Former LEGO Senior Element Coach Sten Schmidt has passed away. He made a huge impact during a four decade career at the LEGO Group, where he significantly contributed to the direction of LEGO Technic.
Sten Schmidt passed away on July 17, 2025. He spent 42 years working at the LEGO Group. Early in his career, he worked in the LEGO Group’s conceptual department before moving to Technic. There, he designed 8865 Test Car, a classic set that paved the way for further large-scale Technic cars over the years.
Later, he developed the Technic beam and changed the game for the company’s engineering-focused theme.
“One of the elements I’m most proud to have helped develop is the Technic beam without knobs, that gives a more stable model and that is still one of the most used Technic elements today,” he said upon his retirement in 2021. “The beam builds on the system that Jan [Ryaa] helped invent by drilling holes in bricks, but I filed the knobs off to get them right.”
He was part of the team that developed Dacta, the precursor to Education, and worked on themes including Belville and Jack Stone. Later in his career, as an element coach, he was responsible for ensuring that new pieces fit within the System and met stringent design requirements. He is crediting with having designed more than 70 elements.
“It’s been a pleasure and a privilege to work with so many great people and teams along the way,” he said in 2021.
In tribute to his friend and former colleague, Design Manager Samuel Johnson shared online: “Such a delightful person to be around, always positive, smiling and joking.”
Sten (left) with his colleague Jan Ryaa.