“I like Legos, because they’re simple, but there’s no ceiling to where you can go with them,” said Owen Hemling, Leipsic 4-H Club, Beaver Dam, Wis. “There’s a lot of artistic room for creativity and engineering.”

Hemling won first place and a merit award on his robotic Lego display during the Dodge County Fair Aug. 17. “I like using Legos for engineering, because it’s something I’m good at. I like to problem solve and see my ideas come to life as a working, moving object.”

It takes some serious thought and tinkering to pull a Lego-robot project together. “I work on my robots throughout the year,” added Hemling. “I come up with an idea, and then I spend two to three months figuring out how to make it.”

This is Hemling’s second year making a Lego robot for the fair. “This one is an autonomous robot,” said Hemling, “so it moves by itself. I created an analog computer to control it. The judge is an engineer, so he talked to me about the little parts of my robot and real-world applications.”

Fair visitors can watch Hemling’s robot in action. “I have a QR code attached to my project, because the robot doesn’t visually look attractive; but the QR code shows it in action, and I’m explaining how it works in the video.”

Dodge County youth like Hemling are members of organizations such as 4-H and FFA. They study specific topics, like Lego robotics, and then they make projects to exhibit at the fair. Hemling also exhibits in veterinary science, poultry, and this year he decided to try dairy cattle. The public has three days left to come and view all the youth projects. The 2023 Dodge County Fair continues through Aug. 20. Learn more about fair activities at www.dodgecountyfairgrounds.com.

Written by Dori Lichty — farm wife, 4-H Mom, and full-time communicator