego Robotics.

Auch said Minot Robotics will start to register teams for the 2019-2020 season beginning in July. People who are interested in coaching a team can contact Auch at steminot@gmail.com.

More information on the camps and classes can be found at steamn.org.