Posters, Robot & a Mission

At wednesday's meeting we broke up into groups of 2 and 3.  One group, which consisted of Emmett, Eden & myself (Damek) worked on our core values and project posters

and the other group, which consisted of Kenny & Luke, worked on getting the robot to drive straight.

Halfway through the meeting Eden and Luke decided to switch groups, and Kenny & Eden worked on the pets mission part of the robot game

while Emmett, Luke & I continued to make progress on the posters.

When Straight Isn't Straight

Today we were working on the ambulance mission, which is just a long, straight path out and back to base.  We discovered that the big problem was that our robot was pulling to the right even though we were telling it to drive straight.

We tried switching the wheels around, and using another "identical" tire, but it still pulled right.  We decided that the motors must be the source of the problem, but we only have two EV3 motors, so we have to make them work.

Using the move-steering block, we started telling it to turn very slightly left instead of going straight.  We still had trouble getting it to go straight - it was still pulling right.  Then we realized that the battery power was very low, so we stopped working to charge the robot.  In competition, our robot will be fully charged, so we want to do these tests under the same conditions.

When it's charged again, we'll try to find turn values that make it go straight with the move-steering block.  We may also try the move-tank block with slightly different motor powers for the two motors.

Meeting Bruce Tremper of the Utah Avalanche Center

The past couple weeks we've been trying to get our project finished up.  Today we finished the posters we'll hold during our project presentation and then went to the Natural History Museum where Bruce Tremper was giving an avalanche talk. 

 

There were a lot of people there to listen to him talk about avalanches!

 

  

After the presentation was over, we stayed to tell him about our project idea and he said it was a great idea!  It was nice to talk to an expert and get such nice feedback.

we did a core values challange this week, ware we got a number whispered in our ear and we had to put ourselves in order (1,2,3,4,5) with out talking or seeing. we also worked on the robot we put on a light sensor in between the motors to save spase and to shade the light sensor so readings would be more or less the same.

we also wrote some of our script for the skit that we are going to preform for the judges.

Now featuring motorized attachments!

We started our meeting with a Core Values exercise.  The team stood in a single file line with hands on the shoulders of the person in front off them, and the leader was blindfolded.  The challenge was to navigate around the house.  We decided that the second person in line would be the driver and give commands to the leader.  We had fun with this one.  Interestingly, it got harder for the leader as time went on because we all got comfortable and were chatting so it was hard for the leader to hear the driver.

The team relaxes during a break.  Kenny is well camouflaged in the tree!

 This week we continued working on our project script.  We are almost done with the outline.  We've written a nice elevator pitch and the beginning and ending of the skit.

Luke sends the robot out for the cargo plane mission.

Last year, our robot didn't use any motorized attachments.  One of our big goals this year was to use motorized attachments for some missions.  At this meeting, we finally got a third motor attached to the robot, and we successfully used it to trigger the cargo plane and the tsunami missions!  Everyone is getting better at programming the EV3, too.

At our meeting on wednesday Deanna started us out with a Core Values exercise.  As a team we created a commercial using Gracious Professionalism.  We sat around the table and started coming up with ideas.  Whoever came up with an idea grabbed a popsicle stick and the first 2 people who came up with ideas went downstairs to discuss them, who happened to be Eden & Emmett.  When they were ready they called down the 3rd person who had an idea, which was Kenny and then the 4th, who was Luke and finally the 5th, who was me, Damek.

We came up with a skit about construction workers who get a bonus per job if they complete the job in 4 days or less.  They work together to complete the job in 3 days instead of 4 and are then given more money.  They work together using each others strengths and problem solve how to most efficiently do each aspect of the job.  For instance when pouring the concrete Emmett got it started and then Kenny & I finished it off.  Another example was when we were pouring water into the pool, Luke turned on the water and Kenny, Emmett and myself held the hose in place.

After the core values exercise we talked about features that we want on our project, the Ava Aid.

Then we had break and played outside.

After break, we split up into 2 groups, one group worked with Julie on coming up with ideas & dialogue for our Project Presentation and the other group worked with Stephanie on programming with the robot.  After awhile we had another break to have a snack and then switched groups to continue working.

The opening skit that Emmet, Luke & I came up with is this:

Characters:  Dr. Deke (or Dr. Snow, haven't come to an agreement yet on the name) - Eden, Trip Planner - Emmett, Skier 1 - Damek, Skier 2 - Kenny, Skier 3 (Avalanche victim)- Luke.

We will enter the presentation room wearing ski gear.  

Scene:  The skiers (us) are crossing a chute on their way up to the top of the mountain.

Dialogue:

Trip Planner - "This looks like a great powder day, lets go skiing in the backcountry."

Dr. Deke - "I think this chute we're crossing looks like avalanche terrain."

Trip Planner - "Well I looked at the Utah Avalanche Center website this morning and it said the avalanche conditions today are considerable, so I think we'll be fine."

Skier 1 - (whispering loudly to Dr. Deke) "More people die in considerable avalanche conditions than in any other."

Skier 2 - "To be safe, I think we should go one at a time."

Skier 3 - "I'll go first." - Skier 3 proceeds to trigger an avalanche.

The closing skit that Kenny & Emmett have come up with so far is this:

Skier 3 will be wearing airbags,  everyone will have their Ava Aids.

Skier 1 - "His last seen point is there (pointing), the avalanche was moving this way, let's start our search over there (pointing).

Dr. Deke (or Snow) - "The Ava Aid says to go in this direction.

Skier 2 - "I see that the Ava Aid deployed his airbags and he was able to stay on top of the snow."

To end the meeting we ran through our Core Values skit.

The team at the museum

We went to the Utah Natural History Museum for a special Meet the Experts with other FLL teams.

There wasn't an expert on avalanches but there was an expert on landslides which was the closest topic to ours. And then we went to the earthquake expert becuse earthquakes make infrasound.

And then we went to the robot table and looked at the design of the robots that other teams had brought.

- Posted by Eden

Refining Robots

Demonstrating the core value "We Have Fun!"

This week we spent time refining the robots we built last week to fix some flaws.  One robot, giraffe bot, was very tall and the other, pig bot, was wide and so low that the motors dragged on the table.  We also started working on claw based attachments for grabbing pets, people, and supplies on the table.  Below, you can see Damek working on the supply truck mission.  It's wheels will drive straight easily, but it's not aimed at the scoring zone.  Pushing LEGO wheels sideways is hard, so he's working on a forklift type attachment to lift the back wheels so the front wheels can more easily turn.

We continued practicing our presentation skills.  Below, Eden demonstrates some telemark skiing techniques. 

Next week, we're preparing "elevator pitches" of our project, a 30 second or so explanation off what we're working on.

Presentations & Robot Building

For our meeting on Wednesday, each team member gave a short, 2-3 minute, presentation on a subject of their choosing to help them with their presentation skills.  

Damek gave a presentation on How The Brain Works.

Emmett gave a presentation on Getting Over My Fear Of Heights.

Kenny gave a presentation on the ISS (International Space Station).

Eden gave a presentation on Telemark Skiing.

Luke gave a presentation on a Minecraft World.

Coach Stephanie took videos of the presentations so we could all watch and offer feedback on what was great about the presentations as well as offered feedback on what could be improved.  We talked about what makes a good presentation and the boys will do their presentations again next week using the feedback as a guide.

Also at the meeting the boys built 2 robots.  Eden & Kenny worked together and finished building a robot that they had started the previous week,

and Damek, Emmett & Luke worked together and built a second robot.

The boys will test these out and see if they need to do any modifications to them.

For our Core Values part of the meeting, Coach Deanna led a team building activity.  

There was a 3x3 box with a grid and working as a team we had to find a way to fill 6 of the squares in without having 3 in a straight line touching each other.  The result was that we found 2 ways to fit them in without 3 touching each in a straight line. - Damek

The boys & Coach Stephanie also went over some of the missions on the table to brainstorm how they might do some of the missions, what missions they really want to do and what missions they might scratch.

Challenge Release and Core Values

Today we went to FLL early because today is the mission release.  We also made lots of progress on the robot design.  Hooray!!

 We did a cooperation activity where we tried to stand on a small towel.  It was hard!  We had to balance on one foot.  So we worked together by holding each other.  We had fun!  We couldn't have done it without working together.
-Kenny

Just a note from a coach.  For core values this week we talked about the value of "we do the work".  We talked about who has the responsibility of getting the work done.

 We took a few quiet moments to think of a story that might emphasize this week's value.  Both Eden and Emmett shared a fun story.  Then we played "All Aboard".  The challenge was to fit all 5 team members on a towel.  The towel wasn't too big to start with, but the challenge was quite easy the first time.  So we folded the towel in half.  And then in half again.  It was a fun time and they had to work together to meet the challenge.

Nature's Fury, 2013 FLL Challenge

First Lego League's 2013 challenge is titled 'Nature's Fury'.

From the FLL website :

The goal of each FIRST LEGO League Challenge theme is to help kids see themselves as capable of improving the lives of others through addressing real-world problems.  We realize that natural disasters happen in some part of the world nearly every day, and they affect many people in unfortunate ways.  For those who have suffered losses in a natural disaster, this topic can be hard to discuss, but we know that many positive outcomes can result from asking a large group of creative kids to solve this type of real-world problem.

As our topic experts shared with us, thinking ahead about disaster preparedness can help a child feel less helpless in a disaster situation and improve his/her ability to cope.  We hope that participating in the Nature’s Fury season will empower FLL team members to make a difference and to feel prepared if they learn about or face a natural disaster in the future.

Welcome To Our Blog

We are Rejecting Reality, an FLL team of homeschoolers, entering our second season of FLL.  We are Damek, Eden, Emmett, Kenny & Luke.  The theme for this years FLL season is "Nature's Fury", and we have chosen Avalanches as our natural disaster.

Our introduction video, complete with bloopers, shows how much fun we have as a team!

What First Lego League (FLL) Is

From the FLL website 

Introduces younger students to real-world engineering challenges by building LEGO-based robots to complete tasks on a thematic playing surface. FLL teams, guided by their imaginations and adult coaches, discover exciting career possibilities and, through the process, learn to make positive contributions to society.

Elementary and middle-school students get to:

  Design, build, test and program robots using LEGO MINDSTORMS^® technology
  Apply real-world math and science concepts
  Research challenges facing today’s scientists
  Learn critical thinking, team-building and presentation skills
  Participate in tournaments and celebrations

What FLL teams accomplish is nothing short of amazing. It’s fun. It’s exciting. And the skills they learn will last a lifetime.