Latest news with #FirstLegoLeague
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
RMS Oceanic Outlaws take award at national robotics tournament
Jun. 10—ROYAL CITY — The Oceanic Outlaws think fast. The robotics team from Royal Middle School, representing Washington state, took first place at the national First Lego League Western Edge national competition May 30-June 1 in a special "On the Spot" challenge. "It was a brand-new board with brand-new missions on it that they've never seen before for their robot to complete," said their coach, RMS science teacher Theresa Piper. "They get to work as a new alliance (with two other teams) and they have to take their robots and rebuild them, come up with attachments and pieces to make their robot complete these tasks that they just were introduced to. They only have a few hours to work together as a brand-new team." To add a layer of difficulty, there were only three boards available for at least 50 teams to work on, meaning teams had to take turns working for short periods of time, Piper said. "You've got about 500 kids that are sharing these three boards," she said. "Lots of lessons in sharing and patience." A board, she explained, is a large plywood sheet with a map marked out on it. Students program their robots to perform specified tasks at various points around the board and are scored on how precisely the robots accomplish them. The overall rankings for the tournament weren't available at press time, according to the First Lego League's website. The two teams that won the On the Spot challenge with the Oceanic Outlaws were the Electric Eagles from Colorado Springs, Colorado and the Saline Robohive from Saline, Mich. Teams came from 50 states and from around the world. The number of teams in this year's competition wasn't available but last year's had 85 teams entered, according to First Lego League's website. The Oceanic Outlaws qualified for the national competition after taking the Champion Finalist award at the state-level competition in Spokane in January. The theme for the year was "Submerged" and teams had to find solutions to underwater problems. Royal has sent individual students to nationals before, Piper told the Columbia Basin Herald in January, but this is the first time a team from RMS has qualified. Robotics plays a large role in Royal schools, said Royal Middle School Principal Jerred Copenhaver. "It gives an outlet for kids who don't do sports," Copenhaver said. "It's been a big success. They started in elementary and intermediate (school) and by the time they get to us they're pretty well trained." The trip involved a lot of firsts for the students, Piper said. For some of them, it was their first time seeing the ocean. "They dove in clothes and all," she said. "And swam and built sand castles and buried each other and did all those fun things." For some students, it was also their first flying experience, she said, which prompted some lessons about what to say and not to say to TSA agents. The First Lego League isn't limited to schools; private organizations also send teams, Piper said. And unlike most school competitions, the teams aren't categorized by either age or school size. "We had people traveling from across the world, and the international teams, they go up to age 16," she said. "We've got 14 at the oldest, so we've got much older kids we're competing against. We've got private schools and private groups. We've got kids who have engineers for parents that are coaching. So any kind of thing you can imagine is what we're really going against." The students learn more than just how to make machinery obey them, Piper said. "A lot of it is human error, and being nervous, and not aligning your robot perfectly," she said. "Because on the practice run, everything ran almost perfect, but then when you go to do your real competition run, we ran into a few whoopsies. It teaches the kids a lot about how to face adversity, or when things go wrong, how do we respond? Another big part of First Lego League is teaching kids mistakes are okay, and how we manage ourselves when mistakes are happening." Piper's dedication has a lot to do with the RMS team's success, Copenhaver said. "Without her, none of this happens at the middle school," he said. "She puts her heart and soul into this."
Otago Daily Times
05-06-2025
- Science
- Otago Daily Times
Two Dunedin pupils and their robot to take on world
Two Dunedin intermediate school pupils are taking on the world with a robot they built from scratch. Tahuna Normal Intermediate pupils Quentin Sime and Thomas Ketu-McKenzie, both 12, will head to the United States city of Boston next Tuesday. They would be the only New Zealanders competing against 180 others from 35 countries in the First Lego League robotics competition. Thomas said the two of them were travelling with their dads, and were "excited for the opportunity". "It cost $12,000 and we were really grateful people have sponsored us to help fly us over," Thomas said. First Lego League is part of a global education challenge that introduces science, technology, engineering and maths to children through hands-on learning. The competition would run from June 15-June 19. The pair have spent 2025 so far designing, building and programming a robot to navigate and complete a series of obstacles as part of the course they would run in Boston this month. Tahuna Normal Intermediate pupils Quentin Sime (left) and Thomas Ketu-McKenzie hold their robot they will take to compete at the First Lego League robotics competition in Boston in the United States. PHOTO: GREGOR RICHARDSON The theme of the competition this year was "submerged," and the course they had to program their robot to run was ocean-themed. As part of the competition, the pair also created an "environment project," where they made a robot with a sampling arm that could test water quality at Tomahawk Lagoon by collecting and recording data. The pair first were introduced to the world of robotics by their e-tech teacher, who showed them the ropes. Last year, a high school student from the United States then came over and taught them more about robotics. This year, they have been self sufficient, self-teaching and practising in the robotics room at their school. Quentin said all they had to do was "code your robot to do these tasks on the computer and then download it on to the hub — simple as that". Their robot would need to complete the obstacle course in under two minutes and 30 seconds. He said the speed the course could be completed in "depends how good the robot is." "We had to plan out what order we would do our missions in first before we created the different attachments and coding, because if one fails, it's all screwed up. "There was a bit of problem-solving involved here."
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
What's Cool At School? – An elementary school robotics team headed to an international competition
HENDERSON, NV ( KLAS ) – Nine local elementary school students are on their way to an international robotics competition, and they and their families are fired up. Out of 172 teams that competed in the First Lego League in Nevada, only 5 are heading to Florida in June. We're talking about the 'Master Builders' from Walker Elementary in Henderson. Besides researching, problem solving, coding, engineering, building and programming a Legobot, they also pick out and try to solve real-world problems. A fundraising video says the 9 to 11-year-olds can't wait to show their stuff on the world stage They're hoping your tax deductible donations help them get to their $15,000 goal. If you would like to contribute, contact fetteml@ or (702) 799-0570. Donations can also be made in the form of a check payable to: Walker Elementary850 Scholar St. Henderson, NV 89002 Please write 'Walker Master Builder' in the memo. We always want to know What's Cool At School. If you've got something, let us know. 'What's Cool At School' is under the 'Community' tab at Or just email: whatscoolatschool@ Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Mid East Info
27-01-2025
- Science
- Mid East Info
Hamdan Centre for Giftedness and Innovation Students Excel at the Local Robotics Competition - Middle East Business News and Information
Students from Hamdan Centre for Giftedness and Innovation Secure First Place in the Robotics Challenge and Robot Design, and Second Place in the Champion's Challenge at the Dubai First Lego League Championship. Dubai, UAE, January , 2025 – Students from Hamdan Center for Giftedness and Innovation achieved outstanding success in the First Lego League (FLL) competition, securing first place in the Robot Challenge and Robot Design categories, and earning second place in the Champion's Challenge at the competition held at International Academy Dubai. In this context, Dr. Mariam Al Ghawi, Director of Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Center for Giftedness and Innovation, stated: 'We believe that students are the future generation and leaders of innovation. Our participation in the First Lego League aims to inspire them to explore their potential and unleash their creativity, enhancing the UAE's global presence in science and innovation. The success of our teams in surpassing local qualifiers reflects their passion and fruitful efforts in transforming ideas into practical, innovative solutions. We are proud of our student teams and look forward to seeing them achieve outstanding accomplishments aligned with the nation's aspirations, contributing to the UAE's vision of building a knowledge-based economy driven by innovation.' Hamdan Centre for Giftedness and Innovation entered two teams in the local qualifiers of the First Lego League (FLL) robotics competition, which saw participation from over 80 teams representing various schools. This initiative is part of the Centre's mission to empower students to tackle global scientific and technological challenges while solidifying the UAE's position as a global innovation hub. The teams demonstrated exceptional skills throughout the preparation stages, ranging from designing advanced software to building robots, supported by a spirit of teamwork and creativity. This experience serves as a gateway for students to showcase their talents on both national and international stages. Participation in the FLL competition aligns with the vision of Hamdan Centre for Giftedness and Innovation to foster critical and creative thinking skills among students while enhancing their knowledge in artificial intelligence and robotics. Both teams achieved exceptional success in the local qualifiers of the First Lego League, proving their capability to overcome technical and scientific challenges. Their success has qualified them for the national finals, showcasing the scientific and technical excellence of the participating students and their ability to compete at the highest levels globally. With the conclusion of the local qualifiers, the teams are now preparing for the national finals, hoping to secure a spot in the global competition, where the brightest minds from around the world gather. The Centre's teams aim to deliver outstanding performances that reflect the UAE's advancements in scientific and technological fields, reaffirming their commitment to addressing global challenges through innovative and sustainable solutions. This year's competition focused on the theme of 'Submerged', addressing environmental issues related to marine conservation and the protection of aquatic ecosystems. The event included multiple challenges, such as designing a robot capable of performing complex tasks on a challenge table and presenting innovative, sustainable solutions aimed at conserving water resources and protecting marine life. These scientific and technological competitions serve as inspiring educational platforms for students, allowing them to acquire practical skills in strategic fields like artificial intelligence and robotics. They also enhance critical thinking and teamwork skills, preparing a generation of innovators capable of making a positive impact in their communities and developing creative solutions to future challenges.
