LEARNBuild Our Bot – Youth-Led Hardware Innovation
SoLA Robotics is launching a youth-led initiative to design our own robot kit, one that reflects six years of community experience and student insight. With support from STEM professionals, our students will engineer a SoLA-branded robot for use across all our programs, reducing our long-term costs and building our self-sufficiency, one screw and sensor at a time.
What is the primary issue area that your application will impact?
K-12 STEAM education
In which areas of Los Angeles will you be directly working?
Central LA South LA Gateway Cities South Bay County of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a countywide benefit) City of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a citywide benefit) LAUSD (select only if you have a district-wide partnership)
In what stage of innovation is this project, program, or initiative?
Research (initial work to identify and understand the problem)
What is your understanding of the issue that you are seeking to address?
SoLA Robotics has purchased hundreds of commercial robot kits, but what if the next great kit wasn’t bought? What if it was built… by the same students we teach? We’ve taught kids how to wire motors, code sensors, and problem-solve for years. We’ve also seen how expensive, proprietary kits can limit access and prevent customization. Our students deserve tools that reflect their brilliance, not hand-me-down solutions from faraway labs. We’re ready to change that.
Describe the project, program, or initiative this grant will support to address the issue.
We aim to launch a student-led design initiative to build the first-ever SoLA Robotics kit. Youth engineers will lead the process, working in cohorts alongside STEM professionals and college mentors. Together, they’ll design a modular, affordable robot built specifically for learning environments like ours.
Key phases include:
Research + reverse engineering of existing kits
Youth-led design sprints and prototyping
Field testing in workshops and competitions
Refinement based on educator feedback
Branding + curriculum alignment
Once complete, this kit will power our classes, reduce hardware costs, and offer a new kind of pride: “We don’t just build robots, we built this one.” It’s the ultimate loop of empowerment.
This isn’t just about hardware. It’s about legacy. Students will create something that future generations will learn from. That’s ownership. That’s innovation. That’s SoLA Robotics.
Describe how Los Angeles County will be different if your work is successful.
We’ll have a youth-designed, LA-born robot kit used by hundreds of students annually. It will reflect the needs and brilliance of our learners, and be flexible enough for use across our digital, mobile, and in-person platforms. Over time, it will reduce our cost-per-student, expand what we can customize, and deepen student pride and ownership. It may even be commercialized, creating future entrepreneurial pathways.
Approximately how many people will be impacted by this project, program, or initiative?
Direct Impact: 50
Indirect Impact: 1,000