FIRST LEGO League The Unofficial Guide

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Greetings:
Since 1998, FIRST LEGO® League (FLL) has invited students aged 9
through 14 in the United States and Canada and up to age 16 globally to
participate in an exciting and challenging global competition that encourages
both investigation and invention to solve some of the world’s most pressing
problems.
FLL participants and graduates discover in themselves not only a growing
desire to learn but also a drive to apply that knowledge in a positive manner
that will benefit the world. I’ve said many times before that the students
involved in FLL are the ones that will find the cures for our diseases, discover
alternative fuel sources, and implement food and water shortage solutions—
lofty goals, certainly, but all solvable by the right people with the proper skills
and motivation.
FLL has over 100,000 students in more than 30 countries and is continuing to
grow. Young people around the world are taking positive action now, via their
education, that will impact your future and mine.
Please join me in continuing to support the students, teachers, coaches,
mentors, and organizations that make FLL such a success.
Sincerely,

Dean Kamen
FIRST Founder
Acknowledgments
The book you’re holding would never have been possible without the hard
work of the team at No Starch Press. Bill Pollock, the founder of No Starch
and developmental editor for this book, made sure our chapters were coherent
and well organized. Megan Dunchak, our production manager, did a
wonderful job keeping everything moving as planned, as well as helping with
editing. Riley Hoffman made our pictures, screen captures, and graphics
presentable. We’d also like to give a special acknowledgment to Derek Yee for
creating the nice cover images for our book.
A big thank you also goes to our families and friends who helped and
supported the project. Jonathan’s parents helped review chapters and provide
information from their experiences (Jonathan’s mom is an FLL coach). Jim is
grateful for the help provided by the talented Atlanta LEGO®
MINDSTORMS® network, including LEGO Education representative Kristie
Brown, Mischa Holt (http://www.yesgeorgia.com/), Mary Roberts, Rick Folea
(http://www.forsythfll.com/), Rayshun Dorsey (http://www.wizkidztech.org/),
and Jeff Rosen.
We’d also like to acknowledge our fellow contributors to The NXT STEP
blog (http://thenxtstep.com/). They were quick to help whenever we needed
opinions on many topics and always provided encouragement to keep moving
forward. A special salute goes to Dave Parker, who was especially helpful
with providing some of the pictures for the book.
Gratitude is also extended to Dean Kamen and everyone at the FIRST
organization. We’d especially like to thank Anna Maenhout, Ernie DiCicco,
Kim Martineau, and Noriko Morin for their assistance.
Finally, we’d like to thank all the FLL members and teams out there who sent
us comments about their experiences in FLL and have participated in our
blog’s discussion forums. You’ll find their advice and tips scattered throughout
the book.
Introduction
If we were asked to describe FIRST LEGO League (FLL) in 50 words or less,
here’s what we’d say:
FIRST LEGO League is a fun, challenging, fast-paced, competitive, enriching, and extremely
rewarding international competition. Thousands of teams compete to solve problems, build and
program LEGO robots, and conduct research and present their findings. FIRST LEGO League proves
that math and science can be a lot of fun.
But, of course, there’s a lot more to the FIRST LEGO League experience, as
you’ll learn in FIRST LEGO League: The Unofficial Guide. Whether you’re
completely unfamiliar with FLL, a member of a rookie team, a coach, a
parent, or a mentor, you’ll find the information you’ll need to make real
progress during your first competition season, whether it’s building and
programming robots or performing the research to present to a panel of
judges.
In the course of writing this book, we interviewed dozens of teams around the
world, including many award winners, and collected a wealth of information
that both rookie and veteran teams will find useful. You’ll find real-world tips
from coaches, students, and judges scattered throughout the book that your
FLL team can immediately put to use.
How This Book Is Organized
Here’s a look at what you’ll find in FIRST LEGO League: The Unofficial
Guide.
Chapter 1 provides background on the FIRST organization and the four
competitions it supports: FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC), FIRST Tech
Challenge (FTC), FIRST LEGO League (FLL), and Junior FIRST LEGO
League (JFLL).
Chapter 2, discusses the four specific components of an FLL competition—
the Robot Game, Robot Design, Project, and Teamwork. Each of the four
components is covered in more detail in later chapters.
Chapter 3, focuses on the guidelines and rules of FLL and the importance of
understanding them thoroughly. Examples from previous FLL missions are
covered.
Chapter 4, covers the three major resources your team will need in order to
compete: equipment, personnel, and money. You’ll also find sample
documents to help your team develop a list of necessary resources and
manage its inventory and funding.
Chapter 5, covers recruiting and selecting team members and offers
suggestions on building a team from scratch, approaching sponsors, and
getting support from team members’ parents. Veteran teams will also find this
chapter helpful for tips on recruiting new members.
Chapter 6, provides suggestions for students participating in a competition,
including a discussion of various roles for participants and team goals. We
also discuss decision-making and offer suggestions on how to build team
cohesion and reduce conflict.
Chapter 7, includes summaries of the traits of a good team. Quotes are
included from successful winners of past FLL competitions, both students and
coaches, as well as ways for the team to share its experience.
Chapter 8, discusses the coach’s main objectives, including when and how to
provide assistance to the team. Software recommendations are provided to
help the coach manage the team’s meetings, travel, and competitions.
Chapter 9, discusses the two systems used in FLL: NXT and RIS. We discuss
both kits, and offer pros and cons for using one system over the other.
Chapter 10, demonstrates some general techniques for building with the NXT
kit. It introduces a building methodology along with suggestions for
strengthening a robot and adding flexibility to its shape and design.
Chapter 11, introduces building techniques that are specific to FLL, such as
using guide attachments and aiming jigs. It also discusses a general design
structure for robots that uses a chassis, a bay, and several attachments.
Chapter 12, includes a thorough discussion of the sensors allowed in
competition and how to properly use them for maximum efficiency.
Chapter 13, includes a short discussion on file-naming conventions, saving
and backing up data, and program maintenance. Flowcharts are covered as a
way to help students determine the proper course of action for a robot before
they do any actual programming.
Chapter 14, offers a detailed discussion of programming techniques, including
looping, case/switch use, and program menu systems. The chapter also covers
refining programs to reduce size and complexity as well as more advanced
actions using the sensors.
Chapter 15, discusses the Project component of FLL. It gives advice on
researching information, creating a five-minute presentation, and taking action
in the community in the area of your research.
Chapter 16, gives a rundown of typical events that happen at tournaments,
plus advice on preparing for them. You’ll find discussions of what to expect
from the judging sessions, what the judges are looking for, and ideas on how
teams can increase their scores. You’ll also find suggestions for what to do
once the season ends, and how to prepare for next season.
The appendix, “Resources,” provides a list of online resources for further
exploration and information.
We’ve also created a special discussion forum for the book where you can
submit questions and tips and discuss FLL with the authors and with teams
from around the world. Just visit http://thenxtstep.com/smf/ and click the
Book Discussions section to get started.
We hope that you and your team will find some useful information in the
pages of FIRST LEGO League: The Unofficial Guide that will inspire, help,
and enhance your FLL experience.
Now, let’s get started and have some fun!
Chapter 1. What Is FIRST LEGO
League?
What better way to start a book on FIRST LEGO League (FLL) than with a
chapter that tries to answer the question, “What is FIRST LEGO League?”
Now, we guess that you didn’t really find this book by accident, but instead
are a student, parent, or coach involved in FLL and want more information on
any of the numerous topics related to FLL—robots, programming, judging,
and more. If that’s the case, please feel free to jump back to the Contents, find
the chapter that best fits the information you need, and start reading.
Or maybe you really have no idea what FLL is. Maybe the book fell off the
shelf as you walked by it at your local bookstore and the cover completely
grabbed your attention. More likely, though, your son or daughter handed you
a copy and said, “Mom/Dad, I want to start a team at my school next year.
Can you help?” (Another likely scenario is a call from your child’s teacher
asking if you would be willing to coach or mentor an FLL team.) If this
paragraph describes you, you found the right book.
Whatever your experience with FLL, you’ll find tons of useful information
that will help increase your chances of winning at competitions and many
ways to have more fun getting there. And remember, it’s not always about
winning when it comes to FLL; it’s about the experience of working with
friends, making new ones, and learning about yourself and the world around
you.
FIRST and the FIRST Robotics Competition
FIRST, a nonprofit organization, was founded in 1989 by Dean Kamen, an
acclaimed inventor and entrepreneur best known for inventions such as the
HomeChoice portable dialysis machine, the iBOT 4000 Mobility System (a
wheelchair that can go up staircases!), and the Segway Personal Transporter
(Figure 1-1), one of the coolest transportation devices around.