Library Lego League Round 1 Results: Plus, August 2 Event Added!

Thu, 07/12/2007 - 1:56am by eli

Last week the downtown library was the place for the first-ever Library Lego League robotics competition! 6 teams converged on the 3rd floor to play with Lego, learn how to program Mindstorms, eat pizza, and watch their bots attempt to secure a place in history as the winners of our inaugural event.

Before we get to the recap, a registration update for those of you who may not have registered yet; the July 12th and July 26th Lego League events are already full, but we've just added an extra Lego League event on Thursday, August 2, from 10 AM - 4 PM. Register right here before that event fills up too. If your team already attended an event, please let someone else have a chance, and just wait until next summer for more lego league. Now, on to the round 1 report....

Our first challenge was to run laps between two black lines on a white board. Teams were told immediately before each run how many laps they would be running, and there was a 10 second penalty for a bot that failed to stop and play a sound after completing its final lap.

After a frantic build and program period, the six teams set up their robots for the first run. Three teams bots failed to complete the challenge, failing after just a few lengths. However, 3 teams successsfully completed the challenge.

First, Team 3, consisting of Mohammed, Amer, Avery, and Ben built a robot that successfully completed the course in 20.15 seconds, but failed to stop and took a 10 second penalty, bringing their first round time to 30.15 seconds, just enough to move on to the next round.

Then, The Fantastic Four, consisting of John, Nicholas, Matt, and Thane, sent their bot into action, finishing the course and stopping on a dime after only 17.03 seconds. It seemed that their time was unbeatable, until...

Team 6, consisting of Ville, Ben, Sophia, and Lauren, rolled out their bot, which finished the course in 16.75 seconds, just edging out the Fantastic Four for first place heading into the second round.

After twenty minutes of furious tweaking, it was time for the finals; with a larger number of laps and less room for error, the stakes were high with $300 of gift cards on the line.

First, Team 3's bot sprang into action, completing 7 laps in 51.13 seconds but again failing to stop after the finish, earning a final score of 61.13 seconds.

Then, Team 6's dragster-bot sped through 7 laps and again stopped successfully after 41.78 seconds, setting a high bar, guaranteeing themselves at least second place and putting the pressure on the Fantastic Four.

The Four did not disappoint, with their scripted bot racing through its turns in a blistering 35.62 seconds, winning a set of 4 $35 Target Giftcards, leaving Team 6 to 4 $25 giftcards and second place, while Team 3 took home 4 $15 giftcards for third place.

It was a great day and a lot of fun for all involved; and today is the next round! Check back here soon for full round 2 details, and feel free to come up to the 3rd floor of the Downtown Library at 3 PM to watch the competition!