Embedded Files
Valinda Robotics
Valinda Robotics
Welcome to the homepage of the Super Smash Brobots! The robotics team is part of Valinda School of Academics and competes in the FIRST LEGO League Challenge competition. The FIRST program builds science, engineering, and technology skills, that inspire innovation and that well-rounded foster life capabilities, including self-confidence, communication, and leadership skills. Every year teams are introduced to real-world engineering challenges by building robots to complete tasks on a thematic playing field. Teams have competed at qualifying, regional, state, and international tournaments.
The team mentors four explore teams, and two discover teams that our excellent Valinda parents coach. The Team is active in their community, promoting the FIRST CORE Values. The Team also hosts a yearly workshop inviting local teams and going over all four aspects of FLL for every Team to have a successful season.
FIRST® LEGO® League introduces kids, ages 9 to 14 (grades 4-8), to the fun and excitement of science and technology, while building self-confidence, knowledge, and valuable career and life skills. The program challenges students to think like scientists and engineers. Teams solve real-world problems and learn engineering concepts, presentation techniques, and programming.
The main components of the program are
Robot Design
Robot Game
Core Values
Project
The Robot Game is the component of the challenge played out on the game table by an autonomously programmed Lego EV3 Robot or Spike Prime. The team, via four technicians at a time, interact with the robot when it is in an area of the game table known as BASE, and sends the robot out on MISSIONS where it will interact with MISSION MODELS during a two and a half minute time constraint.
The Robot design portion truly proves the work of the team. In a 5 -minute presentation, supported by written documentation, the team describes to judges the mechanical aspects, design processes, decision making, and programming that went into creating their robot solutions. This presentation is followed by a 5 minute Q&A session from the judges where they will look deeper into specific elements of the build and the programming of the team.
Every year students are challenged to solve a real-world problem relating to that year's theme.
Identify a real-world problem related to that year’s theme.
Design an innovative solution to your problem (can be new or modify an existing solution and improve upon it) solution.
Share your solution with others and then refine it by presenting your project to experts.
The Core Values are part of what makes FLL so special because kids compete like crazy but still respect their teammates, coaches, and even their competitors. By embracing the Core Values, participants learn that friendly competition and mutual gain are not separate goals and that helping one another is the foundation of teamwork.
The Core Values are as follows:
Discovery: We explore new skills and ideas.
Innovation: We use creativity and persistence to solve problems.
Impact: We apply what we learn to improve our world.
Inclusion: We respect each other and embrace our differences.
Teamwork: We are stronger when we work together.
Fun: We enjoy and celebrate what we do!
What does the Robotics team do?
Participation in a FIRST LEGO League (FLL) robotics team involves various activities that focus on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education, teamwork, and problem-solving. Here's a general list of what students typically do in a FIRST LEGO League robotics challenger team:
1. Research and Identify a Problem: Teams begin by researching a real-world problem related to the theme of the season. They identify challenges and opportunities within the chosen theme.
2. Innovate Solutions: Based on their research, teams develop innovative solutions to address the identified problem. This can involve designing new technologies, processes, or systems.
3. Robot Design: Teams work on designing and building a LEGO Mindstorms robot. The robot is programmed to complete a series of predefined missions on a competition table. Students iterate on the design to improve its performance.
4. Programming: Team members learn and implement programming skills using the LEGO Mindstorms software. They write code to control the robot's movements, sensors, and actions during the competition missions.
5. Core Values: FIRST LEGO League places a strong emphasis on core values, which include teamwork, respect, and friendly competition. Teams are expected to embody these values in their interactions with each other and other teams.
6. Project Presentation: Teams prepare and deliver a presentation about their research project, including the identified problem, their innovative solution, and the impact it could have on the community or the world.
7. Robot Game Strategy: Students strategize and plan how to approach the various missions on the competition table. This involves analyzing the point values, determining the order of missions, and adapting strategies during the actual competition.
8. Documentation: Teams maintain a detailed engineering notebook or documentation that records their journey throughout the season. This includes design sketches, programming code, project research, and reflections on the team's progress.
9. Teamwork and Collaboration: FIRST LEGO League encourages students to work collaboratively, solving problems as a team. Effective communication and cooperation are essential skills developed during the season.
10. Community Outreach: Some teams engage in outreach activities to share their knowledge and passion for robotics and STEM with their local community. This may include demonstrations, workshops, or presentations.
11. Preparing for Competitions: Teams participate in local, regional, and potentially national or international competitions. They prepare for these events by practicing their project presentation, refining their robot's performance, and making any necessary adjustments.
Remember that the specific activities can vary depending on the season's theme and the team's particular interests and strengths. The overall goal is to foster a love for STEM, teamwork, and problem-solving among participating students.
Page updated
Report abuse