New Exhibition Celebrates Machines of the Future – built in LEGO bricks

Runner up prize-winning model Volvo ICARUS, by James Cox, is a mobile solar power plant with advanced off-road capabilities.

The grand prize winner – Transylvanian native Vida András – is a 27-year-old Romanian architect who was inspired by the challenge of finding an environmental solution to construction machines and presenting that in the most elegant way. His self-driving model, the Volvo Rottweiler is fitted with a pneumatic drill, a dozer and a 3D printer – making it capable of autonomously taking on any construction challenge in the most hard-to-reach places.

He says: “To me, the design is not just about playability, it’s about really exploring the potential for future technologies. In my industry, 3D printing is one of the biggest trends at the moment, so I wanted to incorporate that into my model. I have 20 years’ experience playing with LEGO sets. I’ve loved it forever and have always had this confidence that I could sit down and build for hours and eventually it would all come together in the end.”

Runner up prize-winning model Volvo Excavadrone, by Marco Pirola, works on both land and in the air.

A panel of judges, including members of LEGO® Technic and Volvo CE, critiqued the entrants on a number of factors: overall coolness and originality, most inspired details, relevance to the contest theme and best use of LEGO elements. A truly diverse competition, winners range in ages from 14 to 47 and come from all corners of the globe from the UK to Hungary and the USA to South Africa. Other models on display include Volvo ICARUS, a mobile solar power plant with advanced off-road capabilities, and The Volvo Excavadrone built to operate on land and in the air.

Sam Mullins, Director for London Transport Museum, says: “We’ve all enjoyed the imaginative play of LEGO bricks and I am sure our visitors will be thrilled to see these fantastic, futuristic creations. As well as offering a great day out, one of the key things we do at London Transport Museum is to turn childhood enthusiasm into a career in engineering. These driverless diggers will certainly inspire young minds. And budding young inventors should also pop into our Future Engineers gallery after exploring the new FutuRE:BUILD exhibition.”