FIRST LEGO LEAGUE - global robotics competition opens the door to other challenges
2016-10-06
The organizers of the largest international robotics competition for participants from 9 to 16 years of age have publicized the assignments and missions for this year.
The competition is being held for the ninth time in Slovakia.
Along with ANASOFT as the project partner, we are looking forward to seeing how gifted children successfully fulfill the robotics challenges.
The FIRST LEGO LEAGUE competition lasts from approximately from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Teams of 3 to 10 young people from 9 to 16 years of age compete here under the guidance of their coaches. In the morning, the teams compete in the Robot Design, Research Project and Teamwork categories. Robot Games take place on the tournament tables in the afternoon. In this game, the teams try to resolve as many tasks as possible with their autonomous robot in the 150-second time limit.
The whole idea of this competition is not only oriented on robotics. It places great emphasis on the development of teamwork, analytic thinking and the ability to present one’s knowledge and creativity. It combines science and technology with entertainment.
A new theme is announced every year. The teams get ready from the beginning of September; they build and program robots and prepare research assignments. The task of individual teams is to build a robot from the LEGO Mindstorms system while using basic sensors and standard programming software. Thus, the level of technological possibilities is unified and the results of individual teams can be compared more objectively. Young people together with robots solve real problems and become the researchers of the future.
In this year’s project entitled “ANIMAL ALLIES”.
The competitors will think about people and animals as allies in a mission related to improving life for everyone. When encountering an animal have you ever thought that this encounter may have helped you or the animal or both? Sometimes animals help people and sometimes people help animals. The project assignment is as follows: Find a way to improve the contact between people and animals.
The FIRST LEGO LEAGUE expands every year
Last year the regional tournaments in Slovakia hosted 77 teams from across the country as well as a team from Bulgaria. The organizers expect up to 900 teams in Europe. In Slovakia we also expect a growing number of participants; that why we have opened a new, seventh tournament in Bratislava – Petržalka. Teams can register for the competition up to October 14, 2016 at the website www.fll.sk. The best teams will advance to the semifinal and final rounds or to the world festival.
This year’s FLL is being organized thanks to the cooperation with the project partners: ANASOFT APR, spol. s r.o., Profesia, spol. s r. o., ESET, spol. s r.o., and EDUXE Slovensko, s.r.o.