Lucasfilm and littleBits Kicks Off Global Competition with Star Wars Droidathon
With high anticipation for The Last Jedi looming on the horizon, Lucasfilm and littleBits, along with Facebook, Fitbit, ILM, Instagram, Twitter and Google have let their powers combine in order to launch a global “Droidathon” competition. The contest invites Star Wars fans to submit their own unique Droid creations which will be judged by Daisy Ridley (Rey, current Star Wars trilogy), Kelly Marie Tran (Rose Tico in The Last Jedi), Ayah Bdeir (founder and CEO of littleBits), as well as Kathleen Kennedy (president of Lucasfilm).
The first-ever Droidathon was held at the Lucasfilm San Francisco campus where attendees from local organizations such as Black Girls CODE, Booker T.Washington School Community Center, The Boys & Girls Club, and the YMCA showcased their Drpod creations and shared their idea generation and inspiration process.
“Star Wars has always expanded kids’ imaginations and inspired them to see what is possible,” said Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm. “We’re excited to collaborate with all of these incredible companies and littleBits to showcase the power of STEAM in action and inspire the next generation of inventors.”
The competition seeks to celebrate the imagination and ingenuity of “Inventors of Tomorrow” and allow for them to own self-expression and get hands-on experience while utilizing the littleBits Droid Inventor Kit. Personally, as an advocate of STEAM and the empowerment of children to allow their imagination to help them invent and engineer, this competition sounds like a really fun and a unique experience.
The littleBits Inventor Competition runs from November 15 through January 10. Young inventors can learn how to get involved by visiting www.littlebits.com/droidinventorkitcompetition. Check out these photos from the first-ever Droidathon!:
- SAN FRANCISCO, CA – NOVEMBER 15: Inventors of tomorrow interact with Bay Area inventors of today at the first-ever Droidathon at Letterman Digital Arts Center on November 15, 2017 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Kelly Sullivan/Getty Images for littleBits)
- SAN FRANCISCO, CA – NOVEMBER 15: Inventors of tomorrow interact with Bay Area inventors of today at the first-ever Droidathon at Letterman Digital Arts Center on November 15, 2017 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Kelly Sullivan/Getty Images for littleBits)
- SAN FRANCISCO, CA – NOVEMBER 15: Kelly Marie Tran, rising star of upcoming film “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” interacts with inventors of tomorrow at the first-ever Droidathon at Letterman Digital Arts Center on November 15, 2017 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Kelly Sullivan/Getty Images for littleBits)
- SAN FRANCISCO, CA – NOVEMBER 15: Kelly Marie Tran (center), rising star of upcoming film “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” poses for a photo with a fan at the first-ever Droidathon at Letterman Digital Arts Center on November 15, 2017 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Kelly Sullivan/Getty Images for littleBits)
- SAN FRANCISCO, CA – NOVEMBER 15: Inventors of tomorrow receive their littleBits Droid Inventor Kits at the first-ever Droidathon at Letterman Digital Arts Center on November 15, 2017 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Kelly Sullivan/Getty Images for littleBits)
- SAN FRANCISCO, CA – NOVEMBER 15: Inventors of tomorrow judge the inventors of today at the first-ever Droidathon at Letterman Digital Arts Center on November 15, 2017 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Kelly Sullivan/Getty Images for littleBits)
- SAN FRANCISCO, CA – NOVEMBER 15: Inventors of tomorrow interact with Bay Area inventors of today at the first-ever Droidathon at Letterman Digital Arts Center on November 15, 2017 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Kelly Sullivan/Getty Images for littleBits)
- SAN FRANCISCO, CA – NOVEMBER 15: Inventors of tomorrow interact with Bay Area inventors of today at the first-ever Droidathon at Letterman Digital Arts Center on November 15, 2017 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Kelly Sullivan/Getty Images for littleBits)
- SAN FRANCISCO, CA – NOVEMBER 15: An inventor of tomorrow hugs R2-D2 at the first-ever Droidathon at Letterman Digital Arts Center on November 15, 2017 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Kelly Sullivan/Getty Images for littleBits)
- SAN FRANCISCO, CA – NOVEMBER 15: Ayah Bdeir, Founder and CEO of littleBits, talks to Bay Area kids about STEAM fields at the first-ever Droidathon at Letterman Digital Arts Center on November 15, 2017 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Kelly Sullivan/Getty Images for littleBits)
- SAN FRANCISCO, CA – NOVEMBER 15: Inventors of tomorrow interact with Bay Area inventors of today at the first-ever Droidathon at Letterman Digital Arts Center on November 15, 2017 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Kelly Sullivan/Getty Images for littleBits)
- SAN FRANCISCO, CA – NOVEMBER 15: General view of epic Droids at the first-ever Droidathon at Letterman Digital Arts Center on November 15, 2017 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Kelly Sullivan/Getty Images for littleBits)
- SAN FRANCISCO, CA – NOVEMBER 15: Inventors of tomorrow interact with Bay Area inventors of today at the first-ever Droidathon at Letterman Digital Arts Center on November 15, 2017 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Kelly Sullivan/Getty Images for littleBits)
- SAN FRANCISCO, CA – NOVEMBER 15: Invention fans marvel at epic Droids at the first-ever Droidathon at Letterman Digital Arts Center on November 15, 2017 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Kelly Sullivan/Getty Images for littleBits)