Brickfest 2006 is Underway!

Ladies and Gentlemen it is that time of year again! Today marks the official start of Brickfest 2006! For the next three days thousands of LEGO enthusiasts will converge on Sheraton Premiere Ballroom located in Washington DC. Models ranging from huge 10+ foot tall skyscrapers to Mindstorms NXT robots will be on display. Also on the menu for Brickfest 2006 is the highlight of the Mindstorms NXT system.

During the festival there will be four different Mindstorms NXT Contests. The first contest is sponsored by the First Lego League or FLL for short. In this contest adult Mindstorms enthusiasts are challenged to complete the same challenges that students faced in the FLL Ocean Odyssey contest.

Second is the Great Ball Gathering contest. In this competition approximately 1,000 minuture lego soccer balls along with 50 lego basketballs and 10 1.5" plastic balls will be spread on a 4x6 playing surface. The objective is simple, collect as many balls as you can to outscore your oponnent!

Third is the Tug O' War contest. Two robots start 18" inches from the centerline connected by a rope. Once the timer is started your robot has 60 seconds to either pull your oponnent across the centerline. If neither robot crosses the centerline, the robot that is furthest from the centerline will be announced the winner.

Finally is fan favorite, the sumo competition. In this bout two robots will battle to push their opponent out. A winner is decided by either pushing your opponent out of the 48" diameter arena or by incapacitating your oponnent.

Brickfest 2006 is looking like an excellent event and and even better platform for launching the Lego Mindstorms NXT system! If you are in the area be sure to check it out!

Official Brickfest 2006 Website
Brickfest Schedule [PDF]