|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
MINDSTORMS NXT NXT Building Challenge
 NXT NXT...? Are you seeing double? Yes! We are presenting a doubly fun building challenge on NXTLOG where you create a robot that uses 2 NXT bricks! We are also giving you double the amount of time to enter this challenge. The 2 NXT's can be onboard the robot or the 2 NXT's can be separate...but we must require that the 2 NXT's communicate with each other. You have until Monday June 30th to enter.
Don't have 2 NXT's? Why not enter the challenge with a friend!
What will you make?
See the MINDSTORMS NXT NXT Building Challenge NXTLOG for more details
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
MINDSTORMS NXTperts share their expertise at the FLL World Festival
 Along with seeing great robots in competition at the FLL World Festival in Atlanta, Georgia last week, attendees were also able to see live demonstrations from MINDSTORMS experts.
The NXT STEP blogger Jim Kelly and The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Zoo author Fay Rhodes shared their expertise on using 3-D programs to build LEGO MINDSTORMS models, and MUP Ralph Hempel, creator of pbLua, shared his passion for Open Source and alternative programming for LEGO MINDSTORMS.
A crowd favorite was the demonstration "Taking LEGO MINDSTORMS to the Sky" given by Chris Anderson, Editor-in-Chief of WIRED magazine. He showed off and explained his MINDSTORMS UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle). Chris designed an autopilot system for a radio controlled model airplane that uses the NXT and HiTechnic Sensors to control an autopilot system, which both stabilizes and navigates the plane autonomously. A highlight for Anderson was sharing his invention with Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen (owner and Vice Chairman of LEGO) and Dean Kamen (the founder of FIRST and inventor of the Segway). He told them that he was looking to do something that had never been done with MINDSTORMS before...fly. Next stop says Chris, (for someone else) is... space?
Many of these MINDSTORMS experts are also participating in the Ask the NXTperts section of MINDSTORMS.com Have a question for them? Ask the NXTperts!
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Dean Kamen, founder of FIRST, awarded the LEGO Prize
 Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, Owner and Vice Chairman of LEGO awarded Dean Kamen the LEGO Prize for his passionate commitment to FIRST. “It is 10 years ago we began a pilot project with FIRST LEGO League – and in the intervening years it has simply grown and grown. From just a couple of hundred participants to more than 100,000!” says Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen.
“We are particularly proud to be able to honor Dean Kamen for his personal and untiring commitment to child development and learning. Children learn best when new knowledge is presented in play form, and in founding FIRST, Dean has created an organization which – uniquely and through systematic, creative play – helps children and young people understand and appreciate science and technology. We say that the future belongs to our children, and Dean Kamen plays an immensely important role in creating a better future – harnessing the fantastic creativity and inventiveness that children and young people experience through involvement in FIRST programs.”
The LEGO Prize was founded in 1985 and has been awarded to individuals and institutions who have made an extraordinary contribution on behalf of children and young people. The recipients have included Astrid Lindgren, Paul Newman, John Feierabend, Mario Lodi and such institutions as Associacão Santa Therinha in Brazil, The SaekDong Organisation in Korea, and Papalote Museo del Niño in Mexico City. The LEGO Prize was last awarded in 1997.
Dean Kamen will receive the sum of $100,000, which he will pass on to the FIRST organization, and a unique glass bowl created specially for the occasion by Steffen Dam, a Danish glass artist from Ebeltoft.
“FIRST is inspiring the next generation of innovators and engineers,” said Kamen. “Years from now, some of the students who competed in the Georgia Dome will be inventing solutions to society's most challenging problems."
Former President George H. W. Bush echoed Kamen’s beliefs during the FIRST Challenge Opening Ceremonies on Friday, April 18. He reminisced about attending the inaugural FIRST Championship sixteen years ago and recognized Kamen for fostering young people’s aspirations in science and technology.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
2008 FIRST LEGO League World Festival Award Winners
 Eighty one teams from around the world participated in the 10th FIRST LEGO League (FLL) World Festival this past weekend at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.
Top honors in the FLL challenge went to Champion’s Award 1st Place winner, Team 8095 "External Fusion" from Singapore; Champion’s Award 2nd Place winner, Team 2560 "Pixelation" from North Branch, Minnesota; and Champion’s Award 3rd Place winner, Team 334 "Power Peeps" from Swartz Creek, Michigan. The Champion’s Award measures how teams inspire and motivate others about the excitement and wonders of science and technology, while demonstrating gracious professionalism.
Winning first place in Robot Performance were the NERDS (The New England Robotics Designers) from New Hampshire, USA. The team took this year’s green theme seriously by dressing up as the Green Man Group (in honor of the popular Blue Man Group). They entertained the public in the pits playing the “tubes,” and managed perfect 400 point scores each round with their innovative MINDSTORMS NXT robot design.
A complete list of the 2008 FLL World Festival Awards can be found here.
Congratulations to all the participants in the World Festival!
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Greetings from the FLL World Festival in Atlanta!
 The FIRST LEGO League World Festival kicked off yesterday at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. At the opening ceremonies teams wore party hats as they celebrated the ten-year anniversary of FLL. Yesterday’s events also included judging and practice rounds, and an anniversary party in Centennial Park. Today the robots take to the playing filed to see who will be champion!
The MINDSTORMS Team as well as many members of the MCP were at the MINDSTORMS booth sharing their NXT creations and knowledge. Visitors to the booth got a chance to interact with NXT robots including Chris Anderson’s LEGO Autopilot, Chris Smith’s NXT Hoop Rover, and Gus Jansson and David Schilling’s NXT Helicopter. Also on hand were the original members of the MUP (MINDSTORMS User Panel) who helped develop the NXT.
This year also marks the 10th anniversary of LEGO MINDSTORMS, and to celebrate, two Alpha Rex World Travelers are going on a Global Roadrip. FLL Teams can sign up to possibly host an Alpha Rex on his travels.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
How do you get to the FLL World Festival? Practice, practice, practice.
 Practice, practice, practice is what the St. Clare’s FIRST LEGO League (FLL) team, the Transformers from Staten Island, NY are doing to prepare for the FLL World Festival later this week at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. The Transformers practice 5 to 6 times a week from 2 to 4 hours per session in the science lab at their school. They practice with multiple robots on multiple tournament tables while working toward that perfect 400 point score. ”The pizza delivery man knows us well, parents send in nourishment, and maintenance is ready to set up cots for us!” says their dedicated coach, Mary Lee.
The Transformers are a team of 18 students, ten boys and eight girls from 11-14 years of age. Most of the team has experience with LEGO MINDSTORMS, participating for 1-3 years in a minor league before joining the ”Majors” (which is the team at St. Clare’s that competes in FLL tournaments). All 18 team members along with their family, friends, and coach are attending the festivities in Atlanta.
”This is the second year that the Transformers are using a LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT robot. We now recognize the NXT as a more advanced machine with tremendous possibilities,” explains Coach Lee.
About FLL Events
Each year FLL teams embark on an adventurous challenge based on current, real-world issues. Students between 9 and 14 years of age build and program a robot to complete a set number of missions in 2½ minutes (the robot game), present research on a given topic (the research presentation), and share how they designed and programmed their robot (the technical presentation). This year’s FLL theme, “Power Puzzle” challenges teams to use robotics to understand and create solutions for one of today's most critical environmental issues: energy management and conservation.
The Robot Game
The Transformers found the solar panel mission to be the most difficult robot task in the Power Puzzle challenge. Four separate groups of students worked on troubleshooting the mission, each with their own robot. The biggest trouble was getting the solar panel to stay on. ”We finally tackled this by adding extra pieces to the panel that allowed it to hang, and we added little claws that helps it grab on to the roof if it starts to flip over.” Each group helped one other succeed by sharing ideas and building for each other. ”The frustration was high at times, but it brought us closer and taught us to battle together.”
The Transformers are excited that the robots they are taking to the World Festival can score 400 points provided the opposing team does not get the satellite challenge first. Let’s hope the Transformers make it!
The Research Project
The Transformers conducted extensive research in their community on alternative enery options. They visited a home with solar panels to see how they are setup and work. They investigated their school, local zoo, and a bakery, and then researched similar structures in different areas using alternative energy and energy providers. The team even went to the Fresh Kills Landfill in Staten Island to learn about a methane gas collection system and to explore the possibility of using the area as a wind farm. The team saw that fish were dying in a local pond, discovered that the oxygen levels were low and requested that a solar aerator pump be installed as part of the Department of Environmental Protection’s Adopt a Bluebelt program. They also held a public forum on alternative energy for the community and presented their findings on all our research and allowed special guests in the field to speak. The Transformers live up to their name in transforming their community in green ways!
The Technical Presentation
The Transformers played with different robot designs including a horizontal design that they found on NXTLOG. The team played with different attachments, including a big lasso type piece that swings down over the corn and later the uranium to gather those pieces before coming back to base (after it hits the rail car and brings the coal to base). Other attachments include a big box for catching the oil and a flat piece to push objects like the dam and the power line.
For the programming, the team relies on motor rotations and time rather than sensors. Although the robot has a third motor, the team tries to limit its use, using the law of motion to swing an arm forward rather than extra programming. The team also works to multi-task when programming by either reusing programs to complete additional missions, or by completing a number of tasks in one area before returning the robot to base. The students discovered one innovative shortcut by using the robot itself to be the wave turbine, having it end up in the ocean at the end of the 2½ minutes.
The Journey to the World Festival
The team has been busy with practices and fundraising but also finds time to play sports together to ease the pressure of competing on a global level. They also have been practicing some dance moves for a special show in Atlanta. Just last week the Transformers participated in a FLL Tri-State Tournament at the Javits Center in NYC where they not only got a chance for extra pratice, but they met Mayor Mike Bloomburg as well.
While all 18 team members are prepared to play the robot game at the World Festival, some will act as ambassadors and greet attending teams, some will work as team photographers, and others as the pit crew. We look forward to seeing this team in action at the Georgia Dome!
Team Transfromers includes: Alanna Bergstrom, Adrianno Corso, Katie Geraghty, Ian Grice, Thomas Grimaldi, Matthew Gulotta, Shannon Long, Joseph Maggio, James McKeon, Steven Milazzo, Judy Muller, Meagan O'Connor, Amanda O'Keefe, Michelle Pagano, Christopher Piccirello, Paul Piccirello, James Pugliese and Serena Zinsley, and Coachs Mary Lee and Barbara Grimaldi.
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
LEGO MINDSTORMS Events
May 1 - June 30 - MINDSTORMS NXT NXT Building Challenge on NXTLOG
June 19 - 22 - Brickworld Wheeling, IL USA
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
Follow the news on your own computer, get our RSS feed!
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
LEGO MINDSTORMS Press Releases
For the latest Press Releases and Image Library, Click Here
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|