Students from Wisconsin Hills Middle School's FIRST LEGO League team, Lego Dynamics (Team 65266), proudly represented their school, Elmbrook, and the state of Wisconsin at the 2026 American Robotics Open Championship (AROC), held June 6–7 at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey.
Lego Dynamics was one of only four Wisconsin teams invited to compete at this prestigious championship, joining some of the top FIRST LEGO League teams from across the United States and around the world.
The team earned its invitation after an outstanding season that included winning the Robot Design Award, finishing among the Top 10 teams at the Wisconsin FIRST LEGO League State Championship, and qualifying to represent Wisconsin at AROC.
One of the biggest highlights of the weekend was judging. Students confidently presented Project DARTA, an innovative idea that combines drones, LiDAR, ground-penetrating radar, and mixed reality technology to help improve archaeological exploration. The team also introduced PyNamics, their open-source diagnostic and debugging tool for the Pybricks robotics platform, explaining how it improved software testing and robot reliability throughout the season.
Judges were also impressed by the team’s robot, Hubba Bubba, and the engineering process behind its development. Students explained how they improved the robot through multiple design iterations and used Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) to identify possible weaknesses and strengthen performance. Their thoughtful approach to problem-solving and continuous improvement made a strong impression.
Their hard work paid off during the closing ceremony when Lego Dynamics was recognized as the Robot Design Finalist. The recognition highlighted the team’s engineering design, programming, innovation and approach to solving complex challenges.
"Lego Dynamics demonstrated exceptional creativity, resilience, and teamwork throughout the championship," said the team's coaches. "We are incredibly proud of how our students represented Wisconsin Hills Middle School, the Elmbrook School District, and the state of Wisconsin. Their willingness to learn, support one another, and embrace every challenge reflects the very best of STEM education."
The team extends its appreciation to the parents, mentors, volunteers and community sponsors, including Komatsu, ABB, GE HealthCare, Mindsight, Aqtika, Blue Ink and Sukha Asana, whose support helped make the championship experience possible.
Congratulations to Lego Dynamics on a successful season and on representing Wisconsin Hills Middle School and Wisconsin at the American Robotics Open Championship.
