Bot Battles is a LEGO® robotics experience and roleplaying adventure. Participants learn STEAM and life skills. It is the world’s most inclusive robotics program.
Bot Battles is a revolutionary hands-on robotics program for students ages 7-14. Participants build, battle, and roleplay with their very own LEGO® bots. They learn everything from engineering to design, programming, mental health, conflict resolution, and teamwork.
The Grant Imahara STEAM Foundation has made this pay-level content available for free for home-based, in-school, and out-of-school learning.
REDEFINING STUDENT ENGAGEMENT
Video games are the most popular entertainment medium in America. Bot Battles taps into the very thing that makes them engaging: the science of “gamer motivation.” Gamer motivations are factors that drive interest in an interactive experience, such as competition, fantasy, or destruction. ³
Bot Battles uses data from over 1.65 million gamers to incorporate diverse motivators that appeal to all genders, ethnicities, and backgrounds. The result is a hyper-engaging real world learning experience that feels like playing a video game.
Over 90% of children ages 2+ play video games ¹
Gamers are 19% Hispanic, 12% Black, 4% AAPI, 3% Native American. ²
46% of gamers identify as female ²
17% of Gen Z gamers identify as LGBTQ+ ²
Bot Battles also empowers parents and educators to discover their own students’ gamer motivations. Educators learn how to use those motivators to create engaging, effective learning environments—for Bot Battles and beyond.
EMPOWERING CURRICULUM
STEAM — Science, Tech, Engineering, Art, Math
Bot Battles’ STEAM curriculum is developed in collaboration with LEGO® educators, FIRST® mentors, and Tufts University. Lessons include engineering, design, programming, and more. The curriculum is aligned to NGSS and UN SDGs. Students in LEGO® robotics programs have shown significant gains in STEM outcomes: ⁴
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Reported higher interest in STEM
Reported higher confidence in STEM
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Reported improved coding skills
Reported higher STEM understanding
Life Skills — Mental Health, Teamwork, Conflict Resolution, Community Building
Bot Battles’ life skills curriculum addresses common issues in schools, youth competitions, careers, and historically underserved communities. The curriculum is powered by Restorative Practices and developed in collaboration with the International Institute for Restorative Practices. Use of Restorative Practices in schools has been linked to: ⁵
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Increase in emotional regulation
Improvement in peer relationships
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Lower absenteeism rates
Lower dropout rates
STORYTELLING
The curriculum is presented as a story-driven experience. It takes place in the fictional town of Stardust Springs. Here, recycling has been turned into a spectator sport called the Bot Battles. Locals build bots from reclaimed materials, then compete against each other in battle to break the bots down into recyclable scrap.
By wrapping the program in an allegory, students learn how skills acquired in Bot Battles can lead to a stronger community and a healthier planet. This lore also engages students who are less STEM-inclined.
MORE BENEFITS
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All program materials are freely available online.
No internet is required. All materials can be downloaded and printed.
No computers or smart devices are required, except for one-time initial setup.
Uses highly available, off-the-shelf LEGO® parts. Other robotics programs require specialty robotics parts that can be difficult to source.
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No cost to register or participate.
Requires as little as with $100-$160 worth of LEGO® parts. Other robotics programs require thousands of dollars worth of parts.
Bots have virtually no competitive advantage above $250 worth of parts . In other robotics programs, over-resourced teams have an overwhelming hardware advantage.
No Bot Battles "kit" to buy. Participants can use any LEGO® parts they already own.
Parts can be reused by future teams year after year.
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Supports home-based, in-school, and out-of-school learning.
Supports self-directed learning for students ages 12+, and student- or teacher-led learning for students ages 7-14.
Each bot can support 1-3 players.
Younger students can build simple bots, while older students can design complex tools and systems of movement.
"Player's Guide" leads participants through all aspects of the program.
PLAY NOW
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