Contact Veryl Greene (brics2bots@gmail.com) with questions about the robot,
performance, technical;
I even may be able to visit a few rookie teams
(that are not too out-of-way). Also, on my blog I will be giving tips &
posting useful links to FLL teams in preparation.
www.roboticrealm.blogspot.com
I've put together & have been using with new coaches "A FIRST LEGO
League Challenge Guide to Success" (see attachment) look it over to see
if this might be helpful & may be we can make if available to coaches.I
know most of this info can be found somewhere on the website, but this
is just a quick reference & reminder guide.
Ms. Veryl Greene
Robotics Consultant
www.roboticrealm.blogspot.com
A FIRST LEGO League Challenge Guide to Success
(For Rookie coaches & even Veterans)
V. “LeGo-Bots Lady” Greene
Overview: What to
Keep in Mind
It’s
about the learning process & having fun!
Don’t
stress about learning the programming – There are good tutorials:
Kelly, James Floyd. LEGO Mindstorms NXT-G Programming Guide. 2nd
Ed. Berkley, CA: Apress, 2010.
Kelly, James & Daudelin,
Jonathan. FIRST LEGO League: The Unofficial Guide. San Francisco, CA: No
Starch Press, 2008.
Emphasize the importance of the
commitment by team members & their parents; making the practices &
being available for the Qualifier Tournament & the Finals. Send a letter
home about practice/tournament dates & times, for the team member &
their parents to sign. Also, send reminders home of upcoming events. Solicit
the help of parents & colleagues at practices and/or tournaments (and be
sure to express your appreciation for their support).
Let the kids become the experts! Remember this is a kid project; you are
there for support & guidance –
encourage & ask thought provoking questions to help them come up with their
own solutions to the challenges.
Getting Started
Explanation of what the competition
is about and the various awards.
Viewing of the FIRST Compilation
DVD & General Guide to the FLL
Project.
What is this year’s theme?
What’s in the kit?
Learning & identifying the
parts of the kit. Setting up some sort of
organization of
the parts.
Field Set Up
What
is this year’s challenge? View the robot challenge/game on the internet.
Group
team members in pairs & assign field set up building.
Team
discussion/brainstorming of ideas of how the tasks on the field can be
accomplished
(someone can take notes).
Print out copies of the Rules from
the website & Rubrics from the Coach’s
Handbook
If
you are building the tabletop (not absolutely necessary but nice if you
can),
the Table Construction
specifications are below.
Research Project
Print out the Research Project topic from the
Internet.
Have
all members of the team do some initial research on the topic and share
what information
they found & resources.
Team
discussion/brainstorming of ideas of what the team would like to do
for their project.
Consult
the experts on the topic – Internet, agencies, etc.
Identify
which team members are going to be responsible for the project &
Presentation.
However, any member of the team should be able to
have
input.
Give
your research presentation pizzazz!
Robot Challenge
If possible, have more than one NXT
robotics kit – one-per/3-4 kids.
Design different models.
Be aware of the Parts Rules, see below.
Introduce the use of sensors,
simple programming for the sensors, & motors.
Have the team discuss & design
robots specifically for the challenge.
Then have the team
decide on the best robot to accomplish the
missions & make
a duplicate.
Discussion of the missions on the
field:
What
needs to be accomplished?
What
attachments or sensors are needed?
What
missions can be combined together?
Have the students
work in pairs or threes, with each group being
responsible for a
mission or group of missions.
Identify specialties, who are the
main robot designers, builders,
programmers, &
handlers (the members who will go to the tables at
the tournament)
are, although all should be able to have input in any
area.
The
handlers work in pairs: one controls the robot and the other is the
“spotter” who helps put on
attachments & removes objects in base out of the way. The team can have 1-4
pairs of handlers for the different rounds. Usually, there are 4 rounds. The
highest score of all the rounds is used to determine place.
Technical/Robot Design
Identify
the two members who will present the robot to the judges for
the
Robot Design Award. They will have to demonstrate the robot,
explain
the attachments & use of sensors, as well as, programming.
(Printouts
of programming would be useful)
Teamwork Award
The
team will have to explain to the judges how they worked together to
tackle
the challenge.
Ideas:
Develop a website and/or blog for the team. (Research Project
members could be
responsible for it).
Team Spirit Award
Team
T-shirts, caps, costumes, etc. Signs. Bookmarks & flyers about your
Research Project.
Cheering
squad - Have students, teachers, parents come to the tournaments.
Champion’s Award
Robot
Design 25%, Robot Performance 25%, Project Presentation 25%,
Teamwork 25%
Consent Forms
Each
member attending each tournament must bring a FIRST Consent Form.
This will be
available online to download.
Team Information Form
Fill
out one form per team & bring it to the tournament. This will be
available online
to download.
Stay informed! Check weekly:
Game
Clarifications & Rule Update webpage –
programming tips.
Practice, Practice, Practice
3 Weeks before the Qualifier -
Pretend to be at the tournament – go through
what will be done: Robot
Performance 2 ½ minutes. Robot Design 5-10 minutes; Research Project 10
minutes; Judges’ interview of the team for Teamwork Award.
V-Day – Qualifier & Finals
Bring
consent forms, a kit for repairs & enhancements, robot(s) (if you have
more than one kit, build &
program two identical robots in case something happens to one & you don’t
have time for major repairs), robot charger, Research Project materials, laptop
& charger, power strip, extension cord.
Lunch,
snacks, and/or money for food.
TABLE CONSTRUCTION
The Robot Game takes place on a specially designed
table, so you’ll need to build one to practice on if you don’t already have
access to one. With safety, weight, height, and cost in mind, a simple
design is offered here, but as long as your surface is smooth, and your border
walls are located properly, how you build the understructure is up to
you. The construction is simple, but does require some wood-working
skills.
At a tournament, two tables are placed back to
back, but you only operate on one table, so you only need to build one table to
practice on. Since a tournament setup has a double wall at the interactive
area where the two tables meet, practice tables need an extra wall of type B on the corresponding side. So
here are the instructions for building one “half-table” including a double
north wall:
Materials
Material | Quantity |
Field Setup Kit (mission model LEGO elements, mat, CD, Dual Lock) | 1 |
sanded plywood (or other very smooth board) 96” X 48” X 3/8” or thicker | 1 |
two-by-four, 8’ (actual cross-section = 1-1/2” by 3-1/2”) | 4 |
two-by-three, 8’ (actual cross-section = 1-1/2” by 2-1/2”) | 2 |
flat black paint | 1 pt. or spray can |
coarse drywall screws, 6 X 2-1/2” | 1/2 lb. |
saw horses, about 24” high and 36” wide | 2 |
Parts
Part | Make From | Dimensions | Paint | Quantity |
table surface (A) | plywood | 96” X 48” | no | 1 |
long border wall (B) | two-by-four | 96” | yes | 3 |
short border wall (C) | two-by-four | 45” | yes | 2 |
stiffener (D) | two-by-three | 48” | no | 4 |
saw horse | purchase | H » 24” W » 36” | no | 2 |
Assembly
Step 1 -
Determine which face of the plywood (A)
is least smooth, and consider that the bottom face. On the bottom face,
locate, clamp, and screw on the stiffeners (D) (about every 18 inches). Be sure screw head tops are
flush. Sand any splinters.
Step 2 - On the
top face of the plywood, locate, clamp, and screw on the border walls (B,C)
around the top perimeter. The wall-to-wall dimensions must measure
93±1/8” by 45±1/8” (2362±3mm by 1143±3mm).
Step 3 - With
the help of another person, place this table top on short saw horses (or milk
crates, or anything else short and solid).
Parts
Rules
This rule is not only about the robot. It
also covers all of the attachments and strategic objects you bring to the
competition area…
- Everything you compete with must be made of LEGO elements in original factory condition, except LEGO string and tubing, which you may cut to length. Exception: You can reference a paper list to keep track of programs.
- There are no restrictions on the quantities or sources of non-electric LEGO elements, except that factory-made wind-up/pull-back “motors” are not allowed. Pneumatics are allowed.
- The electric elements used must be the LEGO MINDSTORMS type, and the total number of electric elements you may use in one match is limited as follows:
For RCX users: | | For NXT users: |
RCX controller (1) | | NXT controller (1) |
motors (3) | | motors (3) |
touch sensors (2) | | touch sensors (2) |
light sensors (2) | | light sensors (2) |
lamp (1) | | lamp (1) |
rotation sensors (3) | | rotation sensors (3 minus the number of NXT motors present) |
3rd touch OR light sensor (1) | | ultrasonic sensor (1) |
- Example 1: If your robot has three motors, you may not have any other motor in the competition area, even if it’s only for weight or decoration; even if it’s in a box, off the field.
- Example 2: If your robot has two motors, but you have multiple attachments to motorize, you must design a way to switch the 3rd motor from one attachment to the next.
- LEGO wires and converter cables are allowed as needed.
- Spare/alternate electrical parts are allowed in the pit area.
- Computers are not allowed in the competition area.
- Objects functioning as remote controls are not allowed anywhere.
- Marker may be used for owner identification in hidden areas only.
- Paint, tape, glue, oil, etc. are not allowed.
- Stickers are not allowed except LEGO stickers applied per LEGO instructions.
- You are not allowed to use more than one robot in a single match, but it’s okay to use a different robot in a different match.
- If a robot is in violation - of this rule or the SOFTWARE rule - and cannot be corrected, the decision about exactly what to do rests with the head officials at the tournament, but that robot may not win awards.
