Part of the International Lego League, the competition involves students, using the toy building blocks along with motors, control arms and wheels to build robotic machines, which are then programmed by computer to perform specific routines on standardized, tabletop courses.

About 160,000 students take part worldwide, with the winners going to the international championship slated for May in the American city of Atlanta.

Organizers from the Alkhobar-based Talents Center said 97 teams comprising about 1,000 Saudi students took part in this year’s event. The final round featured 19 boys’ teams and 10 girls’ teams from across the Kingdom.

“This event has grown from just eight Eastern Province teams competing in 2007 to almost 100 teams representing six regions this year,” said Amr Al-Madani of the Talents Center.

“We have teams from as far away as Bisha, Jeddah and Madinah with us this year as well as teams from Riyadh, Dammam-Alkhobar and Jubail. We’re seeing kids playing with science and developing the ‘can do’ mentality, which we think will take them places.

“Students acquire a lot of capabilities through these competitions, and it’s almost like they’re dancing with robotics now and enjoying engineering.”

Al-Madani said most of the participants were based at schools but noted some companies and individuals also organize teams.

“You have to credit the science teachers, engineers and professors along with family members who volunteer their time to make these events happen. It wouldn’t happen without them,” Al-Madani said.

Al-Madani worked for Saudi Aramco as an engineer before leaving the company to work full-time with Talents Center, founded by another former Saudi Aramco engineer, Saeed A. Saeed, to teach science and engineering courses to youngsters.

“Today, we’re witnessing the birth of a new generation — kids that can do real engineering work or real scientific studies,” said Saeed.

“It’s a huge honor to be working with these kids and to have the feeling you are helping to shape the future.”

This year’s competition was sponsored by the Arab Thought Foundation, Talents Center, Al-Watan newspaper and Dhahran Ahliya Schools.