Tiger Techs Recognized for Innovation as Semi-Finalist/Top 20 for Global Innovation Award

FIRST^®LEGO^®League today announced 20 semi-finalist teams would advance to the Ninth Annual FIRST^®LEGO^®League Global Innovation Award. The Tiger Techs Robotics Team, from Sharon, Pennsylvania, was selected from entries from more than 30 countries for their outstanding Project innovative solution, that demonstrated originality while having the potential to add significant value in the world. The Tiger Techs have invented the “Shape Shifter” for the INTO ORBIT℠season, proposing solutions to problems humans face during long-duration space exploration. The team will travel to San Jose, Calif., USA, June 30-July 2 to present the innovation to expert judges.

All semi-finalists will participate in a two-day, hands-on innovation event, which culminates in the awarding of the top prize of $20,000 USD to continue work on their inventions; two runners-up will take home $5,000 each.

TheFIRSTLEGO League Global Innovation Award teams must consider possible barriers to implementation, document the evaluation of their invention, and validate their design with professionals working in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math). From improvements to the water cycle, to innovative solutions to waste management, past Global Innovation Award finalists have brought their inventions to market, received patents, and incorporated as businesses.

FIRSTLEGO League is an international program for 9 to 16-year-old children (ages vary by country) created in a partnership between FIRSTand the LEGO Group in 1998 to get children excited about science and technology – and teach them valuable career and life skills. Children work alongside adult coaches to design, build, and program autonomous robots using LEGO MINDSTORMS^®and create an innovative solution to a real-world problem as part of their research project.

Innovators and inventors play a critical role in growing our economy and improving our quality of life. The FIRSTLEGO League Global Innovation Award is designed to encourage and assist teams with the further development of their original and important ideas for solving global issues.Students emerge as strong visionaries and divergent thinkers capable of applying innovative thinking to any problem.

The Global Innovation Award is sponsored by Booz Allen Hamilton, Collins Aerospace, John Deere, LEGO Education, Qualcomm Incorporated, and XPRIZE and in collaboration with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.