Dexter Industries Partners with LEGO MINDSTORMS and Google Lunar X PRIZE to support MoonBots 2012
![Top Quote](/images/red-top-quote.gif)
Dexter Industries announces that they are partnering with The X PRIZE Foundation and the LEGO Group to support the MoonBots 2012: A Google Lunar X PRIZE LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Challenge.
- (1888PressRelease) May 24, 2012 - Washington, DC - Dexter Industries announces that they are partnering with The X PRIZE Foundation and the LEGO Group to support the MoonBots 2012: A Google Lunar X PRIZE LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Challenge. This third annual contest will challenge teams of youth to study the history of heritage artifacts left on the Moon, while getting an opportunity to learn about the new and exciting things that private industry and government are doing in the arena of space exploration, including the $30 million Google Lunar X PRIZE.
This year, Dexter Industries will bring sustainability to the competition by providing its dSolar Solar Power System for the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT for the competition. Teams will receive a dSolar 4W Panel to power their lunar robots with, adding a new degree of accuracy and challenge to the project. Dexter Industries Founder, John Cole, said, "We're excited to be partnering with LEGO and Google Lunar X PRIZE on this project, and bringing solar power to the forefront of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education."
"In the MoonBots 2012 Challenge, students develop their Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) skills by using LEGO MINDSTORMS robots. New for this year, teams from all over the world will get to address some of the same issues as the Google Lunar X PRIZE teams," said Chanda Gonzales, Google Lunar X PRIZE Education Manager.
The contest is divided into two phases. In Phase One, there is no limit to the number of teams that compete. Teams of 2-5 youth, 9-17 years old will produce a fun, creative and scientific video and asked to share their lunar landscape challenge design with us. Teams will be asked to give details about where they would show off their lunar landscape.
From these submissions, 30 teams will be chosen as finalists and provided a stipend to build their ultimate lunar landscape during Phase Two. They will also receive a free LEGO MINDSTORMS Robot, along with Dexter Industries dSolar Solar Panels, that they will have to learn how to program to complete a course on their Moon. During the fall of 2012, these teams will share with their achievements during a live broadcast and public display of their designs.
Grand Prize winners will receive a trip for the team and their families to visit the Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems on the Island of Hawaii and learn about how the Hawaiian landscape today helps scientists prepare to explore the Moon
Free registration and Phase One of the contest will be open from May 15th through July 15. Phase Two of the contest begins August 1h through November 15h. To learn more about the MoonBots 2012 Challenge, additional partners supporting the contest, and how to register a team, visit www.moonbots.org.
About the dSolar 4W For LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT: (More Information about the dSolar 4W and Dexter Industries line of solar power systems for the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT can be found here: http://dexterindustries.com/Products-dSolar.html
About Dexter Industries: Dexter Industries makes advanced sensors for the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT. Dexter Industries has introduced a number of "firsts" for the LEGO MINDSTORMS COMMUNITY, including high speed wireless communications, the first WIFI sensor for the LEGO MINDSTORMS system, and the first Inertial Measurement Unit for the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT. Dexter Industries mission is to support Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education and inspire future scientists and engineers, with a primary focus on educational robotics that are easy to use, fun, and have real-life applications for young scientists and engineers.
More Information about Dexter Industries and their sensors for the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT can be found here: http://dexterindustries.com/moonbots.html
About X PRIZE Foundation: Founded in 1995, the X PRIZE Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is the leading organization solving the world's Grand Challenges by creating and managing large-scale, high-profile, incentivized prize competitions that stimulate investment in research and development worth far more than the prize itself. The organization motivates and inspires brilliant innovators from all disciplines to leverage their intellectual and financial capital for the benefit of humanity. Active prizes include the $30 million Google Lunar X PRIZE, the $10 million Archon Genomics X PRIZE presented by Express Scripts, and the $10 million Qualcomm Tricorder X PRIZE. For more information, go to www.xprize.org.
###
space
space