I have been a Science World science facilitator for over 10 years and I have seen many exhibitions come and go, but the one exhibition that visitors always ask to have come back is the LEGO® exhibition. This makes me wonder, what is the public's fascination with these simple, little, coloured building bricks?
Maybe it's because you can build almost anything with them. People have built a life-size LEGO® sculpture of Captain Kirk from the Star Trek Enterprise, a Star Wars X-Wing Fighter and just recently, an air-powered, drivable LEGO® car.
This "Super Awesome Micro Project" started on the internet, when Steve Sammartino, an entrepreneur based in Melbourne, Australia, reached out to Raul Oaida, a 20-year-old, self-taught technology genius from Romania, who had built a LEGO® Space Shuttle and sent it up into the sky attached to a helium balloon. It was Oaida’s tribute to the end of the space shuttle era.
Here are some fun facts about the LEGO® car*:
- It’s made from more than 500,000 LEGO® pieces
- Its top speed is 25km/h
- It’s environmentally friendly
- It’s powered by compressed air
- It’s entirely made of LEGO®—even the engine! The only exceptions are the wheels and some load-bearing areas
- It took about a year and a half to build
So, maybe the fascination with LEGO® bricks is really about being able to build the most outrageous things possible. What is the most outrageous thing that you have built with LEGO® bricks? If you're looking for inspiration, Science World is proud to be bringing in LEGO® Travel Adventure on February 1, 2014. The exhibition will feature different modes of transportation, all built with LEGO®!
*Note: the air-powered LEGO® car will not be displayed at Science World.